I have been collaborating a lot with other youth pastors that are doing multisite longer than me. I came across this info from Kurt from Saddleback on the "red light, yellow light and green light" decision making process.

I adapted it to how we will make decisions across campuses for student ministry.

“Red” Light: Stop: do not proceed on your own...

Red light items are the non-negotiable parts of our ministry that need to be uniform from campus to campus. Red light items might have some room for contextualization, but not much.
-Church @ The Springs vision and strategy which is the model for our whole church.
-Our teaching/curriculum: We use the same series across campuses to unify what is being taught to students. This ensures quality, consistency and unity on what our students learn.
-Our Application, interview, background check process for leaders/volunteers.
-Our Purpose Statement and Values
-Our Ministry Names and Logos
- Flyers, promotional materials, etc. As long as they use our logos when applicable, there is freedom in the design.
-Big Events such as Abandon, Decrease, Camps, Mission Trips.

“Yellow” Light: Proceed with caution...

YELLOW LIGHT ITEMS are the aspects of our ministry, that need to be similar to Church @ The Springs Baseline campus, but do have room for customization. While our programs should feel the same, the way they are executed has flexibility.

Some examples of YELLOW LIGHT items are:

-Our curriculum. While the style, “feel” and content is a red light issue, you have freedom to contextualize it to your setting.
-While we offer curriculum you might supplement your own curriculum with our approval.

GREEN LIGHT: Go for it! Do it however you want...

Green light decisions are what each campus leader has complete control over. The truth is, you have complete control over a whole bunch of stuff! Of course, “complete control” also assumes that nothing you do would conflict with or undermine a RED or YELLOW light area.

Some examples of GREEN LIGHT items are:

-Campus specific events (movie days, special events, service projects, etc.)
-How you show leader appreciation (Encourage your leaders! Love them! Minister to them!)

*NOTE: The Red, Yellow, Green light items will morph from time to time. We will work together to make sure there is clarity. A good rule of thumb is: “When in doubt, ask”!

I hope this helps others that are learning to lead multisite ministries!

Share your ideas below in the comments!