TENSION 3 - UNIQUE VS UNIFIED

We want to have a unified culture/brand/product but we want to maintain it across unique campuses in unique communities led by unique leaders.

The "Franchise" Model

This is what most church think they do or want to do … until they start doing it.

You can only be a true "franchise" model (i.e. offering the exact same experience or product at every location) if you're willing to commit equal resources (equal budget, equal staffing, identical buildings and programs, etc).

And even then, your experience at two different Chick-Fil-A's will still vary depending on where they are and who runs them. I know exactly which ones in my town to avoid because their fries are soggy and their staff don't say "my pleasure." 

Some churches have the foresight and the capital to build all their campuses according to the same blueprint. Most don’t, and that’s perfectly fine.

The "franchise" model shouldn’t be the goal for most churches. Churches are not commodities or consumer products. They are living, breathing communities.

Think of locations like your children. There will be genetics, values, experiences, and resources that are the same for all of them. But they will take on different personalities and walk different paths. That's a beautiful thing that can result in (rather than limit) growth when embraced.