1. The Benefits of Being Multi-Everything No Matter What the Size
Scott Thumma
Hartford Institute for Religion Research
Hartford Seminary

2. Faith Communities Today 2015
Cooperative multifaith coalition of 28 groups, directed by Hartford Institute
Since 2000, 5 national surveys 30,000+ churches
Just the Protestant Christian sample - Mainline/Oldline & Evangelical/African American churches
2015 – key informant, 4,436, mailed & online 197 Q’s
Random and over samples of 11 groups, weighted
Reports so far:
Overview Summary, Attracting Young Adults, Christian Education

3. Declining Options?

4. Declining Variety?

5. Declining Change?

10. Multi-Service Benefits
Are larger
Have a larger budget
Claim to have more innovative worship
Say they are more spiritually vital and alive.
Are more likely to use small groups
Are more likely to stress member accountability
Are more likely to show a worship attendance increase

11. Multi-Service Vitality

12. Multi-Style Benefits? Willing to Change to Meet New Challenges

13. Multi-Style Benefits? Spiritually Vital and Alive

14. Worship Change Benefits? Willing to Change to Meet New Challenges

15. Worship Change Benefits? See Themselves as Spiritual Vital and Alive

16. Worship Change Benefits? A Boost in Numerical Growth

17. Multi-Site & Church Size

18. Multi-Site & Sense of Purpose

19. Multi-Site & Growth

21. For Megachurches: Being Multisite Makes Them Distinctive Different from Other Megachurches
Larger attendance
Smaller sanctuary size
More staff – more pastors
Greater growth rate – larger budgets BUT smaller per capita giving
Higher level of member accountability
Larger percentage of young adults
More likely multiracial
A greater willingness to change
Much more open to worship innovation
And a greater emphasis on members’ evangelistic efforts

23. And Gives Them Distinct Advantages over other Megachurches
Can grow numerically without continued investment in larger buildings
Provides a nearby option for members from a distance so they can connect more easily and more frequently
Tailors the site worship to better fit the specific context of a community
Offers many more ways for participants to get involved
Increases the potential pool of leadership within the overall church
Gives nascent leadership a smaller venue to refine their skills
The multisite option allows for further choice – not just in relation to location, leadership opportunities, and worship style but also size configurations – from intimate to large to mega.

24. Multi Advantages
Variety and choice are enhanced with additional service times and locations
The need for member engagement and involvement rises, requiring calls for increased commitment and additional leadership development
Multiple realities allow for experimentation and innovation without risking your core worship service or participants
Additional services, in the same space or another, at different times, allows for experimentation while sidestepping significant resistance from the unwilling
Find those in your church who want to experiment – and let them!

25. Consider Becoming Multiple