Collide Magazine

Church Spotlight: Oak Leaf

COLLIDE Staff - Originally posted Monday, February 9, 2009 -

Nestled in the rolling hills of northern Georgia, just outside of Atlanta, is Oak Leaf Church, a church plant a little more than two years old. Unlike more traditional churches, Oak Leaf currently meets in a movie theater where it draws about 800 attendees every week to its three services despite the sticky floors. From 5:00 AM set-ups and a media team full of volunteers, to custom graphics and a Vimeo channel, Oak Leaf demonstrates that even a smaller church is capable of using media and technology in exceptional ways.

Will Goodwin – Creative Arts Pastor

What does your position at Oak Leaf consist of?
I’m responsible for helping communicate the message and vision God has given Michael through every element used during the weekend service. We have committed volunteers who help manage our audio, video, lighting, drama, set, and music elements and I must lead them to understand and value the eternal impact their sacrifice and hard work that even if unseen or appreciated helps lead people from where they are to where God wants them to be. And I make sure the equipment they use works when Sunday rolls around.

Advertisements

What have been some of the benefits of being a theater church? What are the drawbacks?
The comfortable atmosphere, the great seating, the ease for inviting pre-believers, the $50,000 ginormous screen we get to use for free, and the popcorn (kidding). The large lobby is a huge plus for our people as they congregate, fellowship, and down serious amounts of brew between services. The biggest drawback is the schedule of early movie times (e.g., some movies start at 12:00 PM and we have a service that is supposed to end at 12:15).

What value does Oak Leaf place on the use of media, technology, and the arts?
I personally have such affection for all forms of art and try to instill that in everyone I work with. When used correctly, great lighting and music can enhance a worshipful moment and the breath of the Holy Spirit just as much as a painter or dancer can. The key is, "when used correctly." I tell my people we are in the business of eliminating distractions. We'll never be able to do it 100% because too many people have too much pride to let go of their worship preferences. But there is so much joy in seeing people "get it" and release in brokenness and openness to worship God in spirit and truth within the environment you produce to help them find their way there.

Do you create your own media at Oak Leaf or outsource it to others? Why?
Both. Sometimes it is more cost effective to outsource when you don't have the talent you are looking for in house. However, if you are not training people in house to become the talent you are looking for, you are doing a great disservice to those in your congregation that just need a little bit of motivation to become the next great whatever.

Why have you as a church staff embraced Twitter?
All the stats from how much of a role social media played in the most recent election could answer that question. We see and understand younger generations are communicating in a whole new way and older generations are either ignoring it at their own peril or trying their best to get onboard before it is too late. We want to effectively communicate the gospel of Christ any way someone will listen. Twitter is the new blog. I personally love it because most of my team sends out tweets, and it is the easiest way to stay up with all of them.

Jody May – Campus/Journey Pastor

How has your experience with LifeChurch.tv influenced your work with Oak Leaf?
LifeChurch.tv is a great organization to work for and they spend a good amount of time training people for their positions while incorporating them into a culture that is fast moving. While at LifeChurch.tv I was able to be involved in something that was way bigger than myself and be a part of a team that is passionate about going after those that are far from God. This is very infectious, and I do not think I could ever do church differently. Saying that, I believe Oak Leaf has very much the same appeal. We are concerned for those who do not yet have a relationship with God, and we are going to be non-apologetic about going after these people. Through my time with LifeChurch.tv I have been prepared to bring my “A game” to the table along with a passion and drive that wants to see real change in those that come on Sunday and those in our community.

How has the multi-campus trend changed your approach to church ministry?

When I first saw it working for LifeChurch.tv I was stunned by the effectiveness of it. There were no giant staffs on a campus and no matter where you went every campus had the same appearance and programs. I could go from my campus in Wellington Fl to the one in Albany NY and know exactly what to expect. That means everything from kid environments to the main experience to mission opportunities. Everyone is on the same page. Even though over 20,00 people got together on a weekend for an experience it really had a feel of being much smaller. People had a place that wasn’t scary and gigantic and they had a local campus they could call home. The biggest change in my approach is that everything we do should be reproducible for future campuses, otherwise why are we doing it?


Do you see Oak Leaf as a multi-campus church in the future? Why?
Yes, I do see our potential in being a church that effectively reaches others by being a multi-campus church. We place value on keeping things simple. That means the fewer ministries we offer keeps operating costs lower. We do not need giant buildings in which to have a weekend experience. We have already done this through a high school auditorium and a movie theater. The small environment creates synergy in a place and is easy to reproduce. We do not want to get tied down to big building costs and multi-program ministries. By keeping it small and reproducible we believe we are accomplishing our goal: “Leading people from where they are to where God wants them to be.”


Michael Lukaszewski – Lead Pastor

You blog daily at YouCanKnowGod.com. Why do you feel it is important as a pastor to keep a blog?
Blogging serves a couple of purposes for me. First, it's how I document my journey and what I'm learning as a church planter and pastor. Secondly, it's a way to connect to the people in our church on a more personal level. Blogging gives me a chance to address topics that I wouldn't normally address on a Sunday morning.

As a smaller church, why do you feel it’s important to have a creative arts pastor on staff?
I'd consider us a small church in the pool of churches that we track with, but we're really not a small church in our area. Our strategy as a church begins with gathering people in weekend services, so that makes the role of the creative arts pastor vital to us. Our creative arts pastor ties everything together and oversees sound, lights, video and all the production elements.

Where do you see yourself going as a church and what role will media and technology play in your growth?
Media will continue to be a dominant force in our culture, so it's wise for us to embrace it. We want to continue to grow and develop, so we tend to follow churches that are much larger than us and see how they are using media and technology. I do think it's important not to become consumed with technological toys and think those things alone will help people grow in their faith. But media can effectively communicate a message where sometimes words fall short.

For more information about Oak Leaf, visit www.oakleafchurch.com.