Church Be Nimble, Church Be Quick
by Jim Couchenour
I just visited a church that uses an amazing model for growth: North Coast Church (NCC) in Vista, Calif. It’s one of the pioneer multi-venue churches and offers no less than 13 different worship services over five venues with a total of 5,900 people in attendance every weekend. Different worship styles are offered at each venue, followed by a pre-recorded teaching by Sr. Pastor Larry Osborne.
While there’s much more to be said about this church’s staffing, ministries and space configurations, multi-venue churches might be the first prominent indication of a transition in the church world that mirrors the transition that has been taking place in other parts of the developed world. Throughout much of the 20th century, business and institutions were primarily built on the top-down command and control model. This was an outgrowth of the need to centralize operations near the source of physical power (i.e., water flow, coal, etc.). All of this led to a centralized decision-making system in which decisions would flow outward and profits would flow back inward. The middle manager would then synthesize these to keep the operation running smoothly.
Disruptive Technological Advances Turned Things Upside Down
There is now a shift to a consumer-driven reality in which decisions must be made on the outer edges because they are most in touch with the consumer and can adapt more quickly. This has led to two very important phenomenons in modern day life and church operations: customer segmentation and organizational regeneration.
When it comes to customer segmentation, NCC's Chris Mavity says the church tries not to categorize people by demographics such as age, income and so on; rather, they distinguish “mindsets” and offer multiple flavors in each venue space featuring varied colors, seating layouts, musical styles and more. It is similar to the way McDonald’s offers McSpaghetti in the Philippines, beer in Germany and chopsticks with its Happy Meal in Japan, Mavity says: The command and control has given the responsibility for contextualization to those on the front lines while maintaining the trusted brand identity. Similarly, multi-venue options give venue pastors the freedom of “indigenous innovation” while everyone remains theologically connected by the common sermon.
Multi-Venue Churches Have Another Built-In Advantage...
Because these churches' ethos accept newness and change as a natural occurrence, they embrace organizational regeneration. When one venue becomes full, another is open. When one venue isn’t drawing critical mass, it can be regenerated into a different form. If a venue's pastor thinks round tables are more conducive to worship, round tables are installed the next week.
The multi-venue church is very nimble and very quick. It is experimenting with smaller groups of people vs. trying to affect global change in a church of thousands. NCC fits the mega-church profile, but the smallest venue seats 75, and the largest seats 450.
What does this mean in terms of current and future worship space? For churches considering new facilities, the key word is "adaptability." Modular building models and wireless technology increasingly allow church designers to plan for immediate ministry needs and still maintain open flexibility for future needs. With forethought, architectural appointments can be woven into less permanent interiors so that changes in technology, communication and ministry styles over the lifespan of the building can be adapted. This is more difficult with an existing structure, although latent spaces can be revitalized for additional venues that provide additional worship options. Unused fellowship areas, family life centers and even off-site buildings can be converted into additional worship space.
Obviously, the key factor in all of this is how it affects growth in the Kingdom. I an extensive survey of American churches conducted by Leadership Network found the majority -- 55 percent -- cited evangelistic outreach as the driving force behind this type of church model. Other side benefits included increased volunteerism and re-engagement of members because of a closer location.
About the Author
Since 1983, Jim Couchenour has partnered with hundreds of churches to design and build new facilities through his work with Cogun Inc., which now is part of The Cornerstone Knowledge Network. Most recently, Couchenour developed “High Tech, High Touch, Hi Jesus” -- a church building design for postmodern culture. He is a member of New Hope Community Church in Boardman, Ohio, where he is developing ways to bridge the gap between the churched and the unchurched. Reach him by calling 800.258.5540 or by e-mail at jrc@cogun.com.