That's a big question! Here's a concise summary: "God is leading us to see a multi-location church emerge that will transform the spiritual landscape of Greater Madison. This church will convene in hundreds of lifeGroups with lifeWorship Centers strategically located in geographical regions throughout the Madison area."

Take a look at Pastor Jeff's Good News articles for a deeper dive into unpacking this brief summary.

The actual phrase "One Church, Regional Impact" was born during a two-day "Visioneering" retreat at Christ Memorial in April, 2008. During this retreat, a cross section of the congregation was invited to share in a process designed to help us discern what God has planned for this place. This vision statement is not a brand new thing, but rather an expression of clarity regarding the direction that God has been leading Christ Memorial over the course of many years.

The "One Church, Regional Impact" vision statement speaks of transforming the spiritual landscape of Madison. How would you characterize this city as it relates to faith in the true God? Confused...distracted...compartmentalized...largely unproductive in mission...a conglomerate of varying opinions...divided...?

We hope that God can use us to bring clarity about God in the person of Jesus instead of confusion. We long for a day when everyone in Madison would know the love of Christ...how high, and wide, and deep, and long is His reach! We anticipate that as people are connected to life in Jesus, they will live with greater focus and devotion to follow Him, and, in the process, be more and more unaffected by the temporary interruptions of life that tend to distract us. We envision a day when people will not live compartmentalized lives, but will see how all the pieces of their life fit together, where every small portion of life has a connection to God's greater purpose. We believe that God has called every single follower of Jesus to be productive. Together, we are called to make disciples, more and better. Jesus allows us life to bring more and more people to Him. And, we believe that Jesus has called us to do that by going to people, to live incarnationally with them. He has called us to produce! We declare that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that life is a dead end lived apart from Him. This truth is inclusive, for all people! We will celebrate the day when the Christian Church in Madison works together instead of apart, where all the gifts are celebrated and are aligned for greater impact.

We asked lifeGroup leaders and others from Christ Memorial for their thoughts on that question. Take a look at how they replied.

According to blogger Todd Rhoades, "In 1990, there were an estimated 10 multi-site churches in the country; in 1998 there were about 100; today there are over 1500 multi-site churches in the US!" ^[1] Multi-site church consultant Jim Tomberlin predicts that by the end of the decade every major city and metropolitan community will have multiple multi-site churches with 30,000 multi-site churches before 2020. ^[2]

The book The Multi-Site Church Revolution by Surratt, Ligon, and Bird reports that "The multi-site movement is represented in every area of the country, across many denominations, and in churches of all sizes, especially with attendances of 250 and up. The dramatic growth of interest in the multi-site approach is nothing short of a revolution in how to reach people for Christ." ^[3]

[1] Monday Morning Insight Blog by Todd Rhoades
[2] Jim Tomberlin, Multi-Sightings From ThirdQuarterConsulting.com newsletter, September 2008
[3] The Multi-Site Church Revolution by Geoff Surratt, Greg Ligon, Warren Bird p. 9

A multi-site church has more than one worship venue. It could mean meeting in different rooms within a single campus, or different locations in a city or region. Unlike a church plant, which is a autonomous congregation, the various locations of a multi-site church share the same leadership structure and budget.

All locations of a multi-site church are unified by a central missional vision and share core values that make each location recognizable as a part of the whole. The essentials that are replicated in each site are sometimes referred to as the church's "DNA". Just as an organism replicates its DNA to reproduce itself, each site will have some inherited characteristics that are shared with its peers. The DNA represents the essential commonalities while other characteristics of each site make it uniquely distinct from all other sites.

There are many different models for how a site may conduct worship. At some churches the lead pastor will preach at all sites while others have a site pastor who delivers the message weekly. Some work with a rotating lineup of speakers, some use live video feeds and some a pre-recorded video message. Worship music may be traditional or contemporary; pre-recorded or live. The church may meet in a traditional church building, a community center, school, or other public setting such as a coffeehouse or mall. The service may be conducted in English or another language that is prevalent in the community. Some may even choose to do a service or mission project during the appointed worship time.

Each of these elements of the worship experience are implemented based upon the desires of the worshipping congregation, the needs and demographics of target community, the resources available and the gifts of the leaders and members at each site, resulting in a unique style and character for each location.

The primary benefit is to connect more people to life in Jesus by reaching people where they are, both spiritually and geographically.

In addition, the best talent and assets from a larger pool of resources can be shared between sites.

By implementing a multi-site approach, we envision greater impact, expanded ownership, improved accessibility, extended reach, and multiplied resources.

Yes there are. One example is St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Fort Worth, TX. A video is available that tells the story of how they were led to become a multi-site church. Another is Crosspoint Community Church in Katy Texas.

Many LCMS churches, including Christ Memorial, meet the essential criterion of a multi-site church by providing alternative worship service venues, styles, and times.

We are seeking the transformation of the spiritual landscape of Madison. We envision communities living out Christ's commands to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" and "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Mark 12:29-31) We trust that where these commands are practiced the irresistible love of Jesus will draw others to Him.

We will strive to meet the needs of others in a radically local way. We are not going to wait for the unchurched and spiritually unconnected to come to church, but by living incarnationally we will demonstrate the love of Jesus by being the church - the body of Christ - in people's lives where they are.

Our DNA is defined by our Mission, Values, Strategy, and Life Marks. These are also sometimes referred to as our "vision frame" because these are the unchanging attributes that frame our vision of the future.

• Our Mission: To connect people to life in Jesus
• Our Values: Growth, Relational Service, Authenticity, Creativity, Every Person a Minister
• Our Strategy: lifeWorship, lifeGroup, lifeServe, Connecting Lifestyles
• The Life Marks that will be evident in the lives of followers: Sustained by the Word; Dependent on Christ; Visible Reflection of Jesus; Reflect the Missional Heartbeat of God

Refer to our Vision Frame page and Dan Haupt's article Church Unique for more information.

We trust that God has equipped our people with the gifts and resources needed to move forward in the implementation of "One Church, Regional Impact". Work in many different action areas is required, including Prayer, lifeServe, lifeGroup, lifeWorship, Marketing, Budget and Fundraising, and Administration.

Each of the above areas has representation on the Impact Leadership Team. A leader in each area is responsible for setting goals and identifying milestones in their particular area. The leader may be assisted by a team focused on planning and implementing the goals for each area of responsibility.

For details on the function of each area represented by the Impact Leadership Team see the article "Star What?" by Dan Haupt.

 

At this stage in the process, we don't yet know for certain where God is leading us. We have identified seven geographical regions in the Madison metro area that may be candidates for sites. These are Fitchburg (the current Christ Memorial location), Oregon (possible partnership with Community of Life), Verona, West Madison/Middleton, Downtown/Campus, Northeast/Cottage Grove, and Waunakee.

Raritan Road will continue to be a site.

We don't yet have a timetable for any sites. There are two ways that sites may be added. One is to partner with an existing church. The other is to raise up a site based on where lifeGroups are located. New sites will emerge as multiple lifeGroups gather together at regional worship centers./p>

Those are some of the big questions that need to be prayerfully considered and decided on a site by site basis. An "Impact Leadership Team" is being formed to seek to discern how best to fulfill our mission to connect people to life in Jesus with regard to implementing the vision of "One Church, Regional Impact".

An evaluation process is ongoing between the leadership boards of Christ Memorial and Community of Life to determine the role that Community of Life will play in "One Church, Regional Impact", if any.

We are open to partnering or merging with other churches where it makes sense, but our primary goal is not to take over existing ministries but rather the creation of more points of Christian presence in our communities.

Pastor Jeff will most likely be the site pastor at one or more regional sites, but roles will be determined based on the resources available as sites emerge.

It's probable, especially in the beginning, that individual sites may not be able to support a full time pastor. One option may be for a pastor to rotate between sites with communion offered when the pastor is present.

What we are seeking is a name for the "One Church, Regional Impact" movement that will be shared by all participating sites. We may consider adopting the movement name as the name of the Fitchburg site, but that would be decided by congregational vote.

A combination of the new movement name and the existing location name could be used at each site. In that case, "Christ Memorial" may continue to be part of a new name if desired. For example "TBD at Christ Memorial" would be the Fitchburg site, and "TBD at Verona" would be the Verona site... obviously replacing "TBD" with the actual movement name selected!

Adopting the movement name as part of our identity will be a signal to the community and reminder for ourselves that we are embarking on a new journey together, with renewed focus on incarnational ministry. The bible has many instances of God changing people's names when changing the focus of their mission: Abram became Abraham at the age of 99 years (Genesis 17), Jacob became Israel when he became the father of the great nation (Genesis 32:26-30). Simon became Peter when his mission was changed from being a fisherman to becoming the rock of the church (John 1:42). In fact, as described in Revelation 2:17, it may even be possible that our name gets changed when eternity begins.^[4] A name which more closely reflects the heart and passion behind the vision will be invaluable for opening doors in the community.

[4] "Changing Names" Crossroads Weekly Message Small Group Curriculum Toolbox October 21, 2007

Non-LCMS churches would not be a site in the multi-site model, but we do value partnerships with other Christian churches in the Madison region. Administrative and ministry resources may be shared among multiple churches who participate in our vision, including non-LCMS entities, to maximize impact and outreach.

This is a natural extension of our emphasis on cultivating spiritual friendships, impacting our communities, and connecting people to life in Jesus. We are now reaching a new stage of intentionality and clarity in our focus on these targets and mission.

Planting a church is extremely resource intensive. A traditional church plant requires called and hired staff, possible real estate purchases and building plans, plus a whole range of financial, administrative, and organizational details that need to be worked through.

Launching a new location of an existing church also requires resources, but there can be considerable savings gained by sharing those resources between all sites. Our goal is to develop a reproducible model for launching new sites that can be replicated again and again. The result will be greater flexibility and organic growth wherever the fields are prepared and willing leaders emerge.

You will be seeing changes at Christ Memorial that impact you. You will be encouraged to serve others and serve with others in your own community. Through "One Church, Regional Impact" you will be equipped, empowered, and released you that you may connect others to life in Jesus.

For some of you, it might be as simple as rededicating yourself to live out the mission of this congregation with greater determination and intentionality. It may mean that, collectively we finally understand that Christ Memorial exists for the people who have not yet been impacted by the Good News about Jesus. Perhaps you've been in a lifeGroup for a while now, and this vision compels you to step up and lead a new lifeGroup in your neighborhood. Or perhaps you will get a nudge from God to be part of a realignment of lifeGroups in order to focus your missional activity on one of the targeted regions. Eventually, it could mean worshipping in a different location than the Fitchburg location. There are so many personal responsibilities that will emerge. Two questions for each of us: Will I trust God with the future of this church? And, will I respond in obedience to His voice when my personal responsibility becomes clear?

lifeGroups are encouraged to reach out within their neighborhoods and impact their local community. While geographically-centered lifeGroups will be most effective in achieving those goals, no one will be forced to join a regional lifeGroup or to leave their current group.

Of course you will be welcome to attend whatever site you prefer.

You might want to consider attending your nearest site to invite your neighbors, participate in community projects that impact your neighborhood, and to increase your local engagement.

Generally speaking, launching a multi-site church requires additional financial resources, but less than what would be required for a full scale church plant.

In the second chapter of Acts, the believers sold everything they had and gave to everyone in need (Acts 2:44-45). Will we be as willing to sacrifice even a fraction of our abundance to seek and save the lost? We confidently trust that God has provided the resources and that God's people will faithfully respond to meet the needs of the "One Church, Regional Impact" movement.

The harvest is plentiful and the workers are few! Your participation is critical and most welcome. Leaders and support team members are needed for the Impact Leadership Team areas.

If you have questions or want to get more involved please contact Dan Haupt.