As the church enters a new season of ministry in 2026, this episode of Leaders in Living Rooms invites leaders to re-examine what they think they know about multisite ministry. Sean Morgan is joined by Warren Bird and Jim Tomberlin to explore how the multisite movement has quietly shifted from simple replication into a multiplying, movement-driven model focused on discipleship, innovation, and the Great Commission. Together, they unpack common critiques of multisite churches, highlight emerging “pacesetter” churches shaping the future, and preview an ambitious national research project designed to equip churches navigating growth, complexity, and mission at scale.

Welcome to Episode 150 of the Leaders in Living Rooms Podcast with Sean Morgan.

EPISODE LINKS

WarrenBird.com

Jim Tomberlin

The Multi-site Church Revolution, by Geoff Surratt, Greg Ligon, Warren Bird

10 of Today's Most Innovative Churches, by Elmer L. Towns 

How to Break Growth Barriers, by Carl F George, Warren Bird

125 Tips for MultiSite Churches, by Jim Tomberlin

Better Together: Making Church Mergers Work, by Jim Tomberlin and Warren Bird

sean@theascentleader.org

theascentleader.org

If you’re a leader approaching a succession or transition, or maybe you’re a few years in and beginning to see how complex transitions leadership is… go to The Art of Pastoral Succession and check out my course in partnership with Carey Nieuwhof. 

Are you in Transition or have one on the horizon? Check out our cohorts and get connected with us at: https://theascentleader.org/cohorts/ 

WHO IS WARREN BIRD?

Warren Bird, Ph.D. Dr. Warren Bird is one of America's leading researchers and writers on areas related to healthy, growing churches. He is the author or co-author of several dozen major research projects and also 35 books for church leaders including Better Together, coauthored with Jim Tomberlin on healthy mergers; Hero Maker coauthored with Dave Ferguson on leadership development; and his latest book, Becoming a Future-Ready Church, coauthored with Daniel Yang and Adelle Banks, on church trends. He has previously served as church planter and church staff member, seminary professor, senior VP of research for ECFA and a similar role before that with Leadership Network. He is now a full-time church researcher and writer, with his major research project for 2026 in partnership with The Ascent Leader.

WHO IS JIM TOMBERLIN?

Over four decades of diverse ministry, Jim has pastored a church in Germany, grown a megachurch in Colorado, pioneered the multisite strategy for Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago and served as the Chief of Staff at Christ Fellowship in Miami. In 2005, Jim founded MultiSite Solutions, a church consulting company that has assisted hundreds of churches in multiplying their impact through intensive multisite, church merger and succession consultation. From 2019-2024, Jim partnered with Tony Morgan and The Unstuck Group to expand their capacity to assist more churches. As the @MultiSiteGuy, Jim continues to track multisite developments and has become the nationally recognized expert on multisite church. In addition, he has become the @MergerGuru, having co-authored the leading book on church mergers and assisting numerous churches through the church merger process. Jim is the author of 125 Tips for MultiSite Churches, Better Together: Making Church Mergers Work—Expanded and Updated and Church Locality: New Rules for Church Buildings in a Multisite, Church Planting, and Giga-Church World. Jim resides in Colorado Springs, CO and holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Georgia State University in Atlanta and a Masters of Theology (Th.M) from Dallas Theological Seminary. Jim and his wife, Deryl, have three grown children and eleven grandchildren.

SPONSORS & PARTNERS

Thanks to our sponsor, MOHI: Partnership with MOHI is built on long-term, meaningful relationships. Your church will serve a specific community, its local leaders, and its families. It’s a shared journey marked by prayer, presence, and ongoing connection rather than one-time projects. Many of our partner churches have been walking with the same community for years, even a decade or more, building stability, fostering trust and creating lasting impact.

Learn more at mohiafrica.org/partner