Thoughts on Church Survival

While reading through some of my favorite blogs last night, I found this article on Desiring God's Blog about Survival. I found it to be an interesting take on something most of us fear - failure. This article is a reminder to live our dreams with an open hand, focusing on being the people God has called us to be. Here's a snippet.

On occasion I have said to the staff and elders that I don’t care whether Bethlehem goes out of existence, if in order to survive we become the wrong Bethlehem. If we can first settle the issue of what God wants us to be, who we are, what we are, what we believe and stand for (because we must), survival becomes secondary. If we survive, we survive. If we perish, we perish. If we grow, we grow. If we diminish, we diminish. To settle the issue of survival is freedom!

I found it encouraging from a church planting perspective, and I think you will too.

For Sale: Used Trailer

Crossroads Church in Des Moines, IA has just moved into their new building. As such, they would like to sell their Portable Church Custom Trailer. (UPDATE: THIS TRAILER HAS BEEN SOLD).


This snazzy 7' x 24' Trailer was purchased from Portable Church Industries in 2003, with all of the customizations we suggest for portable church-ing. It fits (16) PCI Case Positions. This trailer is being offered for $4930 and includes the security and hitch assembly.

Current graphics can be removed by your local end-graphics provider.

If you are interested in purchasing this trailer, please contact the church directly.


Glen Blumer
GBlumer@msn.com


Good Luck!

Prayer Request - The Gathering Church, NY

*UPDATE* Many of you who google search "Randy Goudeau" are probably looking for his church information. The Gathering meets on Sundays at 6pm at PS61, located at 610 E. 12th Street. Call 347.413.9284 for more information.

We haven't ever used this blog for prayer requests before, but I would like for you guys to join us in prayer for a church today.

The Gathering Church, NY is scheduled to launch this Sunday in the East Village of NYC. They were scheduled to arrive at PCI this morning at 8am to pick up their system, but have encountered a few problems.

After leading a powerful youth rally with Metro last evening, the leadership team got into their truck to travel to Michigan on an overnight drive. Somewhere in the state of New Jersey, some members of their team became ill and they turned the truck around and dropped them back off in NYC.

In the wee hours of this morning, the remaining (2) leaders, Todd & Gabe, crossed the border of Ohio and hit a small piece of metal. Unbeknownst to them, the metal had lodged in their gas tank and formed a hole. In Boardman, OH this morning - they pulled over to get some gas. Todd ran in to pay to the gas station to pay. Upon exiting, he came out to the truck to find that all 30 gallons of gasoline had leaked out of the truck. The spill required the clean-up services of both the Hazmat Deparment and Fire Department.

Their vehicle is in for repair, but the parts are not available and will not be in until tomorrow at 10am and the vehicle will not be ready until 4pm. We've come up with some creative solutions to get them here today and will do a training tomorrow morning. Then, PCI will tow their trailer for them back to Boardman where they can pick up their repaired vehicle and head back to NYC.

At this point, Todd and Gabe have been awake for more than 24 hours and are exhausted spiritually, emotionally, physically and mentally. Please join me for prayer for the following:

• Safety as they travel to Michigan
• Renewal as they rest this evening
• Peace for their Head Pastor Randy Goudeau who got dropped back off in NYC last evening
• That all auto parts will come in in time
• That the vehicle will be repaired correctly in a timely manner
• That the Lord will Abolish any strongholds the enemy has in this project
• That Angels will safeguard the lives of all of those involved in this new church plant

We have great faith that something amazing is about to happen in the East Village of NYC. Otherwise, the enemy wouldn't be trying so hard to stop it....

Thank you for your prayers today.

"And we pray this in order that The Gathering Church may live a life worthy of the Lord...being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might, so that The Gathering Church may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified The Gathering Church to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light." Colossians 1:10-12

Portable Church Email System

Over the last week, we have been experiencing some problems with our email addresses. Several (not all) of our email addresses had been blacklisted as on a community SPAM blocker service. We have been working through the problems with our technical providers and believe we are now on track.

If you have sent an email between March 9th and March 19th - we wanted to make sure that you know that we are still sifting through the returned emails and resending them to the appropriate parties. If you'd like, you can resend the emails you are awaiting response on. We ask for your patience as we continue to work on the problem.

I would have like to send you all an email to inform you of our problems... but well.... that hasn't been possible (*smile*).

Thank you for your understanding!!!

Spotlight on: Reston Community Church

Yesterday was a day run at frenetic pace here at Portable Church Industries. We, as part of a new affiliate company we'll be launching, met with Reston Community Church from Reston, VA (RCC). RCC is in the middle of re-launching their four-year old church in a movie theatre. They have an incredible story peppered with miracles, gifts and answered prayers.

Pastor Ben Arment, Worship Pastor Matt Morgan and Volunteer Ed (forgot his last name) drove from Northern Virginia to Motown, towing their church's trailer, to pick up a solutions-based system from our new affiliate. From 8am - 6pm, we integrated RCC's existing equipment into cases, tested new equipment and mounted existing equipment into rack cases.

This was a first for our company, as we've never done in-house "Efficiency Upgrades" before. Typically, all efficiency upgrades are done on site with the church at their rented facility. Each of our churches are usually delivered with a (1) - (6) person team, leaving the rest of PCI behind or out at other church deliveries.

Yesterday, however, our entire company was able to celebrate with the church personally. It was an incredible day of on-the-spot ingenuity and on-the-go inventing. At the end of yesterday, we were all exhausted but incredibly blessed by the experience of working with RCC and interacting with these dynamic men.

Our prayers will be with them this Sunday as they hold services in a movie theatre for the very first time! Our experience with them yesterday was pivotal in reminding us exactly why we got into this in the first place - to help forcefully advance the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 11:12).

More news on our affiliate company is forthcoming - but for now - enjoy a look at Matt's and Ben's blogs. They are documenting their church's "History in the Making" here and here.

BEFORE




AFTER

Friday Wrap-Up

Links to interesting reads, videos and other sources of material.

Six Physcial Factors That Affect Your Worship Service
by Rick Warren

Purpose Driven Churches Launch Large
by Lillian Kwon

Ten Factors for Higher Attendance in Church Plants
by Ed Stetzer

Interesting Use of Video in Sermon Series
courtesy of The Meeting House

Video Advice
by Anthony Coppedge

Free Church Planting Resources
by Passion For Planting

Project Management Software for the Church Planter
by Passion for Planting

Strategic Marketing for the Church Planter
by Mustard Seed Studios

Church Management Software
by People Driven

Appealing Church Websites
by Change Design Group

Launching a New Campus

Launching a new campus off of an established church base can be an exceptional way to reach a different geographic region, demographic or age group. Chip Payne shared his church’s strategy in this article we featured last year. If you choose to go portable, we can offer a few strategic tips as well.

Portability or Permanency
Portability, of course, has a special place in our hearts for the new church plant. Portability is an economical way to launch your new campus. As you’ve probably heard us mention before, owning a building can cost upwards of $5,000 / seat. Portability, however, can cost as little as $200 / seat.

The unique setting itself (movie theatre, high school, casino, bowling alley, pub, pizza parlor, art museum, etc.) can prove to be dynamic place for new ministry options. For instance, a multi site church in Michigan uses their unique setting of a winery warehouse to create “Wine Ceremonies” for the church. Together, they make the wine from the picking of the grapes to the distilling to the bottling. At the ends of the months-long process, the wine is used for a very special communion ceremony. Each step of the process is symbolic (i.e. Crushing the grapes represents Jesus crushing the enemy, etc) and at the communion ceremony, each instrument used is also symbolic (i.e., the filling of the wine glass represents our bodies being filled with the Holy Spirit). The ceremony not only brings together the church as a community, but has special meaning as it is held at a winery warehouse!

Don’t apologize for portability – embrace it!

Avoid Double Vision
Let the Vision of your ministry dictate your location, your technology and your equipment… not the other way around.

Know your audience! This is an opportunity to reach an expanded demographic, create a solution for your growth limitations or reach a different geographic location. Understanding your audience will influence everything from support ministries to finances to technology.

When sculpting your vision for the new site, remember that you are not limited by your building! You are limited only by your creativity.

Clearly understanding and communicating your vision will focus your teams, your passion and your commitment.

Building Your Teams
What is the structure of your new site? Will you be a video venue? Will you teach the same sermon at the same time during the same series? Will you be an organic plant, free to do whatever is culturally relevant in that area, with no loyalty to a previous “brand” of churching? The answers to these questions will allow you to understand the impact of your undertaking on your current staff.

• Do you need to duplicate staff, or will the venue be run by existing staff?
• Does your team buy into this new concept of church?
• How will you handle recruiting for the new campus?
• How will the current volunteer force be affected (if at all)?
• How will planning meetings and communication be handed?

Finding Your Facility
When searching for your facility (see our other articles on facility choice here), know your exit plan. As the new campus grows, how will you respond? Will you add services? Relocate your venue? Begin a building campaign? You need to choose a venue that will support your exit plan.

Additionally, as you search for facilities, think of the environment you want to create. Are you transferring the vision from your permanent facility to a rented facility? Are you locked in to certain names and logos and expectations from your home campus? The kind of environment you want to create will play a key role as you search for facilities to rent.

Creating the Experience
Create a welcoming environment. From children’s areas to welcome areas to technology areas, this element is key. Movie Theatres, school auditoriums and school gymnasiums all provide different amounts of flexibility in creating your look.

In your main worship area, using lighting, parachutes, soft-goods or backdrops are easy and portable ways to create a warm and inviting atmosphere for worship. In children’s areas, consider using brightly colored dividers or foam flooring to create a fun play-place. You can also paint 3-D murals on backdrops to create a portable set for dramas and interactive worship. In youth areas, using bean bags instead of chairs can promote a sense of camaraderie. In your welcome areas, consider offering something other than the standard coffee service and information packets. Choose something that is relevant to your congregational personality. One church in Florida serves fruit-smoothies in addition to coffee service. The smoothies are served in portable equipment and manned by a team to welcome and cool down attendees on a hot day. The equipment is easy to use, easy to clean and makes an impact every Sunday service.

Creating the experience, however, isn’t just about “stuff”, it’s also about the staff and creating opportunities for connection. One church in Seattle uses “Sunday Dinner” as a way for newcomers to connect at their new campus. Before settling in for their Sunday evening service, the church holds a pass-a-dish-dinner every single week. There is a lot of energy in that room as 300 people mill about engaging with one another before the service. Worship can be an incredibly moving experience when sharing it with those you are in relationship with, as opposed to a group of strangers.

Choosing Your Equipment
Equipment is dependent on many factors. First, it should be dictated by your vision and the type of the equipment you’ll purchase will vary for each church depending on skill level, venue selections, point of use, etc.

Here are some key things to keep in mind when purchasing the equipment.
• Portability
o Cubic Volume
o Weight
o Ease of Set-Up and Tear Down
• Durability
• Volunteer Labor Needed
• Safety
• Professionalism (Image and Aesthetics)
• Efficiency
o Short Term vs. Life Cycle
o Equipment Economics vs. Volunteer Labor
o Aesthetics vs. Volunteer Safety
• System Design, Purchase and Integration
o Do – It – Yourself vs. “Professional Help”

Conclusions
When setting out on your new venture, make decisions that will transfer easily to your next set of campuses.

• Ensure Your Vision Is Reproducible
• Ensure Your Equipment Is Portable
• Ensure Your Equipment Is Efficient
• Ensure Your Equipment Is Conducive To Team Effectiveness
• Ensure Your Equipment Matches Your Vision


Check out this link here for interesting reads on the Multi-Site Concept, or call our offices for more references.

Renewed Passion

Bob Smith (Consultant), Justin Sweeten (Production Team) and I left the great state of Michigan for Oregon yesterday. We are helping a church in the area become more efficient with set-up and tear-down.

We found ourselves with a little down time and took the opportunity to meet up with one of the church planters we had worked with last year. Matt Payne is a church planter and head pastor of Church! at Bethany in Beaverton, Oregon.

Over huge plates of spaghetti (not that we were complaining, we hadn't eaten since the car pool began at 4am Detroit Time!), Matt filled us in on the nuances of planting a church in Oregon and regaled us with stories of his infamously lost-then-found church trailer (you can read about that here).

Then, Matt talked more in-depth about his church planting experience, his plans for the future and just how much he has felt the presence of God in his journey. We left extremely encouraged and inspired to pray for the de-churched people of Oregon (87% are currently not attending church and 78% of those do not currently identify themselves with a faith).

We also left very refreshed as we remembered why we do what we do. It is easy to get bogged down with the "daily grind", but meeting with Matt helped us to remember the greater cause and the sheer excitement of the gospel being preached to hungry souls. It was perfect timing heading into the Easter Season.

If you are in the Beaverton area, check out Church! at Bethany meeting at 9:15am on Sunday mornings. He has a dynamic worship team and a dynamite children's program. If you are a church planter, I think you'll be encouraged and interested by a read of his blog.

Happy Saturday!

Celebrate! (February 2007)

PCI celebrates fellow church plants that began in February 2007. May we, and those with whom we labor, be encouraged today, finding joy and laughter in Him.

Northview Christian Life Church, IN; New Plant
Real Life Fellowship, TX; New Plant
Eastlake Community Church, WA; Efficiency Upgrade
South Hills Community Church, CA; New Plant
Crossings Church, TX; New Plant
Life Church - Macungie Campus, PA; Multi-Site Launch
Spring UMC, TX; New Plant

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Ephesians 1:3

Popular Search Terms

There are a lot of different search terms that drive traffic to our website and to our blog. Here are a few that have popped up a lot in the past few weeks.

• Creative Portable Church
• Rich Birch Blog
• Portable Church Layouts
• Portable Church for Sale

I thought I'd help you guys out and give you a few links.(Note: Said Listing may or may not be former clients of PCI)

For "Creative Portable Church"....
Check out Grace Point Church Blog in Las Vegas, NV (http://graceisthepoint.blogspot.com/). Devin, the Head Pastor, showcases many creative and intriguing stage layouts as well as his sermon series in the works.

Check out Ridgestone Backstage in Canton, GA (http://www.ridgestonebackstage.com/). Though we do not know this team personally, the pictures and musings on this blog give us an inside peek at their programming, staging and artistry.

Check out Imago Dei Community Church in Portland, OR (www.imagodeicommunity.com). I haven't yet found a blog for them, but they have an incredible passion for artistic and experiential worship. Look at their links under "Worship and Beauty"

... for a more complete list, email me!

For "Rich Birch Blog"....
Rich Birch, Site Development Pastor at the Meeting House, keeps his blog at www.killerchurch.com

For "Portable Church Layouts"...
For some of our most requested phots, check out our Flickr Album to the right

Are you a Portable Church? Send us your picture to display, clearly noting the products in use, the venue and your Church Name (Please also let us know if you are a PCI Client and open to having people contact you for more information).

For "Used Portable Church Systems"...
Call our Sales Offices! Many clients call us to let us know they have equipment for sale when they move into buildings. When others call looking for equipment, we put the pastors in touch with each other to negotioate the deal. I can't promise we'll always have something, but we're happy to help how we can.

Do you have a system for sale? Let us know, and we'll let other pastors know.