I am currently at a conference on Multi-Site churches. It is about extending the church. I am all in favor extending ourselves. That is what we do when we do outreach. We extend ourselves beyond our measure of ease and comfortable relationship. When we start a new ministry it is an extension of the existing church and its ministries. Mult-Site ministry is an extension or enlargement of what we are doing to a new community, empowering new leaders, using new methods in a new facility. This has a two-fold effect. It helps us get out of thinking that the way we minister is the only or best way to do it. I am thinking that this multi-venue, expanded ministry gives us a little broader vision than that. The second effect is to allow people who might not be able to (physical distance, culture, ethos, worship style or other distance issues) really connect with a local church to still connect in a meaningful way. That makes us expand our contact and culture. It also stretches us to reach farther than we are usually accustomed to.
My hope is that Free Methodists learn to stretch, extend our ministry and reach in bigger ways. We should be doing that as individuals on a daily basis. Blessings on your stretch.