Backstage Pastors Episode 15: What the Latest Research Reveals About Large & Multi-Site Churches w/ Warren Bird

Dr. Warren Bird joins Phil Taylor and Tyler Drebits to discuss decades of research into the trends shaping churches in America. Warren shares his journey from pastor and church planter to researcher and author, including the unexpected opportunities that led to a writing career spanning 35 books.

The conversation focuses on Warren’s latest research into multisite churches and large churches. He shares findings about the continued growth of multisite, the increasing importance of small groups, post-pandemic attendance and spiritual vitality, and the challenges churches face around campus leadership, video teaching, succession, and organizational structure.

Warren also takes listeners behind the scenes of large-scale church research, explaining how his team identifies churches, builds reliable databases, gathers responses, and works to communicate findings responsibly.

Finally, Warren discusses his newest book, Becoming a Future-Ready Church, and the need for churches to prepare for future generations by adapting their methods without changing the gospel. He also shares areas he hopes to research next, including multisite leadership, family succession, and ministry residencies.

Mentioned Resources

🗣️Follow Dr. Bird

💻Dr. Warren Bird’s Website

💻Latest Research on Multi-Site Churches

💻ECFA Website

📕Dr. Bird’s Latest Book – Becoming a Future-Ready Church

From Our Partners

💻 ⁠The Church Hub⁠: The Church Hub serves pastors, ministry leaders, and their spouses through equipping and training resources.

Connect with Phil Taylor

✉️ ⁠Get Phil’s Newsletter

✉️ ⁠phil@backstagepastors.org⁠⁠

🗣️ ⁠⁠@philtaylorxp⁠⁠

📚 ⁠Books by Phil⁠

💻⁠ backstagepastors.org⁠

💻 ⁠plainjoestudios.com⁠

Connect with Tyler Drewitz

✉️ ⁠⁠tyler@myxp.church⁠⁠

🗣️ ⁠⁠@tylerdrewitz⁠⁠

💻 ⁠myxp.church⁠

💻⁠ ridgelineprinting.com⁠

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CHAPTERS

[02:59] – Warren’s Journey from Pastor to Researcher

[05:42] – The Latest Multisite Church Research

[08:20] – The Resurgence of Large Churches

[12:49] – Churches Get Bigger by Getting Smaller

[17:00] – Are Churches Moving Away from Multisite?

[20:15] – Live Teaching, Video Teaching, and Campus Leadership

[26:15] – Succession and the Future of Multisite Churches

[32:43] – Behind the Scenes of Church Research

[41:04] – Becoming a Future-Ready Church and What Warren Is Studying Next

Editing and Support by The Good Podcast Co.
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