If you’ve kept up in the conversation, Vista is considering 3 options as we reach our capacity at Jerome HS: 1) starting a new church in a new location in NW Columbus (church plant); 2) adding another service at our existing location (second service); 3) sharing resources and offering a similar Vista service at a second location (second site).
As we continue to think and pray about this next step as a growing church, a Second Site option is appealing for a few reasons that fit well with the values Vista has held since our beginning. There is something very compelling about a church model that can reproduce in a way that requires fewer resources, and is not locked to a particular geographic location. Our expertise at packing and unpacking the entire church on a weekly basis, gives us a great advantage to go where the Spirit leads, where the people live and where momentum materializes. And if time should reveal that a different location would be better – so be it! Wouldn’t it be great if years from now, you could attend a Vista service at any of dozen location and times? Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could tell the neighbor or friend, whom you have been connecting with and asking to come to church, that the church was, “coming to them?!” That’s the dream taking shape in our heart… When someone asks, “Hey, where does your church meet?” that we could respond, “Well, pretty much everywhere! Where do you live?”
If we opted for a Second Site what might that look like? Well, our first most populated geographic center falls west of Riverside Rd, and the second largest geographic center is east of Riverside Rd, north of I-270. So, it might make the most sense to see what would materialize at Dublin-Scioto HS or Worthington-Kilbourne. Both Jerome and a Second Site would share resources, like major programming (Christmas Program and Missions for example), equipping pastors, and central operations. Each site though would be lead by a Site or Lead Pastor who would ensure elements of healthy church like Care, Family Life, and Community Impact.
But, again, maybe the greatest strength of this approach is your church in your neighborhood, available to your friends and neighbors – Vista Everywhere! Interested? Thoughts?
First of all, I think think its really cool that we get to debate on this particular issue.
I heard something tonight that was really inspiring and that really challenged my way of thinking. When you boil down the Church, the amazing thing about it is that its not so much a group of common friends, but rather a group of common enemies brought together by the grace of God through the working of the Holy Spirit. The Church is and Heaven will be a mish mash of Jesus lovers from all cultures, all ethnic and economic backgrounds, and all social circles. It won’t look like Dublin for sure. I know it seems simple but what if we could strive to create at Vista a congregation that is representative of what we know Heaven will be like? So I guess this has shown me (and hopefully tomorrow when I read this again I still feel this way) that for Vista a second SITE would work best so we can keep the community intact while reaching different people groups.
I went to church tonight in the upper east side of Manhattan and man was it great. There were so many different people who under different circumstances probably wouldn’t be hanging out. And I’d love to see that in the Vista Community.
**Plus if we did Kilbourne or Scioto, we could walk to church…. Booya!
After rereading my comment, I feel I need to adjust my heart to a posture as Vista moves through this process. It is crucial that my first question in this is not: What is best for me based on my own needs and comfort level? In Awe of God’s work among us and humbled to be taking this journey with the people of Vista. Hebrews 12:12
Think it is necessary to remember that God does not require us to “arrive” before we go into all the world. Many times the organized church allows people to sleep in the position of spoon feed Sunday morning teaching not personally interacting with Jesus. I am excited about the second site as a means to have people grow in a deeper walk as they minister in their neighborhood. I concur with the idea that a network of vista locations across Columbus is an exciting and new way to think about “doing church.” I can attest that biggest spiritual growth in the Eisel family has come from going and doing with humble reliance on God for everything as a part of this church plant. I feel we need to empower Vista attendees with a new paradigm of what worship means. Where does the traditional Sunday service model come from as the first means of growth in the New Testament? Seems more rooted in historic tradition than scripture. We are on our knees – Jeremiah 32:38-41
Thanks Jess & Tyler for keeping our comments rooted in scripture.
T Burt — MOST of us did not necessarily come to vista because of issues at our former church.
Mike — how is this different that a liturgical denomination?
Now, . . . back to that prayer and fasting thing . . .
For me, one of ways I’ve been most blessed at Vista is the dismantling of the wall between life and church-life. Freed from serving in ten different programs and being involved in ten more, I find that church has just become a part of life – the part where God feeds, challenges and renews me – and not a second set of life obligations. It’s seems much more natural, as if it was the way God intended it to be.
I think what is perhaps most critical at this time is not “what will we do,” rather “who will God raise up to lead?” It may seem harsh to speak that way, but we will need more leaders in each of these scenarios.
And let’s face it, Mike, you were MADE for Vista! That’s not a boast, it’s the truth, and I’m glad for it. I’m thankful for our elders, the staff, and all the ministry leaders, too. But, we’re really going to need to grow.
By the way, can you tell I’m an HR guy? 🙂
We must be careful to keep some things in mind if we look to do a 2nd site:
The Holy Spirit will choose a leader for us in His time (Acts 13:2-3) in this passage they not only prayed for the leaders but fasted as well. Anyone fasting?
He will choose who oversees the church (Acts 20:28)
Trust God will give wisdom to the leaders of Vista (2 Timothy)
The HS can keep us from going to a 2nd site if he so chooses. (Acts 16:6). So do not fear that we will be making a mistake.
Matthew 28:19. GO!
I am really feeling that a second site would open the door for a new community to be impacted by what God is doing at Vista. I’d be totally lieing if I didn’t say that selfishly I live in Worthington and the idea of being able to say “Yeah we are meeting at the highschool” to the various neighbors and friends right here in our community would be EASIER for me… but I just feel like it makes more sense to move into a different community if we are going to be moving. We’ve seen from our move from Coffman to Jerome that moving brought new faces, What could God do if we moved burbs? Mike do you know from connections with other pastors what area’s in the city are having very low churched rates? We were discussing this with lifegroup last night and we weren’t sure if this info is even out there. We were guessing it would be inside the 270 belt. The thought was brought up that ultimately what is the goal of site vs service vs plant? TO FURTHER THE KINGDOM! Dave and I are EXCITED and ON BOARD with whatever God has in store for us.
I would be in the camp of a second service. I’m an early riser and 10:30 is a very late service for me. An earlier option would be great.
Plus a second site or plant both leave me wondering to what purpose? Let’s face it we are a church of “formers”. We all went to other churches before coming to Vista. We are at Vista because we (most) of us had some kind of issue w/ our former church. If my assumption is correct then are we simply trying to find more “formers”? Expansion would be more appealing to me if we were looking for the unsaved not just a network of churches made up of believers from other congregations.
After hearing all the options, I am very much up for a second service or site. Not a huge fan of the plant idea. I think that Vista is too young to be doing a church plant somewhere, plus, I don’t forsee us having enough people to go plant a church. I think down the road – yes, plant for sure. But for now – stick with the second site or service option. It would be great to broaden out like that. Just not sure how a second site would work, but I know God would get us there!
After a few months at Vista it has become clear to me that the church values running a lean(few programs) organization that is flexible/mobile along with the capacity for spontaneity through debt-free operations. It would seem to me that these values are reproducible best in the 2nd site concept. I will be praying that God raises up the people with the vision and call to follow His heart so that more people can be equipped at Vista for a life of service in the Kingdom.
With the idea of moving to second site or planting a church; this is exactly what the DNA of Vista stands for. This is an exciting time to move and see what God is going to do with us. Let’s not put limits on what God is going to do. We need to go where the people are. Going to a second service would be OK for a short term goal however, I agree; we don’t want the burden to continue to fall on those that are already servicing but to have new people step up and service. Servicing is a great way to get connected and a benefit that we all receive from.
The idea of developing a church network that spans across several different regions is a powerful and exciting one! It would be like nothing this city has ever seen. I often think about how many different churches we have in Columbus… and how separated they are for the most part. The thought that you could invite people to be a part of the body of Christ through Vista w/out the boundaries we have today… AWESOME!
I know there will be challenges, frustrations and probably even some failures along the way but it’s all good… a Spirit filled work will come to fruition precisely how God intends it to. That might be the most exciting thing to me… to see the Holy Spirit lead the people of Vista in building something amazing – and having the privilege of seeing God draw more and more people to Himself in the name of Jesus! WOW! Man… I’m getting all amped up and I haven’t even had my coffee yet!
So exciting that this is the challenge that we are facing. More people are wanting to hear the Good News! I definitely would like to be able to hear the sermon as well as just be in community the weekend that we serve. So, in that way, a second service would be great. But, I don’t think that is really the most important factor that we need to consider. I think that we need to be broadening our reach of Vista – Jesus, really. Having a church that is in a different community would draw from a different population and type of people. I am also curious about details…how would this play out? We need to make sure that we don’t end up with the same servants doing double duty – we need a group of people to rise up and take ownership, being willing to go.
Mike,
I think the shared resource and centralized model works well. The second sight also allows the opportunity to reach more people.
A couple of resources to look at as examples of models that are interesting to compare/contrast.
http://www.lifechurch.tv – I really enjoyed this model when I was traveling a lot for work. I could reach out to people electronically almost anywhere I was.
http://www.fellowshipchurch.com – This model mixes both options in the city of Dallas.
Might make sense to investigate the live service option at 2 locations with one being delivered via simulcast. This solves the dilemma of speaker(s) on Sunday morning. Fellowship Church does this in Grapevine, Plano, and Miami FL with operational resources at each location but the live speaking is done at the Grapevine location.
No doubt whatever direction is chosen will be challenging and fun!!
My first thought is I really like the concept! My second thought is how does it work? Not sure what you mean by Site or Lead pastor? Would Mike give the sermon at both locations? One church office for both? Basically I am curious about the details and the mechanics of how it would work?
I would love to see a second service so when I teach during the service, I can at least go to the other. That to me is the hardest thing with helping out on Sundays. It’s great to help, but I miss being there for the service for my own growth.
I love everything about it!