Connecting Campuses

One of the challenges that I am seeing with the satellite campus (no matter what it looks like) is finding ways to create connection between a satellite campus and the main campus. If we don't, we may as well be doing this as a chuch plant with a short-term connection untill the plant is capable of being its own, self-sustaining church.

I think there are ways that a main campus/daughter campus partnership would be beneficial to the mission of Hanfield. It would allow us to have a presence in a location and with a specific part of the population that we do not currently have. It could also help the main campus (in the country) stay connected with some of the needs of people in Marion better. The satellite could potentially serve as a ministry outpost for the main campus in Marion as well.

I'm also wondering if we might be able to serve one another by sharing some resources. I am expecting to start with just a single service at the satellite. Who does nursery during that time? If it is someone from the satellite, they then miss out on the service. If they always attend the service, where are they serving the body? Using the nursery example, what if people from the satellite took turns helping in the nursery at Hanfield during an earlier hour and people from Hanfield helped in the nursery at the satellite? What other resources could we share in an attempt to stay closely connected to the main campus?

In terms of relationship, what about using people from each campus to give testimonies at the other campus? What about developing additional teachers and allowing them to periodically (maybe on 5th Sundays) teach at the other campus? What about using people from the main campus to partner with small groups from the satellite who are older and can share their wisdom experience with younger believers?

Other ways we could partner in more obvious ways are combined VBS programming (as much as I hate the word "programming") and other outreach events, combined teams for missions trips and enlisting skilled people from each campus when a specific ministry need arises that matches their gifting. I'm sure there are many more, but that at least gets the ball rolling.