Rich Birch is a trailblazer in the multi-site church movement across North America. He was instrumental in The Meeting House’s growth to become Canada’s largest multi-site church, with over 5,000 attendees across 20+ locations. Rich also played a key role in the leadership of Connexus Community Church, a North Point Community Church Strategic Partner, and served as Operations Pastor at Liquid Church, one of the fastest-growing churches in the Manhattan-facing suburbs of New Jersey.

Rich’s mission is clear: to help 100 churches grow by 1,000 people each by transforming their invite cultures. As the voice behind unSeminary.com, he shares valuable insights through his blog and podcast, equipping thousands of church leaders with practical growth strategies.

His book, “Church Growth Flywheel: 5 Practical Systems to Drive Growth at Your Church,” has empowered over 10,000 church leaders to reach more people in their communities. This highly successful resource laid the groundwork for the Church Growth Flywheel Masterclass, a step-by-step system designed to help churches expand their reach.

Rich’s latest book, “Unlocking Your Church’s Invite Culture: Strategies for Church Growth That Work Today,” continues to deliver actionable strategies for developing a thriving invite culture. He also leads the Church Growth Incubator, a dynamic coaching community where churches learn directly from the fastest-growing congregations and apply those insights for breakthrough growth.

Rich lives in Ontario with his wife, Christine, and their young adult children, Haley and Hunter. When he’s not coaching churches, he’s trying (and often failing) to keep their dog, Rory, off the furniture!

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What Other Leaders Are Saying About Rich …

“ . . . ‘get-it’ factor on the kind of church we’re trying to become . . . has customized his approach to be tailor-made to our setting. We’re so grateful for his investment in helping us expand our Kingdom-building capacity.”   – Jeff Lockyer, Lead Pastor, Southridge Community Church

“ . . . I LOVE Rich’s experience-driven insight and people-focused approach . . . couldn’t be a better fit for us as we seek advice and feedback in accomplishing what we feel God is putting before us.”    – Mike Leahy, Executive Director, Liquid Church

“… you have helped me bridge the gap between careful, strategic, logistical leadership and passionate love for Jesus and the people His forming.”    -Greg Hill, Executive Pastor, Living Faith Church

“Rich Birch has added so much value through his messages to and interactions with our students. His practical insights are super helpful for church leaders of any level!” – Andy Dykhouse, Nebraska Christian College

“We love Rich Birch! Rich recently spent a weekend with our team at Grace Central Coach where he provided invaluable coaching for our outreach strategy through the use of intentional outreach “Big Days.” He not only brought compelling research, but fantastic ideas that fit in our unique ministry context. Our team was challenged and we are taking practical next steps in our vision to share the Gospel with the Central Coast of California and the next generation, thanks to Rich. We can’t wait to have him out to Grace Central Coast again.” –  Tim Theule, Senior Pastor, Grace Central Coast

“Super practical, super helpful…it actually IS stuff I wished they would have taught in seminary.” – David Rice, Pastor

“The resources offered are very practical, applicable, relevant and innovative!” – Neal Mathers, Pastor

“You are always introducing ideas and topics that are practical and timely. I always learn something and enjoy “meeting” all the people you bring to the podcast.” – Lisa Gaugler, Captial Area Church

“I sometimes wish I had gone to “unSeminary” rather than “Seminary”!” – Terry Embke, Pastor

“Invaluable stuff if you are serious about growing your church. The resources are real world practical.” – Josh Schoon, Pastor

“I love unSeminary. The practical resources of ministry available here are essential to any church with the mission of making devoted Christ followers. From first time guests to discipleship to leadership and more, it’s all here and so helpful!” – Angie Hochstedler, Pastor

“A quick and easy way to glean some fresh perspectives on cutting edge ministry.” – George Cladis, Pastor

“unSeminary provides practical insights and resources for “doing church” with excellence and impact.” – Leann Carrick, First Baptist Olathe

“I love the friction that you bring to my mind and spirit with healthy, authentic conversations that challenge me. Also, the practical aspects of what/how other churches do their thing.” – Stefan Hall, Pastor

“We are constantly searching for great examples of real-world-in-the-trenches-practitioners from church-world to put in front of our students, as well as pastors in our region. Rich never disappoints. His heart for the Church, and his heart to raise the next generation of those who are going to serve her is contagious. ” – Dave Miller, Nebraska Christian College

“Rich helped our leadership team move from “an idea and a passion” to “a vision and a strategy”. His enthusiasm for the mission of the church is infectious. I appreciated his practical wisdom and insight from his own experience which helped us understand both our challenges and our potential. His approach brought clarification to our calling as a church and allowed our whole team to “buy in” to how we are going to pursue it.” – Andrew Gordon, Lead Pastor, Compass Community Church

“It was wonderful to have Rich speak at EvFree Fullerton. One 78 year old man was deeply touched by how Rich laid out the life stages that a church can go through. That man wants to keep our church fresh and alive for years to come.” – David Fletcher, Executive Pastor, EvFree Fullerton

“I pastor a church in Hawaii for the past 16 years and wish I had your resource back then. It would have saved me a lot of mistakes! Your equipping resources are some of the best I’ve found! You’re a great communicator!” – Dave Barr, New Hope Church

“Rich led us recently at a fall staff-day launch. I loved how one of our staff described him – ‘That guy is disarrogant and unpresumptive!’ Rich’s creative, engaging and insightful teaching, including some really oddball statistics (including stuff about driving cars!) helped us think through cultural trends that are impacting the Church.” – Terry Smith, Executive Director, Canadian Baptist Ministries

“We recently had Rich help us think about our ministry and multi-site model. Rich attended our campuses and hung out with our staff. This was one of the most beneficial things that we have done for the ministries of our church. Rich provided an invaluable outside perspective on what we are doing right and what we need to improve on. It seems like there are no ministry topics or problems in ministry that Rich doesn’t have wise, creative solutions for.” – Bobby Herrington,  Lead Pastor of Ministry Operations, Mercy Hill Church

“Rich was an immediate asset to our church when we were transitioning to a multi-site model. He walked us through strategy, philosophy and decision making. He helped us design a game plan and a roadmap to become a multi-site church that will eventually lead to several additional campuses.
Rich had instant chemistry with our team. He added value and was a breath of fresh air every time we met. I highly recommend Rich to any church wanting to become multi-site or needing to develop better strategies in growing a healthy church.” – Travis Spencer, Lead Pastor, The Fields Church, Mattoon, IL

“Applying and implementing many of the practical tools and strategies that come out of unSeminary has been a game a changer for our church. There’s a lot of good content out there but Rich has a way of making it doable in our church.” – Ron Baker, Lead Pastor, Forest City North Church

“Rich is the real deal. Not only is he incredibly knowledgeable about all things related to growing and multiplying churches, but he is able to communicate with excellence and passion. His energy and enthusiasm for seeing churches reach and disciple more people seems inexhaustible and is absolutely contagious. I can’t wait to see the fruit that grows out of the investment he made into our leaders!” – Len Denbraber, Assistant Superintendent, BC & Yukon District, Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada

“Rich is intuitive, kind and insightful. We loved spending time learning from him and his broad exposure to the corner of “Church World” we are trying to live in. He provided practical and actionable insights that we are moving on immediately, and a 60,000 foot perspective on the church, culture, and trends that were simply gold.” – Chris Figaretti, Lead Pastor, The Vineyard, Wheeling, WV

“Our team’s time with Rich was helpful, clarifying and invigorating. We appreciated how he brought best practices from his extensive experience while also catering his coaching to our specific context. We left our time together with a clear roadmap for moving forward which fits our church culture.” – John Boyle, Executive Pastor, Calvary Bible Church, CO

“The three days our teams spent with Rich far exceeded our expectations. His ability to listen and learn before offering advice is unlike anyone we’ve ever had in to share with us. Rich was incredibly respectful of our operations while sharing ideas and insights for how to make great improvements. He is not only a brilliant thinker, but he’s got the heart of a pastor and cares for the Church. Our church will be strongly impacted by Rich’s wisdom and experience. I can’t wait to have Rich back in the future to continue helping us refine our strategy to reach Kentucky and address our weaknesses and overlooked details.” – Chris Hahn, Lead Executive Pastor, Southland Church, KY

“Rich helped us see our New Guest experience in a new light. He gave us clear and direct insight on how guests feel when they walk through the doors for the first time. Rich’s advice is from a deep well but practically applicable. We were able to put some of his advice into play almost immediately and have already seen the benefits from it. We would recommend Rich to any and all churches looking to elevate their new guest experience. “ – Karl Romeus, Executive Pastor of Ministry Development, Flatirons Church, Denver, CO