As an advocate of both church planting and starting new campuses as a way to bring faith, love, and hope to others, I have been in a conversation many times over the years about the advantages of the two.
Here are some distinctions for a campus vs. a church plant as I have seen:
- A campus embraces the core convictions of the main campus.
- A campus embraces the core values of the main campus.
- The elders of the main campus oversee and invest in the campus pastor. (This includes budget approval and financial oversight).
- Strategic decision-making made in conjunction with the executive pastors and/or lead pastor of the main campus which includes selection of campus pastor and all paid staff).
- Leadership development includes going through the same process as the main campus.
- The campus pastor teams with the rest of the paid staff for training, idea sharing, and mutual encouragement.
- The campus pastor is involved in regular meetings and communication with executive pastors and/or lead pastor of the main campus.
- The campus joins the other campuses for message series (exceptions can be made).
In essence, the campus pastor can focus on building relationships, communicating, and counseling (the people aspects) rather than the administrative arenas.
What are some other advantages and disadvantages of each that you’ve experienced?