The Blessings of Properly Applied Multi-site Church Planting in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod

Abstract

In the last decade, the multi-site church planting model has become a major factor in the way American churches have chosen to expand their reach into the community. Many nondenominational and Evangelical churches have referred to multi-site church planting as “the new normal” or as a “revolution,” because of the model’s impact, wide range implementation, and numerical attendance success. However, in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, the model has found little implementation. Little is known or has been experienced with the multisite model. In a constantly shifting church landscape, it is important to analyze the practicality of any church model in order to find the best ways, according to ministry context and congregational factors, to carry out the Great Commission. After researching other denominations’ usage of multi-site and interviewing WELS pastors and synod leaders, it became apparent that there are a number of inherent blessings and challenges that accompany the multisite model. The goal of this thesis is to analyze the model’s practicality and replication possibilities in the WELS, comparing the blessings with the challenges, and measuring the multisite church planting model with the clear truths of Scripture.