385,000 down to 10: T and T’s Top 10 list!
Recently Ben Boles from FusionLife.org asked us if we would collaborate and come up with a list of our Top 10 Innovative Churches in America. There are many inherent issues with this challenge. For one, innovation is subjective and really lies in the eyes of the beholder. Secondly, we cannot say that the list will be completely fair due to the fact that neither one of us has personally seen nor reviewed all 385,000 some odd churches.
With that in mind, here is the baseline for how the list was generated. We decided to define church innovation like this:
"Church innovation" is the introduction of new, fresh, and creative ideas and practices which are intended to be used for reaching people for Christ. The main driver for innovation is often the courage and energy to better the world through the local church. An essential element for church innovation is that its application generates results by helping people meet Jesus and become fully-devoted followers of Christ. Another measure of this is considering: Who is leading whom? In other words, what churches are becoming the benchmark for innovative ministry strategies and helping to resource other churches?
It’s unscientific. It’s just our opinion. But that’s what Ben wanted. So here is Terry and Tony’s Top 10 Innovative Churches:
10) Seacoast Church
9) Willow Creek Community Church
8) New Spring Community Church
7) National Community Church
6) Buckhead Church
5) Mosaic
4) Bay Area Fellowship
3) Journey Church
2) Daybreak
1) Life Church
00) Fellowship Church & Granger Community Church
(You didn’t think we would leave our churches off the list did you?)
Here are a few more details about our Top 10 churches:
Seacoast Church (seacoastchurch.org) – The church has nine locations throughout South Carolina. Led by Senior Pastor Greg Surratt, Seacoast Church started in 1988 in Mt. Pleasant, SC.
Willow Creek Community Church (willowcreek.org) – The main campus is located in South Barrington, IL with three additional locations in the Chicago metro area. Willow, which started in 1975, is led by Senior Pastor Bill Hybels.
New Spring Community Church (newspring.cc) – Located in Anderson, SC, Senior Pastor Perry Noble leads this innovative church. New Spring Community Church started in 1999.
National Community Church (theaterchurch.com) – The church launched in 1996 and now meets in two locations in Washington, DC. National’s senior pastor is Mark Batterson.
Buckhead Church (buckheadchurch.org) – Located in Atlanta, GA, this is a satellite campus of North Point Community Church led by Senior Pastor Andy Stanley. Buckhead started in 2001.
Mosaic (mosaic.org) – Mosaic meets in five different locations throughout the Los Angeles, CA area including their location in downtown L.A. at Club Mayan. Erwin McManus is the lead pastor.
Bay Area Fellowship (bayareafellowship.com) – Located in Corpus Christi, TX, Senior Pastor Bill Cornelius leads this innovative church. Bay Area Fellowship started in 1997.
Journey Church (journeychurch.cc) – The church is led by Senior Pastor Clark Mitchell. Journey Church started in 2001, and it’s located in Norman, OK.
Daybreak (daybreak.tv) – Located in Hudsonville, MI, Senior Pastor Wes Dupin leads this innovative church. Daybreak started in 1989.
Life Church (lifechurch.tv) – The church currently has five locations in Oklahoma and soon will be opening two new sites in Phoenix, AZ. Craig Groeschel is the church’s senior pastor. Life Church started in 1996 in Oklahoma City, OK.
Granger Community Church (gccwired.com) – The church is located in Granger, IN near South Bend. Granger’s senior pastor is Mark Beeson. Mark started the church in 1986.
Fellowship Church (fellowshipchurch.com) – Located throughout the heart of the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex, Ed Young leads this innovative church and its four locations. Fellowship Church started in 1990 in Irving, TX.
Again, this was an unscientific list that was heavily influenced by our personal opinions. However, we can say that we did have a great time coming up with the list, and really look forward to the comments this will generate. So let’s hear your comments. Give us your lists. We’ll also let you tell us where you think our churches fit in the "true 12"…if you agree that they belong there. Have fun!
Just thought I would post here since it looks like everyone else is posting at Terry’s. First, you get my church name wrong, then I haven’t been named cool church of the week, now I have been left off the top 10 list. I am boycotting this blog. :)
Any chance you could share with us what it was about each of these churches that led to their inclusion? What example of innovation could you give us for each of them?
Just curious…
Thanks for having the guts to make some hard calls & to put the list out there! :)
One comment, one question –
I find it interesting that none of the churches named have denominational labels. Not a Baptist, Presbyterian, Assembly of God, Methodist or Lutheran in the bunch. I’m confident that the lack of labeling doesn’t necessarily impact whether or not these churches are affiliated with some group, only that they don’t publically identify themselves as such. That fact probably says as much about the mainline denominations as it does the individual churches.
Now for my question. . . is innovation alone a criteria? That is, is it only that the church is doing something cool and different? Or is there any sort of doctrinal test you had in mind? Was orthodoxy or some other doctrinal slant given thought? The root reason for asking is that all innovation, in an of itself, isn’t necessarily good. For example, the porn industry is doing some really cool things with the Internet. But we’re still talking about the porn industry, which has no redeeming qualities. I’d say the same holds true for churches. Innovative churches may be admirable, but if they are doctrinally corrupt, they have no redeeming quality. Please notice that I’m not accusing any of the churches listed of heresy (I’ve only heard of a couple of them, so I have no basis for such accusations), I’m only asking if that aspect of religious life was considered in the choosing.
Matthew, we were only asked to consider “innovation.” That was really the only criteria Terry and I addressed for this little exercise. As we suggested above, we were trying to find churches that are practicing innovation to reach people for Jesus. And, obviously, if Terry or I had any question about the doctrine of any of these churches, we wouldn’t be encouraging other leaders to check them out.
Tony
This feels like high school when all the girls used to make top-ten lists of the good looking guys, and I was never on it…
Just kidding =) I’m a big fan of National Community. Great to see they get the respect of others too…
Fellowship Church is #1 then lifechurch.tv comes in #2
GCC… well its up there somewhere. Good list!
I’m a little surprised that Willow Creek would make the top 10 cut, but not Saddleback?! If anything, Saddleback is surely getting way more national spotlight and attention..
DJ, don’t get too hung up on Saddleback not being on this list. As I was in dialogue with Terry about what churches to include, I was most interested in how churches are designing innovative experiences for their weekend services. As I mentioned on Terry’s site, that’s the area of ministry that really gets me juiced. I love seeing churches do all they can to attract a crowd on the weekends to tell people about Jesus.
Saddleback certainly is one of the top two or three most influential churches in the country if not the world. Rick Warren’s writing and teaching have been very impactful in my ministry leadership. When I think of innovative weekend experiences, however, Saddleback doesn’t rise to the top of my list right now. If we were putting together a list of churches that are having the greatest impact on people globally, though, Saddleback would certainly be at the top of the list.
Without a doubt, they’re one of the churches I monitor on a regular basis for new learnings…but then again, doesn’t everybody? :-)
Tony
Folks, there was a comment left on this topic (it’s been deleted) that included an inappropriate, personal attack. That won’t fly on my site–especially when the attack is pointed to one of my friends. If you want to be a part of the conversation here, learn how to process conflict appropriately. If your intent is just to spew venom, do that someplace else. Better yet, display some maturity and deal with the conflict like Jesus taught us to in Matthew 18.
Tony
How are these churches selected? What is innovative about them? It seems many are multi-site (as you cite) is this a leading factor?
I attended Mars Hill Church in Seattle. They are doing some innovative stuff.
where are the black churches in this list – are your reader to assume that creativity are race define? just wondering aloud!
thanks for the work,
blessings to you all.
To me that seems like an odd reaction to this post.
At any rate, thanks for celebrating innovation in the local church.
just because a church is in the spotlight doesn’t mean they are innovative (in reference to the comment about saddleback).
that’s just my opinion.
I am surprised the Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, MI (Grand Rapids) hasn’t made the list. Their quantifiable missional goals to change Grand Rapids and how they are going about it I find fit your “innovation” definition precisely.