Welcome back to the unSeminary podcast. This week I’m excited to have Dr. Warren Bird back chatting with us today.

We’re talking about multisite this month and Warren is a great source for insights on this movement. He is the VP of Research and Equipping at the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). ECFA developed seven integrity standards for doing ministry well which parachurch organizations and churches can follow. Warren helps discover the best practices in what organizations are doing and how ministries can apply the learnings.

Today Warren is with us to talk about trends he’s observed within the multisite movement and what your church can learn from them.

* Examine the global multisite trend. // Multisite was not a US invention. On the contrary it was popularized in South Korea as their large churches took off. Many of the largest churches aren’t in the US and there’s much we can learn from the global multisite movement. A list of megachurches around the world can be found at www.leadnet.org/world. Churches on this list tend to be innovators and entrepreneurs and exploring these findings allows us to see a bigger picture of what God seems to be doing around the world. The more we learn from other multisite churches, the better equipped we are.* Learn from Canada. // When it comes to the secularization of the culture, Canada is several years ahead of the US. Studying the response of Canadian churches to their culture can provide instruction for what the church in the US can expect and ways we can respond. As we increasingly move into a post-Christian society, it’s key to pay attention to what God is doing elsewhere.* Multisite isn’t for every church. // Multisite is a response to growth rather than a strategy for growth. If 80% of churches are plateaued or declining, Warren notes that they need to have a very compelling and clear reason for going multisite. For a church that isn’t already growing, going to a multisite model can be toxic because it suddenly dilutes your resources and volunteers. The biggest growth and momentum of multisite is happening with already growing churches. Often these churches are facing physical facility challenges, but they have momentum working for them which provides an opportunity to experiment with a multisite model.* Consider a church merger. // Around 40% of multisite campuses are created from a church merger and this movement is on the rise. Zoning for churches is difficult to get so when a declining church is faced with closing its doors, a church merger with a thriving church is a win for the kingdom. In their book Better Together: Making Church Mergers Work, Warren Bird and Jim Tomberlin discuss how two churches can combine forces, drawing on both of their strengths, and increase their missional impact.* What’s your vision for multisite? // The most recent study of multisite churches shows that 47% are getting beyond three locations while more seem to pause at two campuses. If your church finds itself in this situation, explore whether multisite was simply a response to space issues, or part of a bigger vision to reach more people. In order for a two-campus multisite church to maintain and grow, they need to figure out the momentum point for their campuses.* Three things in leadership. // The Leadership Pipeline: How to Build the Leadership Powered Company by Ram Charan teaches that at every leadership level you have to do three things differently: value different things, spend your time differently, and focus on different goals. Similarly,

Welcome back to the unSeminary podcast. This week I’m excited to have Dr. Warren Bird back chatting with us today.

We’re talking about multisite this month and Warren is a great source for insights on this movement. He is the VP of Research and Equipping at the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). ECFA developed seven integrity standards for doing ministry well which parachurch organizations and churches can follow. Warren helps discover the best practices in what organizations are doing and how ministries can apply the learnings.

Today Warren is with us to talk about trends he’s observed within the multisite movement and what your church can learn from them.

* Examine the global multisite trend. // Multisite was not a US invention. On the contrary it was popularized in South Korea as their large churches took off. Many of the largest churches aren’t in the US and there’s much we can learn from the global multisite movement. A list of megachurches around the world can be found at www.leadnet.org/world. Churches on this list tend to be innovators and entrepreneurs and exploring these findings allows us to see a bigger picture of what God seems to be doing around the world. The more we learn from other multisite churches, the better equipped we are.* Learn from Canada. // When it comes to the secularization of the culture, Canada is several years ahead of the US. Studying the response of Canadian churches to their culture can provide instruction for what the church in the US can expect and ways we can respond. As we increasingly move into a post-Christian society, it’s key to pay attention to what God is doing elsewhere.* Multisite isn’t for every church. // Multisite is a response to growth rather than a strategy for growth. If 80% of churches are plateaued or declining, Warren notes that they need to have a very compelling and clear reason for going multisite. For a church that isn’t already growing, going to a multisite model can be toxic because it suddenly dilutes your resources and volunteers. The biggest growth and momentum of multisite is happening with already growing churches. Often these churches are facing physical facility challenges, but they have momentum working for them which provides an opportunity to experiment with a multisite model.* Consider a church merger. // Around 40% of multisite campuses are created from a church merger and this movement is on the rise. Zoning for churches is difficult to get so when a declining church is faced with closing its doors, a church merger with a thriving church is a win for the kingdom. In their book Better Together: Making Church Mergers Work, Warren Bird and Jim Tomberlin discuss how two churches can combine forces, drawing on both of their strengths, and increase their missional impact.* What’s your vision for multisite? // The most recent study of multisite churches shows that 47% are getting beyond three locations while more seem to pause at two campuses. If your church finds itself in this situation, explore whether multisite was simply a response to space issues, or part of a bigger vision to reach more people. In order for a two-campus multisite church to maintain and grow, they need to figure out the momentum point for their campuses.* Three things in leadership. // The Leadership Pipeline: How to Build the Leadership Powered Company by Ram Charan teaches that at every leadership level you have to do three things differently: value different things, spend your time differently, and focus on different goals. Similarly,

Is your church considering launching a multisite campus in the next year?

Do you think a new campus might be the best next step in your church’s growth journey?

Have you wondered if this approach could help you reach more people more effectively?

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of talking with scores of church leaders who launched campuses that went on to impact so many people with the message of Jesus. In fact, I’ve had the honor of being in the driver’s seat for the launch of 13 campuses. During that time, our leadership teams recruited 1,500 volunteers, and somewhere north of 9,000 people attend those campuses today. Since then those churches have gone on to launch a number of other locations. It’s been amazing to watch the spread of this movement over the years.

However, I’ve also spoken with a number of church leaders struggling to resolve problems that have arisen in their multisite churches as they try to unpack exactly what is going wrong. They are often worried about the future of their multisite and want to diagnose the root cause of these issues.

As I listened, I learned that churches tend to make at least one of these six mistakes in the early days of launching new campuses. If you are considering launching a new campus in 2020, you need to be aware of and avoid these mistakes! These errors may not cause problems early on, but they always come to root in the long term and can ultimately create a difficult future for churches pursuing a multisite approach to ministry.

Small Launch Teams 

The greatest success factor in determining the strength of your new campus is the size and health of the volunteer core team. Every other factor needs to be considered in light of how it supports the size and health of the launch core team. 

Does the campus pastor have a track record of building large volunteer teams?

Is the new location close enough to the other locations to hive off an already existing center of volunteers but far enough away to reach a new community?

Does your program model help or hinder your ability to build strong teams?

Have you left enough time in your launch process to build the launch team?

How are you evaluating if you are building this team fast enough?

Time and again, when I talk with church leaders who are grappling with the dynamics of their campuses, it comes back to this issue. If you fail to build a strong and healthy launch team, your new campus will struggle right out of the gate! 

Unclear Responsibility Lines

When launching new campuses, the main question becomes “Who is responsible for what?” People at other locations will feel the need to lead the ministry in a certain way. They want to ensure that areas of particular concern are developed and led excellently. However, the central leadership team will likely have an approach, style, and brand that they’re trying to maintain throughout the campuses.

Campus teams are responsible for relationships and execution. They consider how the ministry affects people while the central team members are concerned with systems and curriculum. Regardless of who reports to whom, who has the first move, and who has the responsibility, the real priority is to communicate. Order breaks down when campus teams and central teams stop communicating with each other.

The latest research by Leadership Network shows that 77% of multisite churches see their model as more centrali...

Is your church considering launching a multisite campus in the next year?

Do you think a new campus might be the best next step in your church’s growth journey?

Have you wondered if this approach could help you reach more people more effectively?

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of talking with scores of church leaders who launched campuses that went on to impact so many people with the message of Jesus. In fact, I’ve had the honor of being in the driver’s seat for the launch of 13 campuses. During that time, our leadership teams recruited 1,500 volunteers, and somewhere north of 9,000 people attend those campuses today. Since then those churches have gone on to launch a number of other locations. It’s been amazing to watch the spread of this movement over the years.

However, I’ve also spoken with a number of church leaders struggling to resolve problems that have arisen in their multisite churches as they try to unpack exactly what is going wrong. They are often worried about the future of their multisite and want to diagnose the root cause of these issues.

As I listened, I learned that churches tend to make at least one of these six mistakes in the early days of launching new campuses. If you are considering launching a new campus in 2020, you need to be aware of and avoid these mistakes! These errors may not cause problems early on, but they always come to root in the long term and can ultimately create a difficult future for churches pursuing a multisite approach to ministry.

Small Launch Teams 

The greatest success factor in determining the strength of your new campus is the size and health of the volunteer core team. Every other factor needs to be considered in light of how it supports the size and health of the launch core team. 

Does the campus pastor have a track record of building large volunteer teams?

Is the new location close enough to the other locations to hive off an already existing center of volunteers but far enough away to reach a new community?

Does your program model help or hinder your ability to build strong teams?

Have you left enough time in your launch process to build the launch team?

How are you evaluating if you are building this team fast enough?

Time and again, when I talk with church leaders who are grappling with the dynamics of their campuses, it comes back to this issue. If you fail to build a strong and healthy launch team, your new campus will struggle right out of the gate! 

Unclear Responsibility Lines

When launching new campuses, the main question becomes “Who is responsible for what?” People at other locations will feel the need to lead the ministry in a certain way. They want to ensure that areas of particular concern are developed and led excellently. However, the central leadership team will likely have an approach, style, and brand that they’re trying to maintain throughout the campuses.

Campus teams are responsible for relationships and execution. They consider how the ministry affects people while the central team members are concerned with systems and curriculum. Regardless of who reports to whom, who has the first move, and who has the responsibility, the real priority is to communicate. Order breaks down when campus teams and central teams stop communicating with each other.

The latest research by Leadership Network shows that 77% of multisite churches see their model as more centrali...

Welcome to the unSeminary podcast. This week we are joined by Daniel Im, an author and teaching pastor at the Fellowship Church in Nashville.

Daniel is from Canada, and he has traveled across the world to help plant churches. He has been in Nashville for the last four years and also works with LifeWay to help provide resources for church planters and multisite churches.

Daniel is with us today to talk about church planting, multisite creation, and what strategies work in different contexts.

* Know your current context and what “normal” is. // Depending on where and whether or not you went to seminary or bible college, and which church circles or conferences you go to, you are going to be influenced (often on an unconscious level) either toward multisite or toward church planting. Both of these strategies are great. Some can work better in certain contexts than others. Consider who the people are that you look up to ministry-wise and what they advocate.  A lot of times this dictates what that “normal” is for you. * Church Plant vs Multisite. // We can think of church planters as entrepreneurial leaders who want to test a new approach or a new model that’s different than their sending church. By contrast, on the multisite side, leaders want to take the same model or a very similar model and transplant that into a new community. Multisite models can have a reputation of being primarily video-driven. But many multisite churches do live teaching or have some sort of hybrid model as well. If you are interested church planting, consider first learning in a campus pastor role at a multisite church. It is a good opportunity which allows you to gain experience, and you may discover that working in multisite is where you are called rather than planting a new church.* Be competent in communication. // Campus pastors need to be extremely competent in communication. Part of this is public communication and can be via live preaching or as the primary communicator/host of the campus. When a church considers multisite vs church planting or a combination of the two, if you don’t have someone who can think like a supply chain manager and is passionate enough about communicating that they never get bored of saying the same thing over and over in different ways, then church planting might be a better option for you. Over-communication is necessary in a multisite context and as a result is not the best option for every church.* Campus vs Original Site. // You can run in the same circles and speak the same words as someone else, but when it comes down to values and culture there can be a lot of disagreement. When values and culture differ from site to site within a multisite church, it will interfere with growth. Examine the communications, expectations and how the systems are working for the smaller campus vs the original site. Ask the lead pastor what was done to grow the church when it was the size of the smaller campuses. This will help the campus pastors have ideas on how to grow their campuses without trying to use strategies that only work for a much larger location.* Resource for campus pastors. // LifeWay has a resource to help develop campus pastors. You can learn more and access it at newchurches.com/campuspastor.

You can learn more about Daniel and his work at danielim.com.

Thank You for Tuning In!

There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I’m grateful for that. If you enjoyed today’s show,

Welcome to the unSeminary podcast. This week we are joined by Daniel Im, an author and teaching pastor at the Fellowship Church in Nashville.

Daniel is from Canada, and he has traveled across the world to help plant churches. He has been in Nashville for the last four years and also works with LifeWay to help provide resources for church planters and multisite churches.

Daniel is with us today to talk about church planting, multisite creation, and what strategies work in different contexts.

* Know your current context and what “normal” is. // Depending on where and whether or not you went to seminary or bible college, and which church circles or conferences you go to, you are going to be influenced (often on an unconscious level) either toward multisite or toward church planting. Both of these strategies are great. Some can work better in certain contexts than others. Consider who the people are that you look up to ministry-wise and what they advocate.  A lot of times this dictates what that “normal” is for you. * Church Plant vs Multisite. // We can think of church planters as entrepreneurial leaders who want to test a new approach or a new model that’s different than their sending church. By contrast, on the multisite side, leaders want to take the same model or a very similar model and transplant that into a new community. Multisite models can have a reputation of being primarily video-driven. But many multisite churches do live teaching or have some sort of hybrid model as well. If you are interested church planting, consider first learning in a campus pastor role at a multisite church. It is a good opportunity which allows you to gain experience, and you may discover that working in multisite is where you are called rather than planting a new church.* Be competent in communication. // Campus pastors need to be extremely competent in communication. Part of this is public communication and can be via live preaching or as the primary communicator/host of the campus. When a church considers multisite vs church planting or a combination of the two, if you don’t have someone who can think like a supply chain manager and is passionate enough about communicating that they never get bored of saying the same thing over and over in different ways, then church planting might be a better option for you. Over-communication is necessary in a multisite context and as a result is not the best option for every church.* Campus vs Original Site. // You can run in the same circles and speak the same words as someone else, but when it comes down to values and culture there can be a lot of disagreement. When values and culture differ from site to site within a multisite church, it will interfere with growth. Examine the communications, expectations and how the systems are working for the smaller campus vs the original site. Ask the lead pastor what was done to grow the church when it was the size of the smaller campuses. This will help the campus pastors have ideas on how to grow their campuses without trying to use strategies that only work for a much larger location.* Resource for campus pastors. // LifeWay has a resource to help develop campus pastors. You can learn more and access it at newchurches.com/campuspastor.

You can learn more about Daniel and his work at danielim.com.

Thank You for Tuning In!

There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I’m grateful for that. If you enjoyed today’s show,

Welcome to this week’s unSeminary podcast. Today I’m excited to talk with returning guest, Dan Zimbardi, Executive Pastor at Sandals Church in California.

Sandals started 22 years ago in the living room of lead pastor, Matt Brown, and today has 11 locations throughout the middle and southern parts of California.

Dan is with us today to talk about revitalizing and replanting churches through church mergers.

* Finding a solution. // Churches in America are facing many challenges in today’s world. 80% of churches have plateaued or are declining. About 59% of Millennials that grew up in the church have left. Thousands of churches are closing their doors each year. Sandals Church has had a front row view in witnessing church closures so they started the ROGO Foundation in response. The ROGO Foundation focuses on people and places. The “people” side of the service trains ministry leaders and the “places” side is all about merging with churches, remodeling them, and then replanting them.* Honor the people. // Sandals Church has had the opportunity for eight different church mergers, and was able to remodel and replant seven of them. Another one was donated to them to sell and they used the proceeds to plant more churches and train more leaders. Sandals Church believes that everything belongs to the LORD. Through the ROGO Foundation they’ve found that by repurposing and repositioning these church buildings and assets, it’s been a great way to reach more people and raise up the next generation of leaders. But before you consider a church merger, it’s very important for the whole process to begin and end with honor. The ROGO Foundation asks God to help them keep a real posture of humility when entering into conversations with other churches.* Lead with empathy. // As the lead church, when entering into a conversation with another church, think about how you can best respect the members and staff of the follow church. Sandals invites the members of the follow church they’re talking with to sit down with another one of the churches they’ve merged with so they can ask any question they have. Be patient with the process, which can take a year or more. Dan reminds us that we have to go at the pace of the other church. As the lead church you can’t be overanxious, pushy, or get frustrated. You have to lead with empathy and humility. * Build relationships. // Spend time building a relationship with the people that are the body of Christ and get to know people from the follow church. If the church merger feels like a transaction to the follow church, it’s either not going to happen, or it’s going to leave a bad taste in people’s mouths after it’s done.* Count the cost before saying yes. // Practically speaking, it’s important to make sure you have enough money to relaunch and replant the church. Don’t enter into a partnership before thoroughly researching the situation and having necessary inspections.* Examine your motives. // When considering whether to partner and merge with another church, search your heart. If you are focusing on simply getting bigger or being the savior, the partnership won’t work and isn’t focused on God. Focus instead on how you can serve and build up the other church, whether or not you end up merging in the long run.* Look for guidance. // If you are part of a small church that is facing a difficult time, reach out to Sandals for guidance on the course of action to take. You can also take time to talk with the team at Sandals if you are part of a lead church that is looking for counsel on how to partner successfully with a follow church.

You can learn more about Sandals Church at www.sandalschurch.

Welcome to this week’s unSeminary podcast. Today I’m excited to talk with returning guest, Dan Zimbardi, Executive Pastor at Sandals Church in California.

Sandals started 22 years ago in the living room of lead pastor, Matt Brown, and today has 11 locations throughout the middle and southern parts of California.

Dan is with us today to talk about revitalizing and replanting churches through church mergers.

* Finding a solution. // Churches in America are facing many challenges in today’s world. 80% of churches have plateaued or are declining. About 59% of Millennials that grew up in the church have left. Thousands of churches are closing their doors each year. Sandals Church has had a front row view in witnessing church closures so they started the ROGO Foundation in response. The ROGO Foundation focuses on people and places. The “people” side of the service trains ministry leaders and the “places” side is all about merging with churches, remodeling them, and then replanting them.* Honor the people. // Sandals Church has had the opportunity for eight different church mergers, and was able to remodel and replant seven of them. Another one was donated to them to sell and they used the proceeds to plant more churches and train more leaders. Sandals Church believes that everything belongs to the LORD. Through the ROGO Foundation they’ve found that by repurposing and repositioning these church buildings and assets, it’s been a great way to reach more people and raise up the next generation of leaders. But before you consider a church merger, it’s very important for the whole process to begin and end with honor. The ROGO Foundation asks God to help them keep a real posture of humility when entering into conversations with other churches.* Lead with empathy. // As the lead church, when entering into a conversation with another church, think about how you can best respect the members and staff of the follow church. Sandals invites the members of the follow church they’re talking with to sit down with another one of the churches they’ve merged with so they can ask any question they have. Be patient with the process, which can take a year or more. Dan reminds us that we have to go at the pace of the other church. As the lead church you can’t be overanxious, pushy, or get frustrated. You have to lead with empathy and humility. * Build relationships. // Spend time building a relationship with the people that are the body of Christ and get to know people from the follow church. If the church merger feels like a transaction to the follow church, it’s either not going to happen, or it’s going to leave a bad taste in people’s mouths after it’s done.* Count the cost before saying yes. // Practically speaking, it’s important to make sure you have enough money to relaunch and replant the church. Don’t enter into a partnership before thoroughly researching the situation and having necessary inspections.* Examine your motives. // When considering whether to partner and merge with another church, search your heart. If you are focusing on simply getting bigger or being the savior, the partnership won’t work and isn’t focused on God. Focus instead on how you can serve and build up the other church, whether or not you end up merging in the long run.* Look for guidance. // If you are part of a small church that is facing a difficult time, reach out to Sandals for guidance on the course of action to take. You can also take time to talk with the team at Sandals if you are part of a lead church that is looking for counsel on how to partner successfully with a follow church.

You can learn more about Sandals Church at www.sandalschurch.

Welcome to the unSeminary podcast. This week we are joined by Tim Lucas, lead pastor of Liquid Church in New Jersey. Liquid Church’s name is a reference to how Jesus called Himself the living water; the founders of Liquid use the name as a way to remind people that church should be refreshing, especially in a spiritually dry region.

New Jersey is not a place where churches easily grow and thrive, so Tim joins us to talk about what can be done to connect with people, especially Millennials and Generation Z.

* A journey, not a guilt trip. // Many people are starting at a post-Christian level of thinking where they have negative feelings about Christ and church is viewed as dry and boring. One of the slogans at Liquid is: faith is a journey, not a guilt trip. They use a flip-flopped discipleship sequence – people now want to belong before believing. Millennials in particular, for example, may want to join mission trips where clean water wells are being drilled in Africa, even though they’ve never attended services at church.* Enter their world. // It’s not enough to have compassion for people who need help, we need to try to enter their world. This approach looks like not simply writing a check to groups trying to help people in need, but rather thinking of ways to engage your people in that reality. One thing Liquid Church did was to have a night where people could better relate to the homeless by sleeping in the church parking lot in boxes. For every person who slept outside, the church donated $30 to an organization that helped the homeless. One third of the people who participated didn’t attend Liquid currently, but friends invited them to come to the outreach. The result was viral evangelism at a grassroots level.* A picture of the early church. // When Tim first met the woman who would later become his wife, he attended church with her one Sunday. Her church was the complete opposite of his and different from everything he knew. At the end of the service all kinds of people, many coming in from the streets, went up to the altar to give their lives to Jesus and receive prayer. Tim’s future mother-in-law took several people home for lunch. This experience was a picture of the early church and the inspiration that Tim used in founding Liquid Church.* Focus on the service, but also the Holy Spirit. // Some attractional churches may feel like they are focused on perfect performance, as if they are putting on a show. Liquid has learned and grown from where they began as a more attractional model, and now focuses on leaving more room for the Holy Spirit to break in. The service can neither be too long and freeflowing, nor too focused on just performances. Liquid seeks to strike a balance by planning the service, but also leaving room for the Holy Spirit to work.* Systems you can use. // Tim’s book Liquid Church: 6 Powerful Currents to Saturate Your City for Christ discusses six ministry currents that Tim sees the Holy Spirit using to reach spiritually thirsty people. New Jersey has the highest rate of autism in the nation, so one of the currents is Love the Overlooked which documents the systems in which Liquid Church serves families affected by special needs. Another ministry current is Ignite the Imagination in which Liquid weaves together not just scripture, but story and symbols together to engage visual kinesthetic learners in their services. Each of these six currents have helped Liquid reach out to people in society, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, who need the gospel message to be communicated in a new way.

Tim is giving out a free download to our listeners called 7 Sermon Series Guaranteed to Grow Your Church

Welcome to the unSeminary podcast. This week we are joined by Tim Lucas, lead pastor of Liquid Church in New Jersey. Liquid Church’s name is a reference to how Jesus called Himself the living water; the founders of Liquid use the name as a way to remind people that church should be refreshing, especially in a spiritually dry region.

New Jersey is not a place where churches easily grow and thrive, so Tim joins us to talk about what can be done to connect with people, especially Millennials and Generation Z.

* A journey, not a guilt trip. // Many people are starting at a post-Christian level of thinking where they have negative feelings about Christ and church is viewed as dry and boring. One of the slogans at Liquid is: faith is a journey, not a guilt trip. They use a flip-flopped discipleship sequence – people now want to belong before believing. Millennials in particular, for example, may want to join mission trips where clean water wells are being drilled in Africa, even though they’ve never attended services at church.* Enter their world. // It’s not enough to have compassion for people who need help, we need to try to enter their world. This approach looks like not simply writing a check to groups trying to help people in need, but rather thinking of ways to engage your people in that reality. One thing Liquid Church did was to have a night where people could better relate to the homeless by sleeping in the church parking lot in boxes. For every person who slept outside, the church donated $30 to an organization that helped the homeless. One third of the people who participated didn’t attend Liquid currently, but friends invited them to come to the outreach. The result was viral evangelism at a grassroots level.* A picture of the early church. // When Tim first met the woman who would later become his wife, he attended church with her one Sunday. Her church was the complete opposite of his and different from everything he knew. At the end of the service all kinds of people, many coming in from the streets, went up to the altar to give their lives to Jesus and receive prayer. Tim’s future mother-in-law took several people home for lunch. This experience was a picture of the early church and the inspiration that Tim used in founding Liquid Church.* Focus on the service, but also the Holy Spirit. // Some attractional churches may feel like they are focused on perfect performance, as if they are putting on a show. Liquid has learned and grown from where they began as a more attractional model, and now focuses on leaving more room for the Holy Spirit to break in. The service can neither be too long and freeflowing, nor too focused on just performances. Liquid seeks to strike a balance by planning the service, but also leaving room for the Holy Spirit to work.* Systems you can use. // Tim’s book Liquid Church: 6 Powerful Currents to Saturate Your City for Christ discusses six ministry currents that Tim sees the Holy Spirit using to reach spiritually thirsty people. New Jersey has the highest rate of autism in the nation, so one of the currents is Love the Overlooked which documents the systems in which Liquid Church serves families affected by special needs. Another ministry current is Ignite the Imagination in which Liquid weaves together not just scripture, but story and symbols together to engage visual kinesthetic learners in their services. Each of these six currents have helped Liquid reach out to people in society, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, who need the gospel message to be communicated in a new way.

Tim is giving out a free download to our listeners called 7 Sermon Series Guaranteed to Grow Your Church