Live Blog From Orange Conference ’15: 39 Leadership Lessons On Multi-Siting Churches From Geoff Surratt

In an effort to add value to pastors and church leaders, I am live blogging significant portions of this week’s Orange Conference and their amazing Senior Leader’ Track.  For pastors and church leaders, this is the most informative and thought-provocing three days you can spend all year.  It is “can’t miss” event for church leaders.

The second session was led by Geoff Surratt, who serves as Pastor of Church Planting at Southeast Christian in Parker, Colorado as well coaching churches and leaders around the country.

Before getting to Carey’s thoughts on why churches stop growing, INJOY Stewardship Solutions is offering a FREE download of Church Branding 101.  In this resource Ken Wilson, Director of NewSpring Creative, will be walking us through NewSpring Church’s recent rebranding process.  If you are unfamiliar with NewSpring, they are led by friend-of-Orange Senior Pastor Perry Noble.  You do not want to miss this.  Click here or on the image above to sign up.  Now onto Geoff’s insights on questions churches must ask before multiplying.

The following are 39 Leadership Quotes and Lessons from Geoff’s informative session:

1. There are 8,000 multi-site churches in America.
2. 10% of Protestants last weekend attended a multi-site church.
3. Before multiplying, ask how healthy is our church?
4. If your church isn’t healthy, please don’t export your disease.
5. There are health factors. Is your church growing? Are people finding their way back to God through your church? Are disciples being made? Are people excited about inviting their friends?
6. Weekend attendance is not the primary measure of a healthy church but it is an indicator.
7. Because if your church isn’t growing today, opening another site will not start growth.
8. Multi-site is a response to growth. Not a catalyst for growth.
9. Multi-site now feels like a fad.
10. If your not winning people to Jesus, then why do you want to open another site?
11. If you’re not reaching people for Jesus, then you’re just draining the other churches by opening another site.
12. If Jesus’s most important command was to make disciples, then churches should know if they are doing it.
13. Why would reach more people and not make them disciples?
14. If they’re not inviting their friends now, they’re not going to invite them there.
15. Most high-profile churches went multi-site because they did not know what else to do. They were growing so fast.
16. An underserved community may not have a church that reaches the people you are reaching. Don’t say let’s go into a community because there are no good churches. This is America. There is a good church in every community. Go into a community with respect. Get to know the other pastors. Find out what God is already doing.
17. The reason the North Charleston campus made it is because the campus pastor said, “These are my people.” He fit.
18. Another reason to multiply is you have a visionary leader.
19. A church who doesn’t have the resources to plant a church and properly support that church is irresponsible.
20. Multi-site will cost more and take more time than you ever thought it would.
21. Until your senior leaders have a vision and passion for multi-site, you shouldn’t do it.
22. Multi-site done well will impact every decision you make moving forward.
23. If you multiply, you have to determine if you are going to reproduce everything.
24. Churches are extremely hospitable…to themselves.
25. I know churches that value things they are not very good at.
26. You can value something, be really good at it but can’t reproduce it.
27. Would you rather watch a video or watch a pastor eaten live on stage?
28. What are things we don’t need to reproduce?
29. The more you have to reproduce, the more that is essential, the harder it is. It’s harder to reproduce large things.
30. If you get the right campus pastor, it will succeed.
31. A successful campus pastor is visionary.
32. A successful campus pastor has a vision for their community.
33. A campus pastor doesn’t call all the shots. Sometimes they don’t even get to preach or speak into the budget.
34. You can have a church planter’s heart but not want to raise money.
35. A successful campus pastor is a great communicator.
36. If you’re going to be a church or the live in-person communicator, you have to be a great communicator. A successful campus pastor has to be a gifted communicator.
37. A successful campus pastor has to have an owner’s work ethic.
38. A successful campus pastor is an entrepreneurial self-starter.
39. A successful campus pastor is a leader. He’s been to seminary. I don’t care. He’s a great speaker. I don’t care. Are people following him?

More this afternoon.

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