There are a lot of very interesting facets to launching a new campus, but there's one that's common to every church planting situation and it has been part of my week too.
When everything was about done following the launch of our Mastic campus last Sunday, I asked the leader of our Welcome Team for the total headcount. As I've mentioned before, my initial goal had been 100, so I was thrilled to know we had actually passed 200.
Given about 60 seconds to let that news sink in and to enjoy it, I then moved on to the next stage, wondering how many of them will return this coming Sunday. Who will come back? Will anyone? So this week's uncertainty is about as real as last week's.
We had friends with us for the launch who had come to wish us well and will not be part of that campus in an ongoing capacity. Plus of course there were inevitably some people who checked us out and decided we are so non-traditional, our salvation is probably in serious doubt. They won't be back either.
But then, to balance that, we have been getting feedback from excited first-timers, all of whom have friends and family and who will have been spreading the word this week.
Some won't be there, others will.
So will the attendance take a dramatic drop, hold its own or even build?
I have no idea, which is another reason I'm looking forward to Sunday.
