Monthly Letter - October 2011

Why multi-site? Because lost people matter to God.

I was asked by someone if my heart went to Canton or Millersburg because of our multi-site campuses, and I said no. My heart was never in Dover or New Phila. My heart has always been for God and people. If that wasn’t the case, NewPointe would have never relocated from Sugarcreek to St. Rt. 39. The reason we are a multi-site is the same reason we relocated. Lost people matter to God, so they better matter to us.

There are two questions that God is going to ask you when you die. First, what did you do with my son Jesus Christ? Second, what did you do to spread the Good News? One of the ways that you know that you truly know God is that you have a desire to see other people come to know Christ.

A multi-site church means we are one church with multiple locations. Each of these locations is called a campus. The benefit of being a multi-site church is that we can reach more communities without having to reproduce the entire church. We feel this is the most efficient and cost effective way to accomplish our mission of leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

As part of our multi-site strategy, our goal is to provide a consistent Sunday morning experience regardless of which campus you attend. Utilizing high-quality video allows us to deliver the same message to each campus. The ultimate goal being effective teaching that leads people into a growing relationship with Jesus. All other components of the Sunday service are live using our local ministry staff.

Why multi-site?

• The multi-site strategy is less about growing a church and more about reaching a community.
• A multi-site campus means a new congregation in a new location; it reaches new people and communities faster and more effective.
• Multi-sites take the church to the people, rather than forcing them to drive long distances to a church.
• A multi-site church puts the “local” back in the local church; it gives more people an opportunity to use their gifts and talents.
• A multi-site creates more seats at optimal inviting hours at less cost; it allows more people to come at the time they want.
• Multi-sites reduce the dependence on a single leader – it is a team effort.
• Multi-sites are a practical way to fulfill the Great Commission. Jesus said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent” (Luke 4:43 NIV).
• The life principle for all living things is found in Genesis 1:18—be blessed, be fruitful, and multiply. That’s God’s desire for every church.
• God always looks for new ways to fulfill His purposes.

I Chronicles 12:32 tells us, “. . . and of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do . . .”

I am thankful to work with leaders who understand the times we are living in and know what is best to reach people for God.

Monthly Letter – September 2011

God is not boring, so church shouldn’t be either. We are advertising this in a variety of ways in Stark County and letting people know this incredible truth. 

But, you know as well I do that the best advertisement is word-of-mouth.This is where I need everyone at NewPointe to help leverage this great opportunity. Folks are getting back into a routine with school starting, and this gives us a great opportunity to invite people to a weekend service at one of our campuses. Do you realize that 3 out of 4 people say that they would go to church if someone would invite them? 

At NewPointe, part of our strategy in helping you reaching your family and friends for Christ is called invest & invite. We believe the saying ‘people don’t care what you know, until they know how much you care.’ We realize that most people believe in God, but they just don’t have much faith in the Church. So, to get them to visit a weekend service, they need to know that you care about them and that you are trustworthy.

And, we realize that it takes teamwork to reach people, so here is what we are doing. We are launching a new series on September 18 called Dealing with Difficult People. We all have a few of them in our lives, right? Well, so do our families and friends. NewPointe is committed to creating engaging and enlightening environments at our weekend services, so that your family and friends can have a God-encounter in a safe place.

But, we need you to be more intentional with your family and friends than you have ever been. Begin right now to invest in those around you by praying that God will prepare their hearts and by investing in them in a personal way. Who knows, maybe it is a family member or a friend who is a difficult person for you – this just might be the opportunity to change all of those dynamics for the good!

Don’t miss this opportunity. And remember, you and I are the best advertisement for Christ.