We opened our second campus around two months ago and we have been learning more and more about how to make this work with our family ministry team every week. In February I had the chance to learn from Tom Shefchunas who leads the middle school ministry at North Point with their soon to be five campus strategy in the Atlanta area. Tom and his team have been working through the multi-site strategy with his team the past few years and he helped me understand a question that would have a powerful influence in how we have been leading our multi-site teams. The question we have to continually return to is simple. Is this idea/problem/need a multi-site (global) issue or a a campus (local) issue. I know that question does not seem so profound but it cuts through tons of problems before they arise. Let me clarify…
Multi-site issues // The choices made with these issues become strategies and solutions that have to be implemented on all sites. These are the big issues that shape the direction of the entire ministry. These are choices we are not willing to compromise on so they better be big, clear, and effective.
Campus issues // these are needs that have to be solved by the campus team to help create the individual environment of that campus. Room set-up, signage, check-in location, large group implementation are just a few examples of campus issues. Every campus is going to have it’s own flavor and empowering campus teams to experiment leads to innovation.
When problems arise you have to use the multi-site OR campus filter in order to empower your team, divide your resources, and provide direction effectively. We have to find a balance of global and local thinking. If you lean heavy to either side you will find your team getting off track. I am finding multi-site family ministry to be all about balance. I hope this question helps you find a little more balance as you lead your teams on different campuses!