TENSION 4 - PORTABLE VS. PERMANENT

We want to launch a campus in that community but we don't have the resource to build a permanent facility in the short-term. We're not sure if portable church will work or be sustainable.

My preference when expanding is to launch a campus portable with a plan to transition to permanent by year three. The hard work of portable church produces a special kind of grit culture that just can't be replicated otherwise and can last for years even after going permanent.

• I've found that there is a predictable lifecycle to the momentum of a campus. Under good leadership, a portable campus can keep growing for as many as 5 to 7 years, but without starting a new lifecycle by graduating to either a permanent facility or a dramatically upgraded new portable setup and maybe even a new location, there will be a 'death' that happens in the form of plateau and decline.

• This isn’t a rule but an observation. Don’t use it as an excuse to build a building without doing the hard work of defining and strengthening your culture first, systems second, then planning to take that to a new building.

What to look for when choosing portable venues (in order of importance):