It does not matter what style of church you inhabit, how we organise the environment says so much about us.
Be that from the spectatular job Hillsong do of organising their stage, to the rooms Andrew Jones organises for his emerging groups…..how a place makes us feel, what is either aids or hinders us in our worship of God is something we think of .
Of course there is no one better at this than God…from beautiful mountain tops looking over the ocean, to the detailed instructions He gives to Moses and Solomon regarding the temple…..
Here are some thoughts I have as we prepare to meet for the first time in our temporary facilities…
For us, we need to create anticipation and a positive group climate from day one.
1. We will use countdowns (pre service) and encourage people to be at church early
2. We will always have music playing pre service of some description as people walk into the room. Whether this is the worship team playing or cd music or a Christian music video as people walk in.
3. the way we present the stage is important. What I am thinking is that we will eventually have a stage with props, thematic devices….everything pointing people to Jesus, and our theme for the month.
A lot of Seths suggestions are spot on, and things we should be thinking about as we grow.
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/06/how-to-organize.html
I am so looking forward to this Sunday!!
Hope it goes well with you Mark.