Collide Magazine

The Mobile Church

Tiffani Barnes - Originally posted Saturday, March 8, 2008 -

Is going mobile right for you?

Some existing churches are running out of space in their traditional church buildings and are seeking additional meeting space, new churches are having trouble finding space to purchase at a price they can afford, and still other churches are desiring to expand beyond the walls of the church and meet their community where it is. So what are these churches doing to solve their respective problems? They are going mobile.

In the past this would have been a risky move on the part of a local church, but according to a survey by Dr. Ed Stetzer of the North American Mission Board, 79 percent of people don’t care where a church meets or respond positively to a church that doesn’t meet in a traditional church building. Dr. Stetzer goes on to say: “People matter much more than buildings do. Those you want to reach are far more interested in how welcomed and loved they feel when they walk through your doors than they are about where you are meeting.” (The survey results, titled “Where Should a New Church Meet?”, can be found at www.namb.net.)

If you’re interested in starting a mobile church, or taking your current church mobile, there are several factors to consider. For instance, what venues are best suited for a mobile church? What kind of audio/video equipment is required? What other resources does a mobile church necessitate? Let’s talk about what it means to be a mobile church.

Pros
Meeting in a non-traditional location usually works best for churches reaching out to the unchurched and those who have been turned off by traditional church. If that’s the demographic you are trying to reach, meeting in a non-traditional building may be a plus for your audience.

For new churches and churches saving to build, renting a worship space one day a week is cheaper than owning a space that is largely unused six days a week. Your church could then put the money it would spend on loan payments, utilities, and maintenance costs into things such as equipment, staff, missions, capital savings, and community involvement. Going mobile also may be a church’s best option in areas where real estate is hard to come by and prices are high.

Cons
When you don’t have space to call your own, one of the chief concerns is where to put all your equipment and supplies when they’re not being used. In addition to renting space in which to meet, you also may need to rent storage space for all your church’s stuff.

Another major consideration is portability. Everything needs to be either portable by hand, on wheels, or in a case on wheels so it can easily be moved in and out each week. This includes the big stuff such as speakers and the little stuff such as pens and name tags.

Setting up and tearing down a mobile worship space on a weekly basis can be quite an undertaking. Generally, this requires a lot more volunteers than a church would need in a permanent setting. However, these volunteers are going to be more invested in the well-being of the church, which makes them more likely to invite their friends and tell other people about what the church is doing.

Also, remember that it’s not just a sanctuary space that has to be created each week, but nursery and children’s areas as well.

Last, using someone else’s building means you don’t have permanent signage, which can make it hard for prospective attendees to find you. Discuss the possibility of permanent signage, or at least quality temporary signage during your services, with the building’s owners to address this issue.

Location
Assuming you have weighed the pros and cons and have decided to go mobile, you have to find a space to meet your needs. The most popular place to meet these days seems to be a movie theater. One of the best-known theater churches is National Community Church in Washington, DC. NCC meets in four locations in the DC area, three movie theaters and Ebenezers Coffeehouse. Theaters make great locations because they come with built-in seating, screens, and a sound system, which can decrease both equipment costs and setup time.

But, of course, movie theaters aren’t the only places mobile churches are meeting. Many churches are choosing school auditoriums and gymnasiums because they offer more space than a movie theater auditorium, which means churches might not run out of space as quickly. However, gyms and school auditoriums don’t always offer all the amenities you get at a theater. You need to provide your own projectors, screens, and sound equipment.

Some churches are taking the non-traditional meeting space to the extreme. Revolution Church, started by Jay Bakker 13 years ago, has met in a house and various coffeehouses. Now the Atlanta church meets in a photography studio and the New York church meets in a bar called Pete’s Candy Store.

Bay Hills Community Church in San Francisco meets in a school gym down the street from the 70-year-old chapel they outgrew a little more than a year ago. The church still owns the chapel and uses it for office space and youth gatherings, says Bay Hills worship pastor T.J. Goff.

Sharing space comes with its own unique set of problems. Your church is at the mercy of the organization from which you are renting. They determine when you have access to the space and when it has to be relinquished each week, which means early mornings or late nights might be required to accommodate the normal activities of the building’s owners.

There also can be friction between the church and its landlord concerning things such as trash left out, doors left unlocked, and volunteers setting off alarms, just to name a few. Goff recalls how a surprise fire inspection meant Bay Hills had to “spend $3,000 to install a sprinkler head in the closet built to house all the dimmers for the lights.” Recognize ahead of time unforeseen issues will arise.

Equipment and Resources
If you are considering meeting in a movie theater, check out Cinemeetings & Events at National Cinemedia. They handle theater space rentals for most of the major theater chains and have specific rental packages designed for churches.

Once you’ve secured your location, you’ll need equipment. There are several companies that specialize in helping churches go mobile. Portable Church Industries has been in the business for more than 10 years and offers everything from consultation to onsite training. Another resource is Church On Wheels. They specialize in portable staging, seating, sound and lighting equipment, and all types of support and transportation equipment, too. If you’re the rebel who likes to do it on your own, check out Mobile Church Solutions at www.church-equipment.com. There you will find a plethora of helpful resources, including a free equipment list that covers everything from sound and lighting to boxes and bins so you don’t forget a thing.

Final Considerations
Before you go mobile, visit a church that is successfully doing it. Ask questions and learn from their mistakes. Most churches are more than willing to talk about what works and what doesn’t, so why reinvent the wheel?

Next, don’t forget the kids. Parents want to know their kids are having a good time while being safe and supervised. Make sure you carve out room for them in your new space.

Organization is key to the success of every mobile church. Develop systems for setup and teardown, and then train your volunteers. Also, have contingency plans in case things go wrong. No doubt something will, so be prepared.

Also, be sure to inventory and insure your equipment because it can be stolen in a flash. On the eve of their first service in the new space, the Bay Hills team arrived at their storage container to find it broken. Naturally, most of the electronic equipment was missing. (Did I mention to have a contingency plan in case something goes wrong?)

Take care of your volunteers. They are devoting significant hours to help the church succeed so make sure they know how much you appreciate them for their time. Also, remember that life circumstances can change so make sure you have a smooth exit strategy for volunteers who can no longer commit the time or who just need to take a break. Burned out volunteers who feel guilty about quitting become disgruntled volunteers who can poison the whole team.

Finally, moving into a non-traditional environment gives you license to try things you might not normally consider. Don’t be afraid to experiment. If you’re in a movie theater, you have that huge screen—use it! Mark Batterson, pastor at NCC, calls movie screens modern-day stained glass. Find the hidden creatives in the church and let them go nuts. You might be surprised with the results.

Going mobile might just be the best thing that’s happened to your church in quite a while. It gives you space so you can grow and license to try something new. Who knows, you might like it so much that you decide to make your mobile church permanent.

Tiffani Barnes, a graphic designer and multimedia producer at Infinitelightmedia.com, is the Faith Evangelist for iStockphoto.