Tuesday, October 17, 2006

A Big Vision for a BIG City



Lately I've been amazed by what God is doing in the City of Brisbane, and indeed the whole area of South East Queensland. It seems that every time I turn around I hear of another church being planted, and for that I praise God. As a Pastor of a local Church it has got me thinking... sure we need to plant more "new churches" but what about the rest of us? How can we as existing churches get in on the action and privilege of reaching the lost not only in our local communities but beyond?

Well, one of the influences on my current thinking has been Pastor Dave Ferguson of Community Christian Church, Chicagoland, USA. Dave argues that existing churches should seriously consider the strategy of multiple campuses in multiple locations whilst remaining a single Church entity.

Ferguson comments that of the 1,500 odd multi-site churches in the US some are giga chuches like Willow Creek but the vast majority are average churches that have simply faced the tough question of “How can most effectively reach our generation with the gospel of Jesus Christ?” The answer they’ve reached is simple and cost effective, launch new congregations in new locations where God is using the members of your church to reach people through the gospel.

You can check out more of Dave’s ideas on the multi site movement at http://www.daveferguson.typepad.com/. Enjoy!

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