Can churches grow in the summer? Of course they can.

In fact, churches should grow in the summer. However, they rarely do, and it’s for one simple reason: Their leaders let down too much.

Some churches I know do away with children’s ministry for the summer to give their teachers a rest. Others quit small groups or put virtually nothing on the church calendar. Some preachers re-preach old sermon series, or do the series they don’t think can handle the freight in fall or spring.

The reasoning is simple: Offerings and attendance go down, so it’s better to save our best efforts and cost for the times when people are actually around.

I completely understand that way of thinking, and halfway agree with it. Given the choice between “using our bullets” in summer or the “high season,” I would choose fall or spring, as well. I’m just wondering if, sometimes, people care less in the summer because we do.

Some churches even talk about summer that way — in effect, convincing the church it’s less important than other times. I’m also wondering if we couldn’t benefit from pacing ourselves better in fall and spring so our churches don’t hibernate in the summer.

Summer is also a main time for people to look for a new/any church home. Some are moving into your city. Others want to get spiritually on track before school starts up again. Some single moms head back because the kids are out of school, and some adult time to ponder their lives would do them some good. If they show up and children’s ministry isn’t happening, the preacher is never there, the calendar is totally empty, and there’s an overall laxness about ministry that’s palpable, you might lose a great opportunity.

During our first summer at New Vintage Church, some of our most core people arrived while we thought our “regulars” were traveling. That trend has continued. Summer is a key time. Don’t surrender it.

If, in fact, our churches need a labor break in the summer that badly, the reality is that we need to pace ourselves better — not abandon the summer. I’m not naïve; I agree the summer is probably the best time for preachers to take their vacations, trim the calendar a bit and so on. But, there’s a difference between running at, say, 85 percent and “mailing in” the summer, both practically and mentally — which is quite common, and also indirectly harmful to the fall and spring church “seasons.”

Summer is actually the best time for doing six things in particular:

1) Rest. Yes, resting. Here, I’m talking about taking a daily run instead of running a marathon in the summer. But, don’t stop running altogether.

2) Fellowship. People are already in the mood for fellowship. It’s BBQ, baseball, lake/beach season. Go with it, and enjoy it. Rather than plan a thick calendar, find one or two simple ways for the church to do — together — what people already love doing in the summer: grillin’ and chillin’. You can do this as a whole church, or in small groups. It will be fun and build community.

3) Strategic planning. I’ve always taken some time in the summer for strategic planning — sermon series, crafting a Fall/Winter ministry strategy, preparing to launch new ministries and so on. Take note: Youth ministry is less accessible in the summer. It’s their “high” season. So, what I’m talking about is strategic planning that doesn’t impact youth ministry much.

4) Apprenticing new servant leaders. Summer is a great time to “try out” new servant leaders. Just be strategic about it. Don’t throw in someone who’s totally unprepared.

5) Spiritual growth. Perhaps it’s because many have more time in the summer, but summer is a great time to encourage the church toward a season of spiritual growth through prayer, Bible study and so on. This also applies to church leaders; make sure your walk with the Lord is vibrant. Summer gives some space for this.

6) Closing loops. Summer is a great time to finish projects that remain undone and general organizational messiness. Get the new copier. Look for a better deal on lawn care. Do some digging on that new approach to family life ministry that piqued your interest.

Lastly, to my fellow preachers: Don’t mail in the task of preaching over the summer. God deserves better from us. Plus, it hurts us practically, as those who visit our churches as guests or vacationers get cold leftovers rather than warm, fresh bread.

The guests may not come back. The vacationers may tell a friend who is set to move into the area that they came, but found it spiritually tepid. “Go check out somewhere else.”

If summer is your break time, fill the pulpit with quality guests or able staff. Keep the bread fresh, whether it’s you serving it or not. Glorify God by not mailing in, or downloading your sermons.

To sum it up: Some of the “back-to-school-jump” churches are actually seeing regular attendees coming back from summer travels, along with people who become a part of the church informally over the summer. So, as tempting as it might be, don’t mail in the summer. It provides all sorts of unique opportunities for your church to grow — inside and out.

Tim Spivey is lead planter of New Vintage Church in San Diego, CA. Tim is also an adjunct professor of religion at Pepperdine University and purveyor of New Vintage Leadership, a blog offering cutting-edge insights on leadership and theology. He is the author of numerous articles and the book Jesus, the Powerful Servant. This post is adapted from a prior post.

The word “story” may be used as a synonym of “narrative.” It can also be used to refer to the sequence of events described in a narrative. More narrowly defined, it’s the means whereby the narrator (or storyteller) communicates directly to the reader.

Stories are an important aspect of culture. Many works of art, and most works of literature, tell stories. In fact, most of humanities involve stories.

“Evidence strongly suggests that humans in all cultures come to cast their own identity in some sort of narrative form,” writes Owen Flanagan of Duke University, a leading consciousness researcher. “We’re inveterate storytellers.”

We use stories to pass on the past to the next generation, or to give instruction. It’s also used to convey an idea, concept, precaution and the like. A story can be fictional or non-fiction and can have become embellished over time — but, most stories that convey a non-fiction narrative are generally filled with truth.

A fairy tale, on the other hand, is a type of short story that typically features folklore and fantasy. Most of the time, we refer to them as a type of children’s literature. The term is also used to describe something blessed with unusual happiness, as in a “fairy tale ending” or “fairy tale romance” (though not all fairy tales end happily). In the vernacular, a “fairy tale” or “fairy story” can also mean any far-fetched story or tall tale; it’s used especially of any story that not only isn’t true, but couldn’t possibly be true.

I like stories, and I like fairy tales. I like to understand perspective — the past, the present paradigms, and all the things you can learn from a story. I also like getting lost in a good fairy tale. I love fairy tales such as The Lion Witch and the Wardrobe. It’s great to become transformed into these make-believe worlds, with their unique languages, places, characters and assumptions.

What I don’t like, however, is when I think I’m observing or participating in a story to learn that it’s actually only a fairy tale. I feel betrayed, tricked or misled.

Have you ever read a story and were fully engulfed in a theme, only to find out it wasn’t true, relevant or congruent? Bummer! I hate “bate-and-switch” experiences.

Consider the following word association chart:

So, when it comes to your church facility, is it telling a story or a fairy tale? Is it congruent with who you are? Your vision? Your mission? Your culture? Or, will people see your facility — and then, upon experiencing your interactions, worship experiences, first impression and culture, realize that it was just a fairy tale?

Tell me what you think: Are your facilities telling an intentional story, or merely a fairy tale?

Tim Cool is project executive at Visioneering Studios in Charlotte, NC, and founder of Cool Solutions Group. Since 1986, Cool has served the church community in the areas of construction, facility planning and facility management. He can be reached at tcool@visioneeringstudios.com.

• Premeditated;
• Done with a specific result expected; and
• Attention to detail.

These are words and phrases that are totally opposite to concepts such as:

• Do it on the fly;
• Let’s see what happens;
• We’ll make it up as we go; and
• Hope for the best.

Most successful ministry leaders adherer to the first list rather than the latter when planning sermon series, accounting methods, ministry initiatives, music sets and transitions between songs, website design, blogs and the like. They plan. They have an eye on the net result of their plans and goals. They don’t leave things to “chance.” And they are (or someone on their team is) paying close attention to every detail.

I’ve used the example of Disney before and how they’re all about the guest experience. Do you think they care about the details or the “story” they want their guests to tell their friends and family after their experience? Do you think they leave that experience up to chance? HECK NO!

Let me give you some examples:

Trash cans. Did you know that Disney studied and learned that the maximum amount of steps a person will walk to get to a trash can is 30 paces. To promote the cleanliness of the park, trash cans are placed no farther than 27 paces away from each other. Wow…that will keep things clean. And, they’re not just trash cans; they’re a prop and part of the story.

Onstage/backstage. Disney makes a clear distinction between what people see and what they don’t see. This goes back to Walt Disney’s desire for Disneyland to be a “show.” Whenever a “cast member” walks onstage, the show is on. This distinction continues into how cast members dress, and even the conversations they have with other cast members. This is part of their culture.

Streetscape. Disney knows that most of its guests entering the park are excited to see Sleeping Beauty’s castle — which happens to be at the end of Main Street. To enhance this visual, the buildings along Main Street get shorter, and the awnings extend out further along down the sidewalk. This makes the castle appear farther away and larger than life. This draws you toward the castle and starts that transformation process. (I’ll write more on this in future weeks.)

Sight, sounds, smells and textures. When you get near the end of Main Street, you’re presented with the a myriad of options as to where you might venture next. With each of these options — whether it’s Tomorrow Land, Adventure Land or Frontier Land — you’ll be drawn in and transformed, incorporating all of your senses…and then some.

Disney is very intentional with the imagery that greets you at the entrance of each “land,” and that theme draws you in and stays consistent. It also uses music, sounds and other audible effects to make your experience congruent with what your eyes see. It then draws you deeper into this transformation by appealing to your sense of smell and “texture.” Next time you’re there and start to explore the various lands, look down and make note of what you’re walking on. And so the intentionality continues.  Amazing!

What I have seen and learned by observing this is that many, if not most, of these impactful impressions are not that much more expensive, if at all, than their “basic” counterparts. And in areas where additional investment is made, it’s counterbalanced by a reduction in investment in others.

So, the bottom line is that “intentionality” doesn’t have to be more expensive; it just means you have to be intentional. Purposeful. Thoughtful. Deliberate. Focused on the outcome.

As you consider your church and ministry facility, have you been intentional with its design, story and sensory elements — or, have you left it to chance?

Tim Cool is project executive at Visioneering Studios in Charlotte, NC, and founder of Cool Solutions Group. Since 1986, Cool has served the church community in the areas of construction, facility planning and facility management. He can be reached at tcool@visioneeringstudios.com.

By Tim Spivey

“The single most important thing great companies did that good companies didn’t was make superb people decisions.” That was from Jim Collins at the Catalyst West conference last week. Collins is one of my favorite…OK, my favorite, author on leadership from a business perspective. The research his team has done over the years has changed even the everyday language of leadership for many.

While not everything Collins says from a business perspective should be used in churches, that statement can. At a strategic level, nothing matters more than using good judgment in people decisions. So, I’ve compiled a list of five huge staffing mistakes either I or people I know have made. Avoiding these will help your church immensely:

1. Hiring close friends or family – just because they are friends or family. Of course it’s good to work with people you love. However, hiring someone on that basis alone is a recipe for problems. Some churches hire people they know and love who simply need a job or who grew up at the church. In addition, they often lack the personal differentiation to hold that friend accountable or to transition them out if the fit isn’t good.

One giveaway that a church is in this cycle is to see how many “rehires” they’ve done. How many people who left the church staff for some reason are rehired later? If this happens much at all, you have a nepotistic family system at play, not a healthy church hiring process. Go ahead and hire friends and family if: (a) they’re actually the best for the position, and (b) you’re completely committed to doing what’s best for the church as it pertains to them…even if it means their departure. Don’t use the church’s money to help a brother out. Use it to help the Kingdom advance.

2. “Swifting.” The reference here is to love life of one Taylor Swift. This track-record of quick break-ups is more commonly instigated by church boards than senior pastors, in my experience. You’ve seen “Swifting” in churches where there’s a new minister every 18 months. High turnover churches usually mean one of two things – and usually both: (a) poor hiring practices, and (b) power issues.

If you’re looking for a place to serve, be very cautious in considering a church with high record of turnover. I know of a church that had three senior pastors in the same year. They also blamed each of those three for the transition based on “wanting a new direction.” They’re right – they need a new direction. They can start by taking responsibility for either poor hiring or a quick trigger finger in personnel matters – or both.

3. The slow trigger. Here we have the church that can’t hold people accountable or transition them out when they need to. This leads to ministry mediocrity over many years, and having even one of these can seriously impact your church. How do we know when it’s time to release someone? If they demonstrate a lack of effort or ability to improve their character, competency or chemistry on the team over a six-month period. If they’re trying, I might go a year. If they won’t try, I might not even wait six months – provided they knew what the church expected from them and I was coaching them along the way. Allowing people to languish does no one any favors.

4. Settling. There might be times when a church should hire someone to fill a spot that really needs attention immediately. I just can’t think of one. Don’t hire someone who can fill a necessary role quickly, unless they’re the best person to fill it permanently. The one exception is interim hiring in which everyone understands it’s interim. Don’t settle.

5. Handcuffing your staff. Don’t hire people if you don’t plan to make virtually every resource you can afford available to them. Care for them spiritually, and be generous in budgeting for their areas of ministry. If you’ve hired good people, they won’t waste it. They will multiply its impact.

True story: I have a friend who is a highly capable youth minister. He was hired to work with a youth ministry of roughly 20 students. The church, which had plenty of money at the time (very important), allowed him only a whopping $200 youth ministry budget – total! Just as exciting for him, conference attendance was considered vacation time. It took him all of six months to figure out that his hands were tied and he couldn’t deliver what they had asked him to – and he didn’t want to be there long-term. The church rehired the position, and that minister was gone in a year, as well.

If you’re going to spend the money on a staff position, give them the tools. Or, expect a lot less. But, who wants to hire someone with low expectations? If you don’t have enough money to resource the position you’re hiring, you can’t afford the position. If you have the money, use it to equip the substantial investment you’ve made in position. It’s a worthwhile investment of God’s resources.

What would you add to this list? Any thoughts on the above?

Tim Spivey is lead planter of New Vintage Church in San Diego, CA. Tim is also an adjunct professor of religion at Pepperdine University and purveyor of New Vintage Leadership, a blog offering cutting-edge insights on leadership and theology. He is the author of numerous articles and the book “Jesus, the Powerful Servant.”

By Mike Klockenbrink

The hazy days of summer can be a strange thing. It’s a time when kids get out of school, people go on vacation, and some ministries seem to slow down or take the summer off. The office during the week can at times seem like a ghost town. Am I the only one working here? Hello?

While this may be true in many churches, it doesn’t have to be so lonely, or appear that we’ve taken the summer off. I think some churches expect people to stay away during the summer. You get what you expect. I have a couple of different thoughts here.

First, let’s talk about the church. Many churches host a summer Bible club, middle school or high school retreats, or even a family camp. These are great activities and, as a parent, it gives me something to do with the kids during the summer. These activities, however, take people away from the church and may be cost-prohibitive for some. This is especially true if you have more than one child trying to attend one of these camps. So, what are some ideas to keep people excited about church during the summer months?

Let’s be realistic – to try and do something every weekend is both physically and financially impossible. Let’s look at some different things your church can do.

• Host an ice cream social after church on the weekend. Pipe in some music and let people hang out and mingle.
• Host a “Hot August” summer night’s car show. You don’t need a ton of cars to make this a success. A few cool cars, trucks or motorcycles will do just fine. Throw a couple of grills out there and viola, what a night.
• Host a family movie night at the church. This can be done several times throughout the summer. Make it a family night, teen night, guy’s night (action movie). You get the picture.
• Meet after church for some music on the patio or somewhere on your church property. Serve some water, tea or lemonade, along with some finger snacks; then, sit back and enjoy the music.
• Host a family night. Put up some inflatables and let the kids go. Throw in a few pizzas and you’ve hit another home run.

Now what about the staff? Many of the staff get depressed and feel out of touch during the summer months. Not much going on, office seems empty much of the time. How can you fix this? It all comes down to communication. Communicate, communicate, and communicate. And then communicate some more.

Here are a few ideas you can try over the next several months.

• Gather the staff together each morning at a set time, usually when the majority of them are in. Even if it’s just the two of you. Then take five minutes to let everyone know what’s going on in your area of responsibility. Share encouraging stories of how God has revealed himself in the process.
• Take one day a week or every other week and brown bag it together as a staff. This gives those who have been gone the opportunity to catch up and to share about their time away.
• Have a once-a-month birthday celebration day. Get some of your staff bakers to whip up some treats and sing a
• Happy Birthday song for those individuals with birthdays.

Doing all of this doesn’t take away some of the feeling of loss or separation from seeing people over a period of time. It does, however, help to keep everyone in touch with what’s going on and feeling connected during a disconnecting time.

So, enjoy your summer; slow down if you must. The fall will be here soon enough.

Mike Klockenbrink is chief of staff at Lakeside Church in Folsom, CA. Mike worked for W.W. Grainger Industrial Supply for 16 years in many different capacities. In January 2000, Mike quit climbing the corporate ladder and started climbing the Kingdom ladder. Klockenbrink can be reached at mikeklockenbrink@lakesidechurch.com.

I fly a lot. Living in Charlotte, NC, I used to fly USAir as Charlotte is their primary hub.  Most anywhere I want to go is a direct flight. USAir has a significant number of flights every day to most of the destinations that I fly to. Most of the Charlotte/Douglas International Airport is designed to cater to them and their clientele.

So, why do I almost exclusively fly Delta Airlines? Why would I subject myself to having to fly through another port (unless I am specifically flying to Atlanta, Memphis, Detroit, NYC or Minneapolis)?

Let me share some of the reasons why I fly Delta and then we’ll look at how this applies to the story our church facilities tell:

1. About 80 percent of my travel is paid for by the clients I serve as part of reimbursable expenses.  In light of that, I’m constantly looking for the best value for our clients – helping them be good stewards.  I generally subject myself to a “two-legger” (meaning a connection flight to get to the destination), because the flights are less expensive than the equivalent direct flight with USAir. Stewardship is important to me; so, it influences my buying and partnering decisions.
2. With the exception of their small CRJ 100/200 planes, every Delta flight has WiFi.  If you know me, you know I love my email and connectivity, so I do not mind sitting on a second flight if I can be productive.  Our family recently took a vacation that required more than three hours of flight each direction.  We flew USAir as I had accumulated significant miles, and we used them for the trip. We flew a 767 going and a transatlantic 757 on the return. Neither flight had Internet service.  GRRRR!!!  While I was glad not to be “working,” I still wanted Internet access for other things like social media, videos, cloud accounts, etc. My expectations were grossly unmet, and I was frustrated and very disappointed.
3. For the most part, the Delta fleet is newer and better maintained, or at least they appear to be for the areas of the planes I see (the cabins, seats, flooring).  The flights I mentioned above on USAir were on older planes – old décor straight out of the 1970′s, frayed-seat upholstery, worn-out carpet, old seat controls, retrofitted video monitors, in-flight entertainment systems that didn’t work or weren’t activated. The condition of the planes is important to me. If they’re not taking care of the areas where paying customers sit for hours, what else are they not maintaining?  Hmmm.
4. On the flights our family recently took, we received a single beverage in coach, and no snack on a three-hour flight.  Really!! The stinginess or generosity I experience influences me in a significant way.
5. Flying can be stressful, especially for the infrequent flyer like my wife and kids and the majority of the people on a vacation destination flight. So, the attitudes, personalities, approachability, and overall demeanor of the crew, gate agents and flight attendants are critical.  Again, I give poor marks for our recent experience – and Lisa and I were sitting in first class on the way home. The customer service was below-average compared to what I expected and what I’m used to experiencing. It was clear that the first-class flight attendant wasn’t invested in her role on this flight. Personal interactions are a direct reflection on the culture, DNA and attitudes of an organization, and this spoke volumes to me.

I could share more about the airline industry pros and cons, but that’s not really my point.  The point is, the experiences people have as a guest at your church (or any organization) will impact them and can play a significant role in determining if they return (become a patron, enthusiastic customer and, ultimately, a raving fan) as they find their way on their spiritual journey.

We have talked about how first impressions are so critical, and it tells a story, whether we intend to or not. This is a real life example of how this is played out in an everyday occurrence.

Does your church offer a WOW experience and tell a story that’s congruent with your mission, vision and ministry objectives? If not, you may be missing an incredible opportunity to meet the needs (especially spiritual) of those in your community.

To quote Derwin Gray (@DerwinLGray)…”Marinate on that”

Tim Cool is project executive at Visioneering Studios in Charlotte, NC, and founder of Cool Solutions Group. Since 1986, Cool has served the church community in the areas of construction, facility planning and facility management. He can be reached at tcool@visioneeringstudios.com.

It isn’t enough to simply do what you’ve been asked to do. That’s a given. Ministry staff must be cohesive units that execute ministry’s calling. I’ve observed that some churches emphasize “getting the job done” without looking at how to get the job done in a way that reinforces other church objectives, such as cultivating team chemistry or building godly character. There’s no reason “getting the job done” has to be the only thing that happens when staff works on something – ever. The job will get done better and more consistently if those on the staff like each other. I don’t mean they are best friends; but, rather they like each other enough to consider hanging out with each other outside the office. Laughter should be common, and there should be intellectual respect for one another.

How does one accomplish this? Here’s a shortcut: hire people you like. Ask yourself whether they are a good fit for your team. Or, if your team is dysfunctional, would they bring better chemistry to the team (as you work on the relational aspects of your team, of course). When we hire at NVC, we don’t care less about how “productive” or competent a minister is – they have to fit. We obviously aren’t going to hire an incompetent person; but, it’s far easier to find competency than chemistry.

Surprisingly, I know some churches that don’t want to hire people they know get along well with other people on their staff. The fear is they will squirrel around too much, or personalize one another’s departure from the staff if it ever comes to that. In churches where there’s a lot of elder/staff tension, some elders actually bring a “divide and conquer” mentality to the hiring process. They look for a company man or woman rather than someone who might lower tensions by bettering the work environment by enhancing chemistry. What a huge mistake, and one that really hurts the ministry.

Fun and team chemistry accentuate productivity. True, they can also facilitate a bit of goofing off, but in the long run, that’s a good thing. Here’s the reason: Ministry is a team sport. If you hate your team, it ruins the sport. You might play hard though true grit or a sense of calling, but privately, you’ll be either looking for a trade or wanting to practice or play on your own. Either of those is bad for the church. Loving, and LIKING the people you’re serving with means a greater willingness to say “yes” when the church asks someone to go the extra mile – if for no other reason than they like hanging around with each other. So, if we need to set up 1,000 chairs, I’m there, because I know that somehow it will be not only done, but it will be fun. Imagine doing that alongside people you didn’t like. You’d either try to dodge it, or it’ll suck the very life force out of you. Miserable task + miserable coworkers = miserable ministry.

Hire people you like, are capable, and live out the Gospel. It’s amazing how much those qualities bring intrinsic accountability into a staff team. If your staff members hate each other, you’re going to need to make some changes before you can get top-shelf ministry out of your team and build long-term cohesion and joy in service to Christ. Make them…wisely and compassionately.

These three remain: Character, competency, chemistry (Hybels’ terms). The greatest of these is character. Vice-greatest is chemistry. Good team chemistry will pull the best out of everyone on the team. If you want top-shelf ministry and long-term staff continuity, hire godly, capable people you like.

Tim Spivey is lead planter of New Vintage Church in San Diego, CA. Tim is also an adjunct professor of religion at Pepperdine University and purveyor of New Vintage Leadership, a blog offering cutting-edge insights on leadership and theology. He is the author of numerous articles and the book “Jesus, the Powerful Servant.”

By Tim Cool

Over the past several years we’ve become acutely aware of the essence of “story.” We hear this term used in the church world and in business settings.  It has been used to prompt people to open up about their lives and life experiences…to tell their story. On a “corporate” level it’s the interwoven thread used to identify the mission, vision, direction and passion of organizations. The reality is, we all have a story.  Some of these stories are sensational, while others may seem mundane or routine, and others grip our emotions and pull on our heartstrings while transforming us into the story.

What has really grasped me lately is that everyone and everything has a story to tell and that people are “reading” those stories even when we’re not aware. We don’t have to write a “screenplay” or book to tell our story. When we walk into a room full of people, you’ll start to read certain aspects of people’s stories and they’ll start to read yours as well. They might not see the entire story, but they’ll see some pretty obvious chapters in that story. The way you enter the room will tell the chapter of your story related to your self-confidence or possibly your physical attributes or limitations. The way you shake the hands of the other guests will convey yet another part of the story as will the clothes you are wearing…and you may not have even said a word. In addition, the room itself tells a story (more on that later).

The concept of “story telling” has become an “Aha” moment for me.  I’ve learned that some of the most interesting, complex, intuitive and compelling parts of my story are those observed and not heard. If I have to verbally communicate that a component of my story is generosity and kindness, then it’s very likely that those attributes aren’t really part of my non-fiction story, but rather a fictional (fairy tale) trait that I want people to believe about me.  Conversely, congruent stories are generally seen and felt long before they’re verbally communicated. In fact, I believe that some parts of our story, those with the most intrinsic value, are never spoken. We didn’t need to hear Mother Theresa tell us she loved orphans. We don’t need to hear a speech by Shaquille O’Neil to know that he’s a large man who has done well for himself as a professional athlete. We don’t need to have a mother, rocking her baby, to tell us that she loves that gift from God.  No, we can see it.  We can feel it. There’s something that communicates the story to us just by looking at the person or the situation.

“Story” is all around us…in virtually every aspect of our daily experiences, which means that our church and ministry facilities also tell a story. The questions for church leaders are:

What story are your facilities/campus telling?

Are we intentional about the story?

Is the story congruent with who we are, who we think we are, what we believe/value and who we want to reach for Christ?

I believe there are seven primary factors to story-telling that we need to be cognizant of related to our church facilities and a first-time guest’s experience:

• Story vs. Fairy Tale
• The “new” Front Porch
• Design/Street-scape
• Parking Lot Experience
• Way-finding/Environment
• Interactions
• Condition

Over the next weeks and months, we will be exploring each of these areas in more detail. I believe that as we become more acutely aware of the impact of our ministries’ unique story, and how it impacts our guest and the people God had called us to read in our community, the greater the impact we’ll have on fulfilling that calling.

Tim Cool is project executive at Visioneering Studios in Charlotte, NC, and founder of Cool Solutions Group. Since 1986, Cool has served the church community in the areas of construction, facility planning and facility management. He can be reached at tcool@visioneeringstudios.com.

By Sam S. Rainer III

When God guides a church, it’s not a smooth journey. Ministry in a community is stop-and-go. The church is called to go share the only message of hope and stop for those in need.

Many people are aware that something bigger than their personal world exists. They desire to take part in something that makes a difference. In fact, recent research reveals that the majority of churched and unchurched young adults rated the opportunity to meet the needs of others (locally and globally) as extremely important in their lives.

To impact the world, however, God requires the church to stop and go.

The ministry of going

The church’s mission today is the same mission given to Peter, Paul, Silas and Barnabas. We live sent. We live like Christ. The people of the church are described as light and salt, the guide and flavor of culture. In Luke 10, Jesus sends 70 people to an abundant harvest in the surrounding towns. His directive is short and clear, “Go.” Their ministry would not be easy, but they were called to move quickly and impact widely. Jesus made the implications of his mission unmistakable: You cannot go without moving and impacting.

Moving implies that you meet people where they are. The church should be more “go and tell” and less “come and see.” Impact implies that the church changes the community. Our purpose is to make Christ known and to help transform people’s lives.

The ministry of stopping

We hear a lot of church talk about going. Deservedly so, it’s a huge part of the church’s mission. Equally important as going, however, is stopping. And no one better than Jesus demonstrates the importance of stopping. Mark 10 reveals this critical element of Jesus’ mission.

Traveling through Jericho on the road to Jerusalem, Jesus hears a blind beggar named Bartimaeus crying out to him from a large crowd. Jesus was on his way to the cross. The entire redemptive history of humankind was at stake. He was on his death march to save the human race. If anyone ever had an excuse not to stop, it was Jesus at this moment. Jesus did not push forward through the crowd. He did not offer the excuse that he must deny one to save many more. This passage reveals a significant part of Jesus’ ministry in two powerful words: “Jesus stopped.”

In this passage Jesus demonstrates one of the major implications of stopping. To reach those society has labeled the least, we must be willing to put them first. This blind man became a child of God because Jesus took the time to stop and make him the priority.

The church’s mission is stop-and-go. We go to people. We stop for people. We go with urgency. We stop with compassion. Jesus demonstrates both, and we are called to do the same.

Sam S. Rainer III serves as president of Rainer Research (rainerresearch.com), a firm dedicated to providing answers for better church health. He also is the senior pastor at Stevens Street Baptist Church in Cookeville, TN. He writes, speaks, and consults on church health issues. You can connect with Sam at @samrainer or at his blog, samrainer.wordpress.com.

By Tim Cool

For those of you who’ve followed my writing (and rants), you know that we’ve explored the total cost of ownership of a church facility on several occasions. We’ve seen that the cost of operations of a facility far exceed the initial cost of construction, which may have been an eye-opener for many. However, there still is a significant disconnect with many church leaders and the teams they engage on this reality and how almost every decision made during the planning, design and construction of a facility will impact the performance, operational costs and life-cycle of their facilities.

Thus, enter what we can call the “Transition Gap.”

Between the end of a facility’s construction and the beginning of its operations – and the ministry it will “house” – there’s a substantial transition period where most, if not all, of the professionals who designed, installed and verified the initial conditions of the building cease to be involved. A new team of people begins to run the building, taking on the phase with far greater cost and environmental impacts. This shift in personnel presents one of the greatest risks to a building’s ability to bridge the gap from construction to efficient operations.

Unfortunately, very few churches take the appropriate steps to prepare for the transition gap between construction and operational.

Today, many church development projects follow a decades-old approach to the design and construction process, the contractual agreements the teams are under, and the protocols of communication between team members. Most importantly, the typical roles represented at the table haven’t changed in a very long time, although buildings have become far more technologically complex. That’s why I’ve preached and tried to evangelize church leaders on the need to adopt a fully integrated approach to facility development.

Technology in a church facility is not just limited to computers and email. The new “tail” that wags the dog of most projects is the AVLA systems (audio, video, lighting, acoustics), wireless communication, multimedia,  HVAC control systems, computer networking, door access systems, electrical controls (sensors, offsite controls, etc.),  kids check-in kiosks and a whole host of other things. I’m working with churches that have a larger IT department than youth leaders, and as many production/AVL team members as children’s staff.

The world has changed; this is no longer your “father’s Oldsmobile.” In far too many cases, the process of creating a new building typically follows the linear path of planning, design, construction, turnover and operations. This no longer works (at least not effectively).

In the old model, we find that during the earliest and most critical phases of planning and design, not all members of the ideal team are present. Of particular note, rarely is the facility manager or operations pastor/director present during design discussions. The person expected to manage an operations and maintenance staff and effectively uphold the performance of a building should clearly have input during the design phase; yet, rarely is this person consulted until much later in the process.

Another weakness in the traditional model is that it’s common for design roles to remain segregated and communication minimal with all parties rushing to be “done” in order to preserve profit or meet personal agendas. Everyone involved up to construction completion essentially leaves, turning over the facility to an entirely new group of professionals. Even assuming the building is in top shape upon delivery, the new staff lacks the “back story” of why systems were designed the way they were and why settings were set the way they were. Without this knowledge, the operations, facility management and technology staff can’t possibly be expected to achieve the performance set forth in design.

If you’re planning any form of facility development project (tenant improvement, renovation, facility expansion or a brand-new site development), it’s critical to take the following steps to avoid the transition gap:

1. Involve your operations and/or facility team leaders during the planning and construction of the facility.
2. Involve as many experts and partners in the technology fields as possible early in the design process and throughout construction.
3. Do not assume that technology/AVL and other such things will just take care of themselves, or that it can wait until the end of the project. Big mistake.
4. Plan to start the “commissioning” process several months prior to the completion of construction to make sure there is not a stark “stop/start” from construction to operation.
5. Document, document, document.
6. Train, train and re-train.

The transition gap can be closed and even completely eliminated if you apply these steps.

Tim Cool is project executive at Visioneering Studios in Charlotte, NC, and founder of Cool Solutions Group. Since 1986, Cool has served the church community in the areas of construction, facility planning and facility management. He can be reached at tcool@visioneeringstudios.com.