Keystone is a reproducing church, with locations currently in Forest Hills and East Grand Rapids. 67% of our neighbors (right here in Grand Rapids) do not have a relationship with Christ. We believe God desires us, as His church, to reach more people through starting more churches. We attempt to fulfill this challenge by reproducing Keystone locations in neighborhoods around Kent County. Places where friends exploring the Christian faith will:

• Feel welcome,
• Become connected in community with friends who really care,
• Where people can get involved at a pace that suits their lifestyle and interests, and
• Experience positive life change

These new churches will:

• Build on our philosophies, atmosphere, style and mission
• Share our weekly teachings, music, materials, kids programs, etc and
• Be located in well-developed communities, that don't have a church like Keystone

To bring this vision to life, we'll help our new churches every step of the way, making the most of our years of learning. We don't anticipate having to add many new staff because we will tap existing Keystone friends for leadership roles in these new churches. Of course, we'll help our new leaders prepare for this important next step in their own leadership path.

One of the more appealing aspects of the multi-site approach is that it is significantly less time-consuming and less-expensive than starting from scratch or erecting new buildings at our Spaulding site. Our new churches would typically open in an existing space in convenient locations (much like Keystone's early venues), thereby avoiding the considerable expense of purchasing land, hiring architects, construction, etc.

As noted above, the new churches would primarily be led by existing Keystone leaders who are fully versed in our special approach and mission, so we do not anticipate major increases in paid staff or significant departures from Keystone's mission, approach and style.

Taking full advantage of modern technology, our new churches would use Keystone's weekly messages, dramas, music and materials, again saving considerable costs.

Implementing this plan, we expect to have a family of 3-8 Keystone churches within the next five years.

Each will be closely knit by their mission, values and beliefs, and all should be financially self-sufficient, thanks to prudent sharing of resources, which not only keeps costs down but also helps to lift the quality of the Keystone experience. Over time, we're especially excited about the potential for a free flow of ideas across our network of churches, making each strong alone and all of us better together. In sum, we are confident we can expand the overall Keystone community and create more and more life change... by staying small, accessible and relevant on a more local level.

Here's a short summary of the benefits you can expect from our reproducing approach:

• for many of you, there will be a Keystone church closer to your home or office
• we'll stay small, so you feel connected and can get involved in our caring community
• we'll be part of a more dynamic family of churches that make each other better new
• visitors will feel welcomed, no matter which Keystone church they first visit
• there will be new opportunities at Keystone for you to take on leadership roles
• there will be more opportunities for you to invite your friends into a community that encourages next steps in a relationship with Christ ...
• and all of this will help us bring about greater life change!