Contact: Dr. Warren Bird, Research Director, Leadership Network, 845-368-4379, research@leadnet.org

DALLAS, Feb. 6, 2018 /Christian Newswire/ -- The next generation of church pastors is aiming to grow via outreach by multiplying sites and congregations. This is just one of the findings of a new report from Leadership Network, the premiere think tank and networking organization for North America's most innovative churches. While some church commentators seem to be obsessed with a narrative of decline among churches, this report highlights the renewal coming among younger generations of leaders.

Among the findings:

• 83% of the pastors under age 40 have a vision to plant or launch a new campus or church.
   
• Church Planters/Starters and Campus Pastors in their first five years at a church are 2.3 times more likely to have a vision to plant a church as compared to those in the same church for more than 10 years.
   
• Multisite churches rate themselves 82% likely to launch another church/campus than those that have never done so.
   
• Half of new congregations are in portable environments such as schools, theaters or other borrowed spaces.
   
• Those in portable environments grow 12% faster on an annual basis.
   
• A multisite campus is 2.5 times more likely to have trained future campus pastor or church planter.

These findings, and others embedded in the report, illustrate the various ways churches are envisioning, planning and multiplying leaders and congregations throughout North America. Other parts of the report focus on the dramatic increases in church starting and the explosion of multisite churches. The full report can be downloaded for FREE at leadnet.org/portable.

The report is the second in a series based on research conducted by Dr. Warren Bird with 1,621 churches and multisite churches in 2017. "This new report shows how younger churches and their leaders are remapping the views of future church leaders. It speaks of the great hope we have at Leadership Network for the church of the future" says Dave Travis, CEO of Leadership Network. Mr. Travis is the co-author of the report with Dr. Bird, longtime research director of Leadership Network.

The survey and writing were conducted independently but the report's distribution is sponsored by Portable Church, Inc. The company gave no direction in the findings but represents one of the many specialty companies and organizations that have grown over the last two decades and are helping make it easier for churches to start new congregations and multiply into new sites. For more information see portablechurch.com.

Leadership Network is an independent, not-for-profit organization based in Dallas, Texas. Founded in 1984, its focus on church innovation has spawned a dozen movements helping churches be more effective. For more information see www.leadnet.org.