Multi-site church

A multisite church is one church that meets at multiple locations. Today's approach ranges from transmitting a sermon by satellite to multiple locations, to creating a number of worship opportunities within the same congregation at multiple times and sites.

According to Todd Rhoades of Monday Morning Insight, an October 2005 US multisite church conference released statistics regarding growth in the number of churches in the United States operating as multisite:

Through trial and error, churches have found that attempting to broadcast video to campuses during the other portions of the church service, like worship and times of prayer, is largely unsuccessful. Instead, most multisite churches produce music, worship, and prayer at each satellite campus to help solidify the sense of community and connection during those times as well as create an environment unique to that of the main campus, while remaining true to the brand and identity of the church.

In 1998, the "video venue" was born. It is widely accepted that North Coast Church of Vista, California was the first church to hold an additional service using video technology to reproduce the experience of the pastor's message in different areas of their campus. Within twenty-four months over 1,300 attendees were choosing one of the Video Venues instead of the original live service. One year later it was 2,300. By 2005 North Coast was offering 21 worship services in five locations and now hosts a multisite conference to assist other churches. Other churches, including Community Christian Church of Naperville, Illinois, have also been cited as launching a video venue the same year.

One of the most prominent examples of a church embracing the multisite approach is Seacoast Church. In 2002, after several years of growth, the church hit a physical growth barrier with 3,000 attending Sunday services. The church submitted a number of requests to the local authorities requesting permission to expand their campus. The city rejected all requests, frustrating the leadership of the church. Under the careful guidance of Pastor Greg Surratt, Seacoast began experimenting with a satellite campus that produced a unique service at an alternate location, reducing the strain of traffic and staff on the main campus. The new campus was overwhelmingly successful, leading to the launch of other strategically placed campuses throughout the city.

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Wikipedia