The Benefits of Being Multi-Everything No Matter What the Size Scott Thumma Hartford Institute for Religion Research Hartford Seminary www.hartfordinstitute.org sthumma@hartsem.edu

Faith Communities Today 2015 www.faithcommunitiestoday 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

Declining Options?

Declining Variety?

Declining Change?

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

Multi-Service Vitality

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

Multi-Style Benefits? Spiritually Vital and Alive

Worship Change Benefits? Willing to Change to Meet New Challenges

Worship Change Benefits? See Themselves as Spiritual Vital and Alive

Worship Change Benefits? A Boost in Numerical Growth

Multi-Site & Church Size

Multi-Site & Sense of Purpose

Multi-Site & Growth

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

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.

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!

Consider Becoming Multiple