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    Tuesday, March 9, 2010

    A Multi-Site Road Trip!

    After reading The Multi-Site Revolution (by the same authors) I was inspired to think outside of the box and wonder what it would be like to see my church go multi-site. In fact I wished it would happen! I didn't know what to expect with this next book in the series. I thought the book may be very similar, but I was dead wrong!




    In A Multi-Site Road Trip Surratt, Ligon and Bird take the reader into the midst of their trips and make you feel just as a part of the experience as they do. I was so engaged with this book that I didn't put it down (unless of course I had to go to work).



    Going from multi-site to multi-site was a great experience and I was able to see firsthand exactly what's going on in this realm of churchdom. The multi-site pastors were candid, honest and shared their failures as well as their successes. They were more than willing to share what worked for them and what doesn't, which helps a guy like me who is deeply interested in this movement because it helped me to dream big for my own situation.



    Not only was this book honest, candid and informative, it was also quite humorous and fun. The authors would share little side treks to different restaurants in the towns they visited and would tell funny stories as they happened on the trip. I am a fan of people who don't take themselves too seriously and are willing to share silly stories about themselves. This piece added an element of welcome, by that I mean you felt like they were sharing with you, their friend what was going on. They didn't outright attempt to "teach" you anything but simply gave you the details of their trips, their experience and their overall thoughts on what it all meant.



    Learning from the multi-site pastors is a great plus. They are not simply Theorists...they are Practitioners and have much to add to the realm of multi-site. Inside the book, some of these pastors handed over some great resources like: "What makes a great Campus Pastor"; "Organizational Charts" and much more! These tools are vital to anyone thinking multi-site and now they no longer have to work from scratch but can have a visible picture of one churches hard work!



    Lastly, having one of the authors who is a pastor on staff in a multi-site church was a HUGE bonus. Geoff Surratt was open and candid about what he experienced, his feelings as the multi-site was in the beginning stages and where they are now as a church. This "insider" information was priceless as when he wrote, he wrote from the lens of someone who'd really been there.

    If you are a church leader in a church that is pondering multi-site, you should have this book.  If you are a congregant wondering why in the world your church leadership is thinking about going multi-site, this book will help open your eyes as to the big "why".  It's not because it's the "hip" thing to do, it's because it has a proven track record and God is using it to expand His Kingdom!


    I received this book free from Zondervan Publishers as part of their Blog Tour book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

    5 comments:

    Geoff said...

    Thanks for the review and your kind comments. I am very glad you found the book helpful!

    Greg Ligon said...

    Marv,
    Thanks for your post. So glad that you found the book helpful ... and fun! We sure had a great time on the road trip of experiences that culminated in the book. Are you in a multisite church?

    Unknown said...

    Technically yes, because we have a building across our parking lot in which we have another "site" which is a DVD playback. However, it's such a small distance and I consider it part of our regular campus. I am a Youth pastor in this church (www.acac.net) and I believe our intention is to someday go further out using video technology but it is a ways out. Funny enough, I was the Youth Pastor at Warrens church, so I know him well. Thanks guys for stopping by!

    Unknown said...

    Thanks for the great review, Marv! I'm glad the book connected with you and I hope it connects with others too.

    gligon said...

    Someone else who has worked with Dr. Bird! Great guy!