The multisite model you choose for your church is only as good as it is sustainable. Your facility and staffing choices will have the most substantial impact on your financial viability, so it’s prudent to carefully and prayerfully consider your options.
Giving thought to staffing.
Your staffing considerations begin with the campus pastor. You cannot just throw anyone into this position. It takes a specific kind of leader with unique strengths and gifts. What would make someone a perfect fit for one campus might make them a liability in another.
You want to hire someone who understands your church’s mission, vision, strategy, and goals, and who is also gifted at getting things started—someone who has an internal drive to succeed. Identifying the right entrepreneurial leadership skills from the jump will save you from having to restart your efforts. Save yourself both headaches and heartache by taking time up front to assess your leadership needs.
Should you buy or lease?
When it comes to understanding the nuances that go into property and facility decisions, many pastors are ill prepared. You have to structure your budget. You have to understand the market where your campus will live. You need to have a handle on the giving potential of a campus that does not exist yet. These are all variables that an expert can help you navigate, so consider working with a professional real estate agent or leasing agent from the start.
While it is often a church’s goal, in the long run, to buy a permanent facility, it is vital that you are realistic about the steps that will get you to that point. You do not need to launch with a $10 million facility for your multisite to succeed.
Here are some considerations to keep in mind when you are looking for a location:
1. Fast-moving organizations: growing 15 percent or more a year.
Churches growing at this rate need to be led by people who know how to leverage opportunities and are not afraid to take mitigated risks. If your church is experiencing this kind of growth, be prepared to jump on any school, theater, or community center that comes available for lease. This means you will need to position the church to move quickly when the right lease and situation comes up.
If multisite is in your future, you may want to purchase some of the non-technology inventory you will need. This includes things like trailers, children’s ministry items, signage, sound systems, portable check-in systems, and hospitality equipment. These items take time to accumulate.
When the opportunity presents itself, you can set yourself up to take advantage of it quickly. As the portable location grows and becomes sustainable, you can keep your eyes open for long-term lease options and a building.
2. Consistent and steady organizations: growing 5–15 percent.
Your staffing considerations begin with the campus pastor. You cannot just throw anyone into this position. It takes a specific kind of leader with unique strengths and gifts. What would make someone a perfect fit for one campus might make them a liability in another.
You want to hire someone who understands your church’s mission, vision, strategy, and goals, and who is also gifted at getting things started—someone who has an internal drive to succeed. Identifying the right entrepreneurial leadership skills from the jump will save you from having to restart your efforts. Save yourself both headaches and heartache by taking time up front to assess your leadership needs.
Learn from others who have done this before.
What are your current facility challenges? Do you have the right staff in place to meet those challenges? Do you need to talk with a multisite strategist that can help you ask and answer these questions? Reach out to us at contactcenter@cdfcapital.org or call us at 888-540-7112. We would love to help.
Let’s journey together.
You don’t need to do ministry alone. You can find opportunities to connect, plus more content and conversations about church administration, at XP Summit: xpsummit.org.
