WhataretheProsandConsofMulti‐site/VideoVenues?HowareMulti‐sitemethodstransformingtheglobalchurch?WheredoesSubstanceseeitselfgoinginregardstothesemethods? Didyouknowthatoneofourfastestgrowingchurchservicesisa"videovenue?"Itseemsratheroddtothinkthatpeoplewouldprefera"virtualme"comparedtoa"reallivepreacher;"yet,thestatsdon'tlie.ItneverceasestoamazemewhenpeoplegivetheirlivestoChristatavideovenue.It'sgenuinelyfilledwithGod'sSpirit. Strangely,I'veactuallyheardseveralpeoplesaythatthey'reirritatedtosuddenlyfindoutthatI'mpreachinglive.AndwhenIaskwhy,theyimmediatelysay:"Icanseeyoutentimesbetterwhenyou'reonvideo."Andperhapsit'sbecausewedoahigh‐definition"2simultaneousviews"method.But,studiesshowthatover63%ofcommunicationisnon‐verbal(i.e.,hands,eyebrows,facialexpressions).So,becausewedon'thavevideomagnificationwhenIpreachlive,thereareagoodnumberofpeoplewhosimplypreferhowcloseavideomakesthemfeel.(I.e.,theylovetoseemyeyebrowsandnostrilflares?)Maybenot.But,itmakessense:Imean,whywatchapreacherwho's80feetawaywhenyoucanwatchavideothatprojectsanaspectratioofonly6feet? Evenmore,churchesacrossthecountryareexperiencingthesamephenomenon.Thereareevenafewsingularchurchesthathaveover25differentvideoservicesspreadacrosscities–evenstatelines!Yousee:thequestionisnot"doesitwork;"rather,therealquestionis:whydoesitwork?Whatarethepro'sandcons?Underwhatcircumstancesmighttheseformatsfail?Andwhataspectsofworshipandchurchhealthcouldbeunderminedorenhancedbyusingsuchformats?Thankfully,therearehundredsofchurcheswhoareworkingoutthekinks.AndSubstancehastheprivilege(andthefrustration)ofbeingoneofthosechurches. Ofcourse,it'simportantthatyouunderstand:Substancedidn't"choose"thismodelbecausewehaveanaddictiontorisk‐taking(although,Ididinfacthaveapsycheevaluationtellmethatonce:)But,honestly,Ihadnointerestinmulti‐siteuntilitbecameatotalnecessityforus.Infact,Iwasoverwhelmedwithskepticismtowardsvideovenuesinallsortsofareas.Ithoughtthatitunderminedtheneedforchurchplanting...forteachingotherpastorstopreach.Ithoughtthattheywerejustanotherwayforegotisticalpastorstoexporttheirnarcissismacrossthestate(andgranted,I'madmittedlyabitcynical).Yet,themoreprocessedtheprosandconsofvideovenues,thelessfearfulIbecame.Ultimately,Idon'tbelievethat"churchservices"haveanythingtodowithtrueBiblicalchurch(i.e.,thereisno"sacredformat,"only"sacredrelationships"inmytheologyofchurch).Infact,IstartedtorealizethatvideovenuemethodscanactuallyholdakeyformanyproblemsinthebodyofChrist. Sointhefollowingessay,Iwanttosharewithyouafewoftheprosandcons(andIobviouslyseemorebenefitsthanliabilities).Ofcourse,thisisnotmeanttobeabookonmulti‐site(althoughIdidgetalittlelong‐winded).Currently,thereareafewgreatbooksonthistopicalready.Rather,mygoalissimplytoopenyourmindstohowthisisdramaticallyenhancingboththegrowthandhealthofSubstanceaswellasthebodyofChristatlarge. Soallowmetostartwithafewofthebenefitsofembracingmulti‐sitesand/orvideovenues.AndhereareafewoftopicsI'mgoingtoaddress:

1.VideoVenuescansavethechurchmassiveamountsofmoneyandfacilitydebt.2.VideoVenuesradicallyempowerthepersecutedchurch3.VideoVenuesenhancetheoptionsforsmalltownparishes4.VideoVenuescanfreeuppastorsto"pastor"ratherthanwritemediocresermons5.VideoVenuesbreakthecookie‐cut"CEO‐teachingpastor"moldtherebydramatically increasingthenumberofpeoplewhocanbecomeeffectivepastors.6.VideoVenuescanprovidetheopportunitytogetbettertheologicaldiversityinpulpits7.VideoVenuesprovideastrategicallyefficientsolutionforplantingnichechurchesinurban orspatiallylimitedneighborhoods.Then,belowthese,I'mgoingtohitsomecommonconcernsandhowwemightaddresssomeofthoseissues.1.VideoVenuescansavethechurchmassiveamountsofmoneyandpreventfacilitydebt. OneoftheuniqueproblemsfacingSubstanceisourcrazygrowth.Irememberbackinthebeginning,plantingwasprettyhardandemotional.IfsomeonewouldhavetoldmethatSubstancewillsoonbeaveragingalmost80newmembersamonth,Iwouldhavestartedcrying(eveniftheywerelyingtomeinanextremeattempttoencourageme).And,Imustadmit,IactuallydotearupabitwhenIthinkabouthowmanyradicalconversionsweexperienceeachmonth.But,whenyou'relivinginacitywhereitliterallycancostmillionsofdollarsperacreofland,buildingafacilitythataccommodatesthegrowthcanbeincrediblydifficult. Especiallyinourcircumstances:Substancereachesanamazingamountofunchurchedpeople...mostofwhomdon'tunderstandGod'sblessingonthingsliketithing.So,thefactwe'vebeenabletooperateonlessthan60%ofourincomeformuchofourchurchlifeisactuallyquiteamazingespeciallywhenourincomeisalreadyhalfofmostnormalchurches. Ofcourse,we'dallliketoimaginethatchurchservices,programs,etc,arefree.Imean,itseemsprettysimpletodoachurchserviceright?Mostpeoplethink:"Justturnthelightonanddochurch."Unfortunately,almosteverychurchinAmericaspendsbetween$3‐8dollarsperpersonjusttoopenthedoorsforeverypersonthatattends.(I.e.,theaverageAmericanchurchspendsroughly$600‐1100dollarsayearperattender...regardlessofwhetherornottheygiveanything!)Andit'snotthatAmericanchurchesaresecretlyservingcaviaringold‐platedprayerrooms.Rather,whenyouaddupheating/air‐conditioning,electrical,custodialcosts,aswellastherentalfees,mortgagesorstafffees,thisiswhatatypicalchurchservicecosts.Even"homechurches"spendaboutthesameamountperattenderwhenallissaidordone.So,nomatterwhatmodelofchurchyouembrace,thefactremains:Itcostsmoneytoreachpeople. Ofcoursethereasonallofthisisrelevanttomulti‐site&videovenuemodelsofchurchisbecause,nowthatvideovenueshaveproventobeaviablemodelofchurch,thisdramaticallyincreasesthefinancialoptionsforchurcheslikeSubstance. AwhilebackweweremaxingoutthreeservicesatFridleyhighschool.Theproblemwasthis:Despitesearchingthroughatleast50differentfacilityoptions,noneofthemwouldworkforSubstance.Yousee,intheTwinCitiesmetro,thereareonlysomanyfacilitiesthathavemorethan1000seats.Oftheoneswhowouldevenbotherrentingtous,mostofthem

wereeitherridiculouslyexpensive,inaccessible,ortheyweresimplyinadvisableplacestobesettingupadecentkidsministry.Sure,ifeveryonewouldsimplydrive35minutesnorthwecouldprobablygetagooddealonahighschoolauditorium.Or,ifwecouldsimplysqueeze$4milliondollarsoutofourpeople,wecouldprobablyaffordtobuildanadditional800seatauditorium.Yet,forSubstance,weknewthatitwasprematureforustobuildatthattime.Muchlikebuyingahouse,toomanypeoplebiteoffamortgagethatcripplestheircashflow.Andhavingbeeninsuchasituationatmylastchurch,Ivowedtonevergetintothatcash‐poorsituationagain.But,theproblemstillremained:WhatdoesSubstancedo? Well,inastrokeofluck,NorthwesternCollegedecidedtoopentheirdoorstous.Andthroughcreativevideotechnologyatallthreeofourcampuses,wewereabletoincreaseourseatingcapacitybyalmost2200seats...allforasmallfractionofthecostofbuilding.Sure,thevideotechnologyhadapricetagtoit;but,inourcase,itwasfarlessexpensivethanthecostofpre‐maturelybuildingsomehugemega‐facility...especiallyonethatwecouldimmediatelyoutgrow(whichmightbethecasenomatterwhatwedo:)Again,videovenuesaren'talwaysthesolution.Andinsomecircumstances,avideovenuecouldactuallycostmorethanotherclassicalexpansionsolutions.Butforus,itprolongedourabilitytosavehugeamountsofmoneythroughportability.2.VideoVenuescanradicallyempowerthepersecutedchurch. It'samazinghowdifferentthechurchisintheMiddleEast.Afterdoingseveralpastor'sconferencesthroughoutpersecutedcountries,it'samazinghowdifficultitcanbetogrowtheirchurches.MuslimswhoconverttoChristianityliveunderconstantthreats.Infact,manyChristianchurchesareafraidtowelcomesuchMuslimconvertsasitoftendrawsunnecessaryattentionfromoppressiveIslamicandgovernmentgroups.(AndweAmericansalreadyfindithardtosimplybewelcomingtosinnersandoutsiders...nowimaginewelcomingsinnerswhohavehit‐squadsfollowingthem!)Yousee:QuiteoftenChristiansliveinsuchfearofpersecutionthatmanyofthesenewconvertsfailtofindthefellowshiptheyneedtogrowintheirfaith.However,videomethodsarechangingeverythingforthem. Manypastorsarebeginningtorecordtheirteachingsandservicesonvideo;and,throughcleverwebcastingtechniques,theycanfuelthemassivenetworksofundergroundchurcheswhoaremeetinginunmarkedlocationsallovertheMiddleEast.Sure,it'sgreatthatyouandIgettohaveachoiceaboutwhetherornotwewanta"live"preachervs.a"videomessage."But,forthem,it'samatteroflifeordeath. Evenmore,whenyouconsiderthemassivegrowthofsuchchurches,it'shardtokeepagoodratioofpastorstoparishioners.I.e.,EvenifBibleschoolsexplodedacrossThirdWorldcountriestoday,theywouldhardlybeabletocrankoutenoughpastorstomeettheneedsoftheseexplodingchurches.I.e.,Videoteachingisanecessityforchurchhealth. So,becauseAmericanchurcheshavebeenboldenoughtoexperimentwiththistechnology,churchesallovertheworldarestartingtoreapthebenefits(andbearfruitwiththemonawholenewlevel).Andforthis,weshouldbethankingGod.3.VideoVenuesenhancetheoptionsforsmalltownchurches Foryears,denominationsandsmalltownshavebeenplaguedwithaproblem:Howdowegetqualitypastorstomovetoourcity?Citieswithalimitedeconomytendtohave"lesseropportunities."Andthisistruebothinchurchexperiencesaswellasbusiness.

Fordecades,goodteachingpastorstendedtogetsuckedintobiggerchurchesinlargercities.Andwhyisthat?Greatteachersarehardtofind.Let'sfaceit,mostAmericanshavehighstandardsfortheirseniorpastors:Theymustbewelleducated.Theymustrelaythateducationinsuchawaythatisexcitingandfun."Oh,andbytheway,weneedtoyoubeanexpertinorganizationalleadershipandsmallbusinessmanagementtoboot."Yousee,it'shardtofindapersonwhofitsallofthecriteriaofanideal"Americanseniorpastor." So,oneoftheemergingtrendsisforlargemetropolitanmega‐churchestoplantasatelliteinasmallernearbytown.Thebenefitisthatthesmallchurchcanmoochoffoftheendlessresourcesofamotherchurchwithlittleornocost.Forexample,smallchurchescanoutsourcetheirvideos,graphicdesigning,discipleshipcurriculums,legalwoes,andtheirIRSprocedurestolargerchurches.I.e.,Smallerchurchescanhavethelookandfeelofhigh‐dollarprogrammingfornexttonothing.Thistranslatesintogreaterimpactforthekingdom. Evenmore,smalltownpastorsdon'tneedtofeeltheburdenofpreachingeveryweek.Throughvideotechnology,theycanhookuptotheirmothercampusforanynumberofconferencesormessages.Soratherthanwasting3daysaweekwritingamediocremessage,localpastorscanactuallyspendmoretimepastoringratherthanreinventingthewheel.Asaresult,smallertownpastorscanspendmoretimeministeringtothepeopleintheirtown.(Answerstothefollowingthreepointswillbeofferedbelow)4.VideoVenuescanfreeuppastorstoleadratherthanrewritemediocresermons(&providemediocrecare).5.VideoVenuesbreakthecookie­cut"CEO­teachingpastor"moldtherebydramaticallyincreasingthenumberofpeoplewhocanbecomepastors.6.VideoVenuesprovidetheopportunitytogetbettertheologicaldiversityinpulpits Ispendanamazingamountoftimewritingmymessages.Itquiterareformetospendlessthan3fullworkdayswritingagoodsermon.Fortunately,I'vegotover2000sermonsundermybelt;so,throughcleverrecycling,I'mabletousemy"extratime"tocreativelyintegrateinspirationalfilmsandvideotestimoniesintomymessages.I.e.,I'mabletoaccomplishinaweekwhatmostyoungpastorscanonlydreamof. However,15yearsago,ittookallofmystrengthtosimplypreachamediocremessage.Andunfortunately,Ihadtoabandonahugenumberofleadershipresponsibilitiestoevenproducesuchamediocremessage.Unfortunately,Ioftentimeshadtochoosebetweenpreachingand"pastoring."Asingularcounselingappointmentorleadershipmeetingwouldoftenforcemetowritemysermononmyonedayoff(ascenariothatwashardlyGod‐honoring).Yet,Ifeltcompletelyenslavedtotheexpectationsofthepeople. Iwasonepartmarriagecounselor...onepartyouthpastor...onepartbusinessleader...oneparttheologicalexpert...onepartnon‐profitlawyer...onepartweddingplanner...onepartaccountant...onepartsmallgroupcoach...onepartweb‐designer/marketer/worship‐

leader/video‐editor.Yousee,pastorsofmediumsizechurcheshavetowearalargequantityofhatswithrelativelylittleresources.Andunfortunately,veryfewpastorsareabletofulfillsuchexpectationswithbalance. Onlyoneoutofevery100churchplantswillsurvivethefirsttenyears!ThisisbecauseveryfewpastorscanfitthepsychoticallyraregiftmixofthemodernAmericanseniorpastor(ormeettheexpectationsoftheaverageChristianconsumer).Wewantourpastorstobebrilliantteachers,prophets,CEO's,andtheologicalexperts.Ofcourse,therearemanypeoplewhofilljustoneortwooftheseroles.But,iftheydon'thaveallthree,theiroddsofbeingasuccessfulseniorpastorofagrowingchurchdramaticallydiminishes. Thishadledsomepeopletotheconclusionthatweneedto"upthetraining"forourseniorleaders.However,Ibelievethatsometimestheoppositeistrue.Perhapsweneedtosimplifytheroleofseniorpastorsbybreakingthestereotype"gift‐mix"demandedbythisposition.Andvideo‐venuesareprovidingtheperfectopportunityforthis. Forexample,Ihadafriendwhowasabrilliantleader.Hecouldleadworship.Hecouldrallyateamlikenooneelse.Yethehadonetragicflaw:Hewassomewhatboringtolistentointhepulpit.Nomatterhowmuchhe'dtrytomusterhisenthusiasm,hecouldn'tkeepthepeople'sattentionforlongerthan10minutes.So,shouldwejustthrowmyfriendaway?No.Instead,let'ssethimuptosucceed.Andinhiscase,theperfectscenariowasbecomingthecampuspastorofavideovenue. Everyweekhediligentlypicksoutahigh‐def.videofeedfromadynamicteachingpastor.EveryweekhisflockgetsfedfromahostofAmerica'sfinestteachers.Andeveryweekhespendsamassiveamountoftimementoring,pastoring,andequippinghisflockforministry. Ofcourse,ifyouaskhim:"Don'tyoufeellimitedthatyoucan'tcontrolthemessagestoyourflock?"Onthecontrary,hebelieveshehasallsortsofcontrol:"Icanchoosetopressplay...ornot!Icanchoosethepreacher.Icanchoosethemessage.AndifIwanttopreach,Ican.ButatleastIhavetheoption,whichismorethanmostAmericanpastorscansay."Youseevideovenuesopenupthepossibilityforawholenewpoolofcandidatestosucceed. Ithasbeensaidthat"churchplantingisthesinglegreatestevangelisticmethodologyunderheaven."Thisisbecausethegrowthordemiseofalmosteverysinglechurchmovementinhistorycanbetracedbacktoit'sprioritizationofchurchplanting.Ofcourse,churchplantingisreallyhard.Andbecausethe"AmericanChurchplantingGiftMix"issorare,thefailureratesareincrediblyhigh...untilvideovenuescamealong.So,perhaps,multi‐site/videovenuescouldbeaperfectnewassetforchurchplanting.Afterall,anyonewho'severplantedavideo‐venueknowsthatit'salmost100%thesameprocessaschurchplanting.Indeed,itischurchplanting. Yousee,theideaofwatchingavideomayappearunappealingatfirst(eventhoughweironicallystareattelevisionandmoviesforhoursatatime).Butconsiderthetrade‐off:Astronomicalchurchplantingfailurerates...Grotesqueamountsoftimespentwritingmediocremessagesthatshouldhavebeenspentonpersonalmentoringandothereffectivepastoraltasks.Yousee:Videovenuesaren'talwaysthesolution.Pastorswhobuilttheirchurchesonrawleadershipinsteadofgreatteachingmayhaveahardtimetransitioningtovideo.But,it'sstillundeniablethatvideomethodscouldopenupaworldofoptionsthatdidn'tpreviouslyexistformanychurches.

7.Multi­sitestrategiesprovideastrategicallyefficientsolutionforplantingnichechurchesinurbanorspatiallylimitedneighborhoods. (Keepinmind,thefollowingresponseisabitverbose.So,unlessyou'reachurch‐methodgeek,youmaywanttoskipahead). Fordecadesthere'sbeenatrendfrom"smallneighborhoodchurches"towards"largeregionalmega‐churches."Ofcourse,thistrendisn'tlimitedtochurches.Businessesingeneralhavemadethisshift:FromsmallgroceryandhardwarestorestoSuperTargetandHomeDepot.Increasingly,Americansseemtopreferthelargeprogrammingandqualityof"mega‐sized"organizations. Certainly,therehasbeenarecenttrendtowards"small"againincertainchurchcircles.But,theoverallshifttomega‐churcheshashardlybeenaltered.Infact,manyofthelargestchurchgrowthstudieshaveconcludedthat,inthelast15years,almostallgrowthinAmericanchurcheshavebeeninthoseover1000members.Ofcourse,I'mnotsayingthisisgoodorbad.I'msimplysayingthatit'samassivetrendthatsmartchurchleadersneedtoreflectupon. Bywayofinsight,Ithinkit'srelevanttoaskthequestion:Whyhavepeoplegravitatedtowardsmega‐groceryormega‐hardwarestores.Inshort,thecommonanswersarethefollowing:Mega‐storesgenerallyoffertenstimestheoptionsforafractionoftheprice.Evenmore,thefranchisemega‐storemodelstendtoofferbothconsistencyaswellasstatisticalquality.Thisiswhy"franchisebusiness"successratesunmistakablysmotherthoseofindependentbusinesses. Ofcourse,ifyou'reanythinglikeme:Itendtochampionthelittleentrepreneur.Ihaveafascinationwiththenovelanduniqueapproachestolife.So,it'ssadtoadmitthatfranchisesfulfillthepreferencesofmostAmericansbetter;but,fromastatisticalstandpoint,it'strue.Buthowdoesallofthisaffecturbanandneighborhoodchurchmodels? There'sahugereasonwhylargechainstoreslikeSuper‐TargetandHomeDepotfocusonsuburbsratherthanurbancores:Money.Whenyougointoacity,thecostoflandcanbeastronomical...ifit'sevenavailable.Yousee,it'seconomicsuicideformostbusinessestoevenconsideranurbanlocation.Sure,theremaybeplentyofpeoplenearby;but,whatgoodisthatifyoucan'tprovideadequateparkingoradequatetrafficegress.I.e.,Cost‐effectivenesshassummarilykilledthe"localgrocerystore"acrosstheUnitedStates.Andthesamethingistruewithchurches. SomeChristiansliketopretendthatmoney,acreageandparkinglotcapacityhavenothingtodowithevangelismorchurchgrowth;but,it'stimewewise‐uptothefactthatthese"unspiritualthings"canhaveahugeimpactonlong‐termsuccess.Mostofthepeopleadvocatingforurbanchurchesobsessabouttheneedforthemyetfailtoaddressthegreaterbusinessforceswhichaffecttheirsuccess. Ofcourse,Icompletelybelieveintheneedformoreurbanchurches.Andthankfully,thebodyofChristatlargeisfinallyreturningtosocialjusticeissuesthathaveblightedurbanneighborhoodsfordecades.Yet,despitetheriseinurbanadvocacy,it'sraretofindanyofthemwhoareproposingfunctional"church‐business"plans.I.e.,Werantabouttheneedformulti‐ethnicchurches;yet,simultaneouslyliveindenialofthefactorswhichcaptheirsuccess.

Urbanchurchesareoftenincrediblymoreexpensivethansuburbancounterparts;yet,theyusuallyalsogeneratefarlessincome.Thisisusuallybecausethecostoflandisfarhigher.Availablelandisfarmoresparse.Multi‐ethnicchurchesarequiteoftenmoregeographicallytethered(whichonlydecreasestheavailablefacilityoptions,andincreasestheamountonemustpayfortheir"onlyoption".)Then,addinthesocio‐economicfactorsresultinginsmallofferings,andyouhavearecipeforahorriblebusinessplan. Anotherfactisthat:Mosturbanchurchesaredestinedtohavetightgrowthlids.I.e.,It'sastatisticalfactthat,nomatterhowgoodtheleader...Americanchurcheswon'tgrowbeyond300peopleperacre(Infact,mostchurchesmaxoutat125membersperacreofland).Thus,basedonavailablelandinurbanlocations,it'sraretohaveachurchlargerthanafewhundred.Ofcourse,withasmallernumberofmembers,it'snotuncommontolackboththehumanandfinancialresourcestocreate"competitive"or"quality"programsandservices.Muchlikesmalltownchurches,urbanchurchesfeelliketheinferioryoungerbrothertotheirexpansivesuburbanmega‐churchcounterparts.Muchlikestartinganurbangrocerystore:It'shardtokeepupwheneveryoneisdemandingboththeoptionsandpricesofSuperTarget. Doesthismeanweshouldabandonbothurbanandneighborhoodchurchmodels?Notatall.ThesepeopleneedanddeservethemessageofGodjustasmuchasanyoneelse.But,inordertoreachthem,weneedtocomeupwithabettersolution.Ibelieveoneofthebestsolutionsistostartplantingurbanvideovenuesassatellitesofsuburbanmega‐churches. Mega‐churchesareoftensuccessfulpreciselybecausethey'vemanagedtoprovidebroadprogrammingandserviceoptionsthatappealtoalargegroupofpeople.Previously,whenmega‐churchesreachedcapacity,they'dbuildsomelarger,inefficientmega‐center(byincurringhugedebt)andthenthey'dabandontheiroldlocation.Butsincevideovenueshavebecomeasuccess,mega‐churchesareincreasinglyoptingtoplantportablevideovenues.Asaresult,manymega‐churcheshaverediscoveredtheabilitytoplant"niche"satellitechurches.(I.e.,anedgycampustargeting"20‐somethings"...oranurbanhip‐hopcampus). Forexample,downtownMinneapolisislargelyinhabitedbytensofthousandsofsingle20‐somethings.It'sveryhardtofindasizable"family"churchindowntown.Afterall,manyfamiliesareterrifiedtotaketheirkidsdowntown.Thedrivingiscrazy.Theatmosphereisintimidatingtosome.Evenmore,children'sministryrequiresagoodamountofsquarefootage.So,rentingorconstructingachurchwithsuchsquarefootageneedscanbeastronomicallyexpensive(&highlyregulatedbythecity).Thus,manydowntownchurchesfindthatwhenevercouplesstarttohavekids,theylosethesefamiliestotheirmega‐churchcounterpartswhoofferendlessprograms. So,whynotconsiderthisalternative:Planta20‐somethingcampusindowntownwithaworshipexperiencethatisexplicitlymarketedtowardsthatexactaudience.Thesuburban20‐somethingswouldprobablylovethehipfeelofanurbanchurch.So,lettheSuburbanmega‐churchconstantlyfuelthedowntowncampuswiththesemembers.Conversely,thesuburbanmega‐churchwilllikelyreceivemanyofthesesamemembersback(whentheystarthavingkids...orstartlookingforreasonablehousing). Ofcourse,theSuburbanmega‐churchmayneedtoreleasecontrolovertheworship,sermons,andmarketing;but,ifastrategicalignmentisfound...muchlikevideovenuesinsmallertowns,theresourcesofmega‐churchescanfinallybeharnessedinawaythatservestheurban,niche,andneighborhoodchurchagain.I.e,throughasmartuseofvideovenueswe

canstartcreatingamutuallybeneficialsymbiosisbetweenSuburbanmega‐churchesandnicheurbanchurches. Keepinmind:I'mnotimplyingthat"smartchurches"shouldsimplytaketheeasiesteconomicpathbymovingtoa5thringsuburbandthenre‐invadethecity.However,there'sdefinitelyaninterestingbusinessstrategyhere.AsforSubstance,we'vecurrentlyoptedtobea2nd&3rdringsuburbanchurch.Thisgivesusagreatmixofethnicandeconomicdiversitywhilekeepingusnearbyourspecialty‐‐reaching20‐somethingsandcollegestudents‐‐whorepresentthelargestdemographicofunchurchedpeopleintheTwinCities. Andbecauseofthis,we'reprobablygoingtopaymoreforlandandfacilitiesthanmostchurcheswhosimplymove20minutesout.However,wemayalsopotentiallyreachmoreunchurchedpeoplethanmanyotherchurches(because,statistically,unchurchedpeoplearedecidedlyyoungand/ormulti‐ethnicpeople.Andyoungpeopleclingtotheaffordabilityofinnersuburbanhousing.)However,thisstatementofstrategyisnothingmorethananopinion.Thereareotherstrategiesforreachinglostpeoplethatwealsosupport. But,thebottomlineisthis:Everypastorandeverychurchneedstofirstidentify:"WhoamImostqualifiedandanointedtoreach?Andsecondarily:whatisthebestlocationandeconomicstrategythatwouldenhancethis?"Hence,ifchurcheswouldsimplylistentoGod'svoiceandthenapplysoundbusinessstrategymixedwithemergingmulti‐sitemethodology,then,it'sonlyamatteroftimebeforeyourchurchwillbeconqueringboththesuburbanandurbancore.Butwhataboutthe"Cons"forMulti‐siteandvideomethods? Well,mostpeopleusuallyvoiceoneofthefollowingconcerns.Andlikeany"tool",multi‐sitesandvideoscanbothhelpandhurtanorganizationwhenthey'reusedincorrectly.Hereareafewofthedownsides:(1)Someteachingpastorsaresimplyhorribleatpreachingonvideo:Ibelieveit'spossibletobeadecentpreacheryetbebadatvideopreaching.AtSubstancewegotogreatlengthstomakesurethatthevideoaudiencestaysengages.Forexample,whenI'mpreaching,IstareatthecamerafarmorethanIeverstareatthenativeaudience.Ialsotendtousealargeamountofshortvideosthroughoutmymessages;so,ifyou'rethetypicaltalking‐headpastor,youmaywanttogivesomethoughttohowyoupreachbeforegoingtomulti‐site.Ifyoubuiltyourchurchonpureleadershipratherthanteaching(likemanymega‐churchpastorshavedone),youjustmightnottranslateaswellthroughvideo.Agoodwaytoknowissimplyevaluateyourpodcasts.Manymulti‐sitepastorseasilyhavealargeraudienceonlinethantheyhaveattendingtheirservices.Yet,anotherplacetolookisyourtechnology.Ifyou'reproducingahorriblelookinglow‐defvideofeedofyourself,itmaybeyourtechnology,notyourpreachingthatiskillingyou.(Butpastors:behonestwithyourself!)(2).Someseniorpastorsdon'twantto"giveup"theiraltarministrytimeorpulpittimetocampuspastors.Everyteachingpastorshouldbetraininginareplacement.Video‐sermonsarenevertobeasubstitutefortraininginanewgenerationofpreachers.Ultimately,Ithinkit'shealthyforeveryteachingpastortobeworkingasonepartofa"teachingteam."Notonlywouldthisgivetheteacherabreak;but,italsowouldhelpadd

theologicalandtopicaldiversityinthepulpit.Somepeoplefearthatvideo‐venuemodelsweakenthechurchbymakingthemmorepersonalitydriven. Althoughthiscanbetrue,ironically,video‐venuechurchescanactuallyaccomplishtheexactopposite.Atourchurch,ifIwantaweekoff,Isimplytapintothefeedofanothergreatpreacher.(Idon'tevenhavetopaytoflythemin!)Infact,thisactuallyenablesmetogetoutofthepulpitmore. However,Istillfeeltheneedtobetraininginanewgenerationofpreachers.Videovenuesareneversupposedtobeasubstituteforempoweringnewleaders(eventhough,thismayunfortunatelyhappeninsomechurches).But,it'ssafetosaythatSubstanceisgoingtobeconstantlyempoweringnew"liveteachers"fromamongstourranks.Buthowdoweresolvetheproblemofdoingaltarministryafterourmessages? Asyouwouldimagine,doingextendedaltarministrycanbelogisticallycomplicatedbyvideotechnology.Ofcourse,somepastorswouldtotallydisagree;but,wheneverIwanttodoaltarministryafteraparticularmessage,Ihavetospendtimewithourcampuspastorsabouthowtheyaretoindividuallyusethattimeaftermymessageisdone.Ofcourse,thenetresultisthatI'vespentfarmoretimeteachingothershowtodoaltarministrythanIhavespentactuallydoingit.(Whichisarguablyagreatthing).But,somepastors(especiallyfromacharismaticbackground)don'twanttogivethisup.Andifthat'syou,multi‐siteislikelytobeanexerciseinfrustrationforyou.(3).Multi­siteisahorribleoptionifyoursitehasn'tadequatelyaddressedandadaptedtothespecificneedsofthecommunityyou'replantingin: I'veknownofmanymega‐churcheswhoplantasatelliteinanothercity.And,sometimes,thecultureofthechurchsimplydoesn'ttranslateintothecultureofthatspecificcityorneighborhood.Forexample,ifthelocalcultureisexplicitlyyoung(likeMinneapolis),apipedinvideoofanelderlypreachermaynotbeasrelatableasanother.Also,certainworshipstylesmayhavealargerappealincertainlocales.Thus,themother‐churchmayneedtosurrenderabitoftheircontrolovertheparticularsofworshipandotherformattingissues.Ofcourse,Ibelievethatsmartleaderscananddocompensateforthis.But,therearesomecircumstanceswherenoamountofcompensationwillmakethedifference.Sometimes,it'ssimplysmartertoplantanautonomouschurchratherthanforceasatelliteorvideovenuetothrive.Insummary:Multi‐siteandvideotechnologyisnothingmorethanatool.Likeabutterknife,youcoulduseittomakesandwichesforyourneighbors;Or,youcouldkillthemwithit.It'sneithergoodnorbad.It'sallhowyouuseit.Certainly,Iknowofpastorswhoareprobablymisusingit.But,let'snotthrowoutthebabywiththebathwater.Multi‐sitevideotechnologyischangingthefaceoftheplanet.Andthechurchshouldn'tdigitsheadinthesandandpassbyallofthebenefitsjustbecauseitdoesn'tinitiallyjivewithournarrow‐mindedchurchmodel. Believeitornot,whenyouresearchallofthestatisticalcausesofspiritualgrowth,veryfewofthemdirectlypertainto"churchservices."I.e.,Thingslikesmallgroupsandnon‐church‐servicediscipleshipexperiencesareproventohaveamuchbiggerinfluenceonpeople'sspiritualgrowththananyformulaforthe"perfectworshipformat."So,whetherthepreachingisliveorifit'sapre‐recordedvideodoesn'tmatterasmuchtome.Irealizethat

thisbravenewworldofvideopreachingmayfeelawkwardtosome;but,let'snotstopexperimentingwithitwhenGodisclearlyusingittobringpeopleuntohimself.