Multisite & Portable Churches

HELPING LEADERS BECOME

B E T T E R S T E WA R D S .

Multisite & Portable Churches Before

Presented by: Portable Church Industries

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Table of Contents LAUNCH STRONG: 5 KEY STRATEGIES

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A record number of new churches are launching across North America. Most will initially choose to meet in a rented facility — often a school, movie theater or community center.

While church is never only about the building, renting a space that works with your vision for the new church or campus is very important.

Having helped thousands of churches launch strong and thrive in rented spaces over the past 20 years, our company has determined five “must-haves” when it comes to selecting your portable site.

By Scott Cougill

CHOOSING THE RIGHT FACILITY FOR YOUR PORTABLE CHURCH CREATING THE TEAM & ESTABLISHING THE PROCESS

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Your volunteer vision, strategy, attitude and approach to launching portable churches and campuses will greatly impact the success, discipleship, spiritual formation, community impact and long-term growth of your church.

You’re going to begin life in a rented, secular space like a school, theater or community center. So, is your glass half full or half empty?

Your attitude and approach do matter!

By Scott Cougill

ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT CONSIDERATIONS: 21 EXPERT ADVICE Choosing equipment for a portable church is significantly different than choosing equipment for a permanent church building.

Churches that don’t take into account the unique challenges related to equipping rented spaces will likely make things much harder for their volunteers, as well as experience more breakage, require far more storage, and end up spending more money in the long run.

So, what’s so unique about portable spaces? What are the competing values that impact equipment selection for a portable church?

By Scott Cougill

HOW TO ACCOMMODATE — AND ENGAGE — KIDS IN A MULTISITE OR PORTABLE CHURCH VENUE 22 Creating an irresistible, welcoming environment for young families and their children is important for any church.

However, when you are a church that meets in a rented facility, what additional things should be considered? What are the best practices?

By Scott Cougill churchexecutive.com

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Multisite & Portable Churches

Before

LAUNCH STRONG: 5 KEY STRATEGIES

By Scott Cougill

After

A record number of new churches are launching across North America. Most will initially choose to meet in a rented facility — often a school, movie theater or community center.

While church is never only about the building, renting a space that works with your vision for the new church or campus is very important.

Having helped thousands of churches launch strong and thrive in rented spaces over the past 20 years, our company has determined five “must-haves” when it comes to selecting your portable site.

A multisite church in Alberta, Canada, which meets in a movie theater

#1: A welcoming atmosphere The connections new visitors make with existing members is ultimately what will help them grow into fruitful members of your church community. Surveys show that most visitors make up their mind to return within their first seven minutes on your campus. As such, the tone of your environment and volunteers is critical.

Many venues (a school with cinderblock walls, for example) might not provide a welcoming atmosphere on their own. Fortunately, it’s easy to turn this type of venue into the welcoming environment you want using extra treatments and equipment.

Even so, money can’t buy hospitality — that requires warm, welcoming people out front where visitors arrive.

Additionally, setting up a café in the venue’s lobby or courtyard offers them something special.

And, while it’s critical to use signage to ensure all areas are easy to find, it’s equally important to strategically position people to answers visitors’ questions. #2: A great A/V experience Thinking about all the technology needed to run a church service on Sunday morning can be daunting — especially in a rented venue. You will need a custom combination of: • S peakers with the right coverage patterns and dispersion • P rojectors sized right, based on screen size and lighting control • Correct-size screens viewable from anywhere in the room •W ireless microphones that won’t encounter drop-outs due to competing frequencies in your region • Wires to connect everything.

You must also be able to easily transport and set up all this technology each week.

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After

A community center gym converted to a video venue multisite church

#3: A safe, fun children’s area Church leaders know better than anyone the importance of a safe, secure (and fun!) children’s area. Parents want to know their little ones are in good hands. In a portable church environment, achieving this type of space requires a little extra effort.

If your church meets in a movie theater, the kids’ space could be in the lobby, the hallway or even a party room. If your church meets in a school, the gymnasium can be divided up for different age groups. (Just make sure it’s air-conditioned!)

Dingy walls or inappropriate posters can be covered up using “scuba walls” or something similar. Simple tools can completely transform a space into a clean, bright, fun environment. #4: Parking and easy access On average, you’ll want to allow for 1.7 adults per car. What is your visitor estimate? Will you have enough onsite parking?

If not, consider renting parking spaces. Ask a nearby building or business if your church can use its parking accommodations on Sunday mornings. If your church is meeting in the city, consider renting out space in a parking garage, or at least negotiating for a discounted rate for your visitors. churchexecutive.com

#5: Clear signage Direct, informative signs should not only get people where they need to be, but also create a great first impression. In rented facilities, this can be a challenge; often, you’re competing with permanent signage. So, your church signs need to stand out.

To this end, a basic rule of thumb is to always have a sign in view. When a visitor is standing at one of your signs, there should be at least one other sign in view. It will be a more enjoyable experience if the visitor is quickly and easily able to find exactly where he or she needs to go.

Finding a site where you can launch your portable church is challenging — and involved. Keeping these five tenets in mind will aid your selection process and go a long way toward launching strong.

Scott Cougill is CEO of Portable Church Industries www.portablechurch.com in Troy, MI, a company that has partnered with more than 2,000 churches. Find Cougill on Twitter @ScottCougill.

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CHURCH IN A HOTEL BANQUET HALL

CHURCH IN A 4H AG CENTER

CHURCH IN A GYMNASIUM

CHURCH IN A HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM

YOUR VISION. OUR EXPERTISE.

REMARKABLE SOLUTIONS.

Over twenty years ago, we set out to make portable church® more efficient. Today, with over 2000 churches using our solutions, we are redefining what's possible for mobile churches worldwide. Regardless of where you choose to meet - movie theaters, schools, community centers, or any building in your city - we help you mobilize your ministry.

Our solutions are all-inclusive, providing creative and functional solutions for signage, children's ministry, audio, video, lighting, staging, coffee service, aesthetics, storage, transportation and anything else you need to turn your building into church. Discover your portable possibilities.

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FREE EBOOKS & WHITEPAPERS FOR CHURCH PLANTERS & LEADERS PORTABLECHURCH.COM/RESOURCES

NEW & EXISTING CHURCH PLANTS MULTI-SITES | CHURCHES LEAVING BUILDINGS 800.939.7722 | PORTABLECHURCH.COM @PORTABLECHURCH

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This time-lapse video shows a full church A/V conversion in a gymnasium — in less than 45 minutes!

RESEARCHING MULTISITE?

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NEW RELEASE

CHOOSING THE RIGHT FACILITY FOR YOUR PORTABLE CHURCH

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CHOOSING THE RIGHT FACILITY FOR YOUR MOBILE CHURCH

In 1943, Winston Churchill made an interesting observation about architecture & humanity, “We shape our buildings…and then our buildings shape us.” While church is never only about the building, renting a building for your new church or campus that works with your vision is an integral part of your first steps.

We know that finding the right facility is one of the biggest challenges you’ll face as a new church plant or multi-site. Choosing to have church in a rented space, rather than build a permanent building, allows churches to engage with the community in a recognizable building and begin church in a space that can be leveraged differently as growth occurs.

A record number of new churches are launching across North America. Many of these new launches will choose a lifetime of portability and others may eventually build after years of being a portable church. Whatever you choose to do, you may spend several years as a portable church, so finding the right facility is important.

You want your facility to be recognizable, navigable, relevant and affordable. You know that environment and attendee experience matters and you want the site to capture your church’s DNA and personality. We believe it is worth waiting for the right facility that will flex with you as you grow, rather than a venue that could cap or limit your growth.

It’s no secret we love portability. Portable churches have an incredible opportunity to leverage empty, multi-million dollar facilities on Sunday mornings for the purpose of worship. Here is a guide to help you properly assess your facility.

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CHOOSING THE RIGHT FACILITY FOR YOUR MOBILE CHURCH

PRACTICAL ASSESSMENT When setting out to find the new home for your church or campus, concentrate first on the practical.

Aesthetics are definitely important, but focus on the logistics first.

Facility Location, Curb Appeal, and Layout Ideally, the facility is in the heart of your target area, easy to find, with adequate parking (1.7 adults per car is an average). Here are some additional questions to get you started…

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Is there ample space for the number of children we anticipate? How clean is it?

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Does the facility have seating?

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Is this facility accessible for families, single parents, visitors?

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Is there more than one meeting space for adults & children in the event of building problems or maintenance?

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Is there any time of the year that your main adult space wouldn’t be available on a Sunday? If so, what is the landlord’s proposed back-up space?

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Are you able to section off the entry to the children’s areas (for security purposes)?

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Does this facility allow for a children-only restroom?

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What is the “fire code” capacity for the spaces? Are there codes against signage?

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What is the distance between the children’s areas and the worship area? Is this an acceptable distance to a new family?

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Are there on-site storage options? If not, are there easy locations for trailer load/unloading?

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Is there a kitchen available to use for hospitality?

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If you are in a cold weather climate, is the space all together or in separate buildings, requiring you to walk outside? Is snow removal on Sundays included?

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Are there school plays/dramas/events that have stage props that will be in the way any or all of the time?

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How many seats are there in the main room? (Too many seats is easy to work around; too many might send the wrong message to a newbie.)

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How many parking spots are there? Are there too few, too many?

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How do you feel as you walk through the building?

How do you think a new attendee will feel walking through the building?

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Is there air-conditioning? (Never assume there is)

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Can you bring beverages into the auditorium?

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How high is the ceiling? This is especially important if you want to use trussing.

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What is the situation with ambient light and what is the impact it will have on your service (or your budget)?

Some venues have windows so high you aren’t able to block the light without a lift.

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What is the access to the main floor? Can it be only accessed via stairs or an elevator? How will the available access affect people and material flow?

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CHOOSING THE RIGHT FACILITY FOR YOUR MOBILE CHURCH

Electricity The next very important, practical area to consider is the electrical capacity. Depending on the type of rental facility, age of facility and accessibility of the facility, the electrical capacity varies and, in some cases, can be very limited. Older electricity may not be grounded leading to audio and wireless interference.

Count the electrical outlets. Are there enough outlets to do what you wish? If you are running several screens of video, a full worship band and lighting in a cafetorium that only has two outlets, chances are you don’t have enough. If that’s the case, you can always ask the landlord if he would allow your church to pay for an electrical upgrade. If the answer is no, don’t worry, because there are plenty of ways to bring in portable power.

Remember that certain electrical equipment, especially coffee makers, can use a lot of power and have a tendency to trip the circuit breakers.

Landlord Relationships and Contracts The perfect location and facilities will only be as good as the contract terms and relationship with the landlord. Below are some of the questions to keep mind as you negotiate the rental agreement. After the agreements are signed, the more attention you put to seeking the goodwill of the landlord and facility, the better your relationship will be when it comes to working through issues that arise.

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How much does the landlord want you in their location?

How professional will you and they be in negotiating the agreement, terms, and renewal details?

How much does the facility cost and do they require their personnel to be paid to be present also?

Can you sign the agreement now for a future launch? Will the facility allow onsite storage or coffee in their auditorium?

Whole Ministry Space Your church is made up of many parts and each part should be taken into consideration when choosing a facility. As you continue your walk around the building, try to avoid concentrating on only one value. For example, don’t look at the space only in terms of the café or children’s spaces or main worship areas. It’s tempting to do this based upon your personal passions, but you must assess the building as a whole ministry space for the whole church.

It’s important to know what values will naturally compete against each other when assessing a space. It’s also important to know which items are non-negotiable. For instance, you can walk into a facility assessment knowing that you are not willing to sacrifice the worship experience even if the children’s space is incredible.

During your first facility assessment, the most important thing you can do is see the building as a whole.

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CHOOSING THE RIGHT FACILITY FOR YOUR MOBILE CHURCH

EXISTING EQUIPMENT CONSIDERATIONS Assessing your building from an equipment standpoint is also very important and should be done before you plan for or purchase even one piece of equipment.

At some point, your potential (or new) landlord may offer you the chance to use some of the equipment already on site. For instance, if you’re renting a high school auditorium, they may offer you the use of the school’s mixing console. If you’re renting a movie theatre, they may offer you the use of the speakers or projector. This may be a very tempting offer, but it’s important not to get swept away by the words “free” or “easy” without first assessing the impact of accepting the offer.

Here are some questions to consider when thinking through the offer…

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What is the notification process if the equipment is broken or unavailable for your Sunday needs?

(In other words, is the landlord obligated to let you know that certain things aren’t working prior to Sunday?)

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What are the replacement costs and expectations if a piece of equipment is unresponsive on after use on a Sunday? What is expected of you?

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If you are asked to use another part of their facility on a Sunday, are you able to take their equipment into another part of the facility?

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Are you planning for a mid-week service or a mid-week band practice? If so, and you take

advantage of the free equipment, will you own what you need to host services and/or practices in another space?

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If you break a piece of equipment that was donated for Sunday use by your landlord, do you have a plan in place (both monetary & personnel) to make sure that the equipment is replaced and re-installed for your landlord straightaway? What are the landlord’s expectations in this scenario?

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If they have plays/dramas, are you able to change aiming of lights, are they ok with you changing their mixing board settings?

While there are good reasons to utilize permanently installed equipment, still work your way through those questions and your own “what-if” scenarios before you make your final determination. For example, one of the perks of being a portable church is having equipment ready to go to run outreach events, concerts in the park, youth events or large Super Bowl parties. Depending on permanently installed equipment could hinder this type of mobility.

You may find that it is a better decision to invest in your own equipment rather than run the risks of being without equipment, being tasked with the responsibility of a landlord’s investment or losing access to the equipment should it be re-allocated or permanently removed.

Don’t make a decision today that will impact or hinder your growth tomorrow.

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CHOOSING THE RIGHT FACILITY FOR YOUR MOBILE CHURCH

THE QUALITATIVE CHECKLIST The culture of your facility is just as important as the logistics and equipment capabilities. As you walk through a facility, pay attention to the aesthetics as well as some of the more subtle things about the facility.

Here are some good questions to get you started…

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What is the atmosphere like (what does it smell like, look like, feel like)?

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Am I comfortable here?

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Does this building have good history within my community?

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Is this building conducive to my vision?

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Is this building conducive to building community? To growth?

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Would I be comfortable inviting people into this space?

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Am I excited about advertising this space as the home of my new church or campus?

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Does the building match the vision of what you are hoping to accomplish?

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Is this facility in the area of our target demographic?

Answering “no” to any of the questions above shouldn’t completely derail you from the space you are assessing. There may be a way to work around your initial discontent. Consider the story of a new church plant we worked with in Michigan (let’s call them First Community Church).

First Community Church (FCC) was interested in utilizing a Saturday-Night-Only-Dance Club for Sunday services. The historical venue was well known, was close to their office space, had plenty of parking and had an incredible vibe. Unfortunately, the stench of cigarettes, liquor and body odor lingered in the air fiercely on Sunday mornings.

Since the pastor loved the venue so much, he decided to see what would happen to the stench after an hour of cleaning and heavy candle/incense burning. Before he signed the lease, he arranged for he and a few friends to do just that. The difference was amazing. The spot-cleaning took less than an hour and within two hours, the smell of the cleaners, incense and candles transformed the smell from malodorous to fresh and clean. The pastor knew if he could get a rotating group of five people to come in with the set-up crew on Sundays to light candles and spot-clean, they had a great facility to leverage. That’s just what he did.

Impressively, the pastor of FCC didn’t allow the atmosphere to dissuade him from the facility. Instead, he figured out how to make it better with the minimal efforts of willing volunteers.

If you can make a facility better with minimal effort, it can turn a “no” facility into a “yes” facility.

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CHOOSING THE RIGHT FACILITY FOR YOUR MOBILE CHURCH

RESTROOM CONSIDERATIONS When you bring together a large number of adults and kids, having thought through the quantity, location, and size of restroom facilities is important.

First, how many stalls are available near the potential adult and children’s areas? Believe it or not, there are actually international standards stating the minimum number of toilets per attendees for places of worship.

The recommended ratios are 1:75 women and 1:150 men.

Second, where are the restrooms in relation to where the sermon will be given? You may walk into a gymnasium and be thrilled that there are bathrooms right inside the gym. However, bathrooms can be noisy places and you don’t want to hear the sound of a toilet flushing during your sermon, and no one wants to be the one who just flushed the toilet in front of the entire congregation. Make sure the bathrooms are far enough away from the “sanctuary” so that you avoid the acoustic disruption, but close enough so that anyone who visits during the service won’t have to be gone for too long.

Third, note the size of the plumbing fixtures. The available restrooms in a Preschool, Day Care or Elementary School may only have small, child-size fixtures. You may find that you don’t mind because the other positives of the building outweigh this inconvenience, but it is a question your team should thoughtfully consider. It may be an important consideration as you evaluate the facility for the comfort (and privacy) of those who attending church for the first time.

Fourth, are the restrooms shared with others using the facility on Sundays? Many facilities, especially high schools, have many activities going on even on Sundays. Keep this in mind as you negotiate with the landlord. For example, we worked with one church in a Los Angeles high school that negotiated this into their agreement so that school officials would direct the people attending the outdoor sporting events to other designated outdoor restroom areas instead of the auditorium or children’s area restrooms.

Consider even the restrooms in your assessment to ensure the comfort level of everyone.

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CHOOSING THE RIGHT FACILITY FOR YOUR MOBILE CHURCH

REMAINING ASSESSMENTS As you walk through the building, try your hardest to put yourself into the position of someone who is disenchanted with church or attending church for the first time as an adult. You may even consider the church experience from the point of view of a young family. It’s important to put yourself in their position because even the tiniest thing can quell the momentum of a newcomer.

Here are some questions to help you get in the mindset…

• Will visitors be able to navigate the building easily using signs?

• Can visitors get their kids to registration?

• Can visitors find their way to the restroom?

• Can visitors figure out what they’re supposed to do?

• Do visitors know where to get a cup of coffee?

• How far is the walk from entrance to drop-off children?

• How far is the walk from the children’s drop-off to the worship area?

• Do/can the children’s areas reflect cleanliness?

• Do visitors feel like your children’s area is secure?

It’s questions like this that help you, as a team, determine the building’s viability as it pertains to your overall vision.

Distances and navigation are important. There are a couple of reasons for this: 1) Some parents may have anxiety about leaving their children in a “strange” space (like a church). Knowing their children are close makes a first-time church separation easier; 2) Sometimes, first-timers do not want to talk to people in order to find their way around a facility. In this case, their self-sufficiency is an important part of their first experience.

If the layout of the building is confusing, and it can only be navigated by repeat attendees or by the use of building hosts, it probably isn’t the right place to start a new church. If the building layout is confusing, but can be navigated easily with the use of signs, this may be a great place to start a new church.

Confusion should never be the reason people don’t come back to church. Working through the navigation from these perspectives will help you meet the unspoken needs of newcomers.

Special Bonus Content!

Call our Church Relations Manager to get a comprehensive list of the facilities in which we’ve helped churches launch!

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CHOOSING THE RIGHT FACILITY FOR YOUR MOBILE CHURCH

SUPRISE COSTS On a consultation, I often uncover many costs that were missed in the facility assessment. Sometimes a landlord requires a certain piece of equipment (like gym floor covers, for instance) or there is another unforeseen circumstance – the solution to which is very expensive. Often, these surprises can lead to a venue no longer being within your budget.

Here’s shortlist of the most common things that add costs to your facility.

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Do you need to bring in your own chairs? If so, will you store them in the trailer on chair carts or in the facility on chair carts?

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Does the landlord require gym floor covers?

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Do you need staging, stage carts or storage for the staging?

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Does the landlord require that a member of their staff be in the building during your rental times? If so, is this an additional cost or is it built into the rental agreement?

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Are there blackout dates that will force you to rent a different facility during those dates?

YOUR FINAL QUESTION Perhaps the most important question to ask is, ”Do I like this space?” If you are not comfortable, excited or willing to get excited about that facility, it’s probably not the place for you to launch your inaugural ministry.

Your excitement about your facility will trickle down to everyone on your team and every one of your volunteers. The same is true of your disappointment. If you are caught saying things like “I can’t wait until we find a new facility,” your team will not be as engaged on Sundays with your space. Their engagement is critical to creating the welcoming atmosphere, creative environments and overall experience of a facility on Sundays.

Make sure your team understands your vision, buys into it and will work to support it. Your excitement or disappointment is one of your most important considerations, as it will feed your own buy-in, engagement and passion. You communicate how valuable your visitors are by the experience you give them on a Sunday morning.

Church isn’t about your building, but your building can help or hinder your ministry.

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We’ve helped churches meet in some pretty cool places. If you’re searching for a facility to rent, here is a list of places you might want to check out in your own community. 

Agricultural Centers

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Grocery Stores

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Amphitheatres

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Homes

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Apartment Clubhouses

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Horse Ranches & Barns

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Aquariums

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Hotels

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Art Museums

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Medical Buildings

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Banquet Halls

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Movie Theatres

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Bars / Dance Clubs

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Old Wineries / Winery Warehouses

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Beach Parks

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Other Churches

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Bingo Halls

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Outdoor Malls

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Bowling Alleys

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Outdoor Parks

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Business Warehouse Parks

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Pizza Parlors

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Casinos

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Restaurants with Banquet Rooms

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Colleges & Universities

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Retreat Centers

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Comedy Clubs

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Roller Skating Rinks

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Community Centers

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Sports Facilities

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Community Drama Theatres

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Stadiums

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Drive-In Theatres

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State or County Buildings

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Elementary, Junior & High Schools

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Tents

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Farmer’s Markets

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Vacation Resorts

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Farms

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Warehouses

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Funeral Homes

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Waterparks

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Furniture Showrooms

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YMCA

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Golf Course

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Zoos

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Multisite & Portable Churches

Creating the team & establishing the process

By Scott Cougill

My team at Portable Church Industries has developed a free e-book that goes into many, many more specifics about volunteer structure, training, set-up strategies and staffing. If you’d like more information, you can download a copy here. of men on your volunteer teams and creating a community for men to serve, and get to know and minister to one another.

When established well, this makes it easier to connect new men attenders to other men in the congregation and establish a community where men get plugged in, contribute and grow. There are too many benefits to list in this brief article.

Your volunteer vision, strategy, attitude and approach to launching portable churches and campuses will greatly impact the success, discipleship, spiritual formation, community impact and long-term growth of your church.

You’re going to begin life in a rented, secular space like a school, theater or community center. So, is your glass half full or half empty?

Your attitude and approach do matter!

Attitude. Some church leaders view launching portability as a problem.

Others treat it as an opportunity. The difference between a problem and an opportunity is what we do with it, not what it is to begin with.

Let me paint two different approaches from my five years of leadership working inside and with portable churches.

Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, AL, has 12 church plants / sites, with many more in the pipeline. As their senior pastor, Chris Hodges, shared in the November / December 2015 issue of Church Executive, even though the church has funding to purchase buildings for each launch, they purposefully launch in portable venues to minimize overhead and maximize care for its volunteers and the community. Potential volunteers see that portability is Plan A and can be excited to join into the work that comes with it.

A different (unnamed) church plant meets in a school and regularly apologizes to the setup volunteers and thanks them for their hard work and sacrifice. “Someday we will have our own building; we just have to survive until then.” Pleas from stage for volunteers are frequent. New attenders feel guilty if they don’t take their turn at setup. Images of being a martyr and, “It’s thankless work, but we’ll receive our reward in heaven” reflect the attitude at this church. (I wish I were exaggerating …)

Churches that treat portability as an opportunity can be in position to have ministry impact that most permanent churches can’t. One huge unique ministry opportunity is capitalizing on engaging a large number 18

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Approach. It turns out that the same principles that apply to recruiting and equipping volunteers in the other parts of church apply to the portable church setup and tear-down teams. One unique difference, however, is that — at first — often the Core Launch Team also serves as the Core Setup and Tear-Down Team. It’s a bit like playing both offense and defense in football.

Therefore, with portable churches, you need to develop an extra layer of structure, leadership, processes and care specific to setup and tear-down to maximize efficiency and minimize burnout.

Just like you wouldn’t try to lead your staff or a company without a defined organizational structure, you shouldn’t expect set-up and tear-down to go well without a clear, well-thought-out volunteer team structure. The best practice in this area is to have a volunteer foreperson who oversees the whole process and ensures your church’s quality and excellence standards are met each week. Likely, this foreperson would oversee other volunteer leaders like a volunteer setup / tear-down Worship Leader, Guest Services Leader, and Children’s / Youth Leader.

How many volunteers do you need to effectively staff this area? It depends — on the complexity of your worship setup, the quantity of aesthetic treatments needed, the number of children’s rooms, and whether or not you have invested in a specialized, efficient portable church system to organize everything. As a rule of thumb, if you have a clear structure and you use specialized equipment and systems designed for portable church environments, a setup team of 15 to 20 individuals for a church running 250 to 500 adults is common.

Most churches develop a rotating serving schedule so volunteers won’t burn out. One approach I’m seeing more often now with multisite campuses and church plant launches with smaller core teams is that volunteers will serve each week, but there’s a modified service just for the volunteers before the main service.

For example, if the main service is at 10:30 a.m., but someday you’d like to also have a 9 a.m. service, the volunteers begin early so they finish by 9 a.m. Then, there’s a modified 9 a.m. service with extra prayer and a shortened sermon just for the volunteers. This way, volunteers don’t miss church, the team is strengthened, and the transition of adding a second service is easier.

Scott Cougill is CEO of Portable Church Industries [ www.portablechurch.com ] in Troy, MI, a company that has partnered with more than 2,000 churches. Find Cougill on Twitter @ScottCougill. churchexecutive.com

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CHURCH EXECUTIVE • M U L T I S I T E & P O R T A B L E C H U R C H E S

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Multisite & Portable Churches

Essential equipment considerations:

expert advice

By Scott Cougill

Choosing equipment for a portable church is significantly different than choosing equipment for a permanent church building.

Churches that don’t take into account the unique challenges related to equipping rented spaces will likely make things much harder for their volunteers, as well as experience more breakage, require far more storage, and end up spending more money in the long run.

So, what’s so unique about portable spaces? What are the competing values that impact equipment selection for a portable church?

System design & integration tuned to portability In most portable churches, the venue and setup stays the same each week. (This is the opposite of a “touring design,” where each venue is different.) This site consistency allows for some awesome opportunities in the design, selection and storage of the overall system.

For example, one large church we work with meets in a high school.

As people enter the school, the entire children’s area is off to the right.

Therefore, the church was able to design a beautiful, bright, arched entryway that is custom-fitted to the high school, with matching graphicwrapped registration systems. It’s easy to set up and fits perfectly each week — not to mention, fun! Companies experienced in designing touring solutions tend to miss this opportunity.

Another church we work with has an elaborate stage setup which involves trusses, programmable lights, multiple screens, live video streaming, in-house Wi-Fi, and a sophisticated sound system. Because the auditorium is mostly the same each week when leaders and volunteers arrive for setup, we were able to create an elaborate design and tune it into a system that still can be set up with non-skilled volunteers in just over an hour.

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Designing portable church equipment solutions is a very unique niche skill. As such, using professional designers — who have experience with a number of different rental venues — can add significant value in selecting the best equipment to turn a rented venue into an excellent worship experience.

Logistics Another unique challenge in portable church plants is that the equipment needs to be fully brought in and taken out each week. Some venues occasionally allow the church to permanently install audio/ video/lighting (AVL) equipment in the auditorium or allow the church to store its equipment on site.

For the majority of portable church plants, however, the church must figure out transportation and logistics details. Transportation impacts the selection of equipment; weight, storage and volume matter greatly. Looking at the BALANCED SOLUTION graphic, you will note the competing values.

Chairs are a prime example. We have worked with a church that was using a whole trailer to bring its chairs to the site each week. They didn’t consider weight, stacking and volume, and thus had a full, multi-thousanddollar, 24-foot trailer dedicated to just their chairs. All these chairs had to be carried in by the volunteers, adding significant time to their setup and contributing to volunteer burnout.

By spending just a little more on the right kind of chair, all those needed chairs could have been stored with other equipment on another trailer, saving thousands of dollars. It also would have decreased the number of people trips and set-up time.

Economics The economics of portable church solutions are more involved than just the total price of each piece of equipment. In addition, the cost of the rental venue, wear and tear, replacement costs and equipment life need to be included. In many instances, the venue is rented by the hour. Choosing equipment in a BALANCED SOLUTION — one that’s more efficient — can save thousands of dollars a year in rental costs.

One of the largest errors in equipment selection is ignoring the safe, proper storage of the equipment.

When I was an Executive Pastor, I didn’t understand this well enough.

We purchased good equipment and went cheap on the cases / tubs. We had much of our equipment loose. Consequently, our signs, electronics and kids’ area equipment wore out quickly, had dings and scratches, and had to be replaced much more quickly than other churches’ wares — churches which invested in proper storage cases and solutions.

There are many church planting networks and websites that list essential equipment for church planting. However, since most church plants and multisite churches launch in rented spaces, the essential equipment for launch needs to be looked at through a BALANCED SOLUTION lens. Engaging portability experts early in the process can lower total costs while maximizing the overall worship and volunteer experience.

Scott Cougill is CEO of Portable Church Industries in Troy, MI, a company that has partnered with more than 2,000 churches to launch strong and thrive in rented spaces. Find Cougill on Twitter @ScottCougill. For more information, download a free eBook that goes into many more specifics about volunteer structure, training, setup strategies and staffing.

M U L T I S I T E & P O R T A B L E C H U R C H E S • CHURCH EXECUTIVE

21

Multisite & Portable Churches

How to accommodate — and engage — kids in a multisite or portable church venue

By Scott Cougill Creating an irresistible, welcoming environment for young families and their children is important for any church.

that equipment is stored and transported in heavy cases built in the back garage that scratch floors, the church appears anything but professional to the school. I have witnessed over and over that when the church invests in a professional portability solution, the school / theater / community center treats them better, more professionally, and with more grace.

Theater best practices Can you do children’s ministry well in a movie theater venue? Yes. It can be done well and is being done well by hundreds (maybe thousands) of churches across the country weekly. Valley Christian Church in Poughkeepsie, NY, is one of those churches that does children’s ministry well. They partnered with Regal Entertainment Group and Portable Church to design an excellent and inviting church environment for young families. You can learn more about their story here.

However, when you are a church that meets in a rented facility, what additional things should be considered? What are the best practices?

A great first experience When I was an executive pastor of a multisite portable church, we had a saying that went something like this: “The gospel is offensive enough (Gal 5:1, Rom 9:33); we don’t want to add to the offense by our poor planning, systems, or a visitor’s negative first experience with our church.”

The children’s environment sends a message. Think about the message I received from the church I visited with my children when I arrived 10 minutes before service time and found many adults milling around and inside the classrooms. People were still organizing the room, and a back door to the classroom was open. I got the message that this church was disorganized — and maybe didn’t think any visitors would show up today.

Contrast this with Action Church’s new campus launch in Oviedo, FL. Church leaders engaged Portable Church Industries to design their children’s area at the high school they rent so that new families would have a curbside personal welcome, easy check-in experience, a volunteer escort to the classroom (past a security guard) which was separate from the main worship area, and special treatments in the classrooms that were bright, colorful and engaging for children.

Visiting Action Church, you get the message that Action Church expected visitors and was prepared for them. Visitors will likely conclude that Action Church is this organized and intentional with all aspects of their church.

Launching a new church or campus in a rented facility offers many benefits that permanent locations don’t — lower cost, speed, flexibility, community partnership, and volunteer engagement. That said, creating an excellent and inviting children’s ministry in a rented venue requires different planning and preparation than a permanent campus. From our 20+ years assisting churches launch in rented spaces, here are some best practices of churches that launch children’s ministry well.

Overall best practices Finding enough volunteers for children’s ministry is challenging in all churches. When you add the extra volunteers needed for setup and teardown, it is critical to take the extra time and expense to design setup / teardown solutions that are volunteer-centric — designed to maximize both the volunteer and participant experience. Churches that plan ahead and engage portability experts when designing their portable children’s ministry have better success and don’t wear out the volunteers as quickly as churches that do it on their own.

As a church that will interface with the landlord and community, you will want to be treated professionally and have a professional relationship.

But, if Sunday setup requires extreme early arrivals — because you have hundreds of totes and equipment not designed for quick setup — and if 22

CHURCH EXECUTIVE • M U L T I S I T E & P O R T A B L E C H U R C H E S

School best practices Two (of many) best practices for schools are using treatments and partnering with the staff of the local school directly. Many school rentals are organized by the district office. But, it is the local teachers and custodians who are most impacted. Churches that serve the local school without strings attached create the most favor and best partnership experiences. A number of churches get teacher classroom supplies wish lists and make sure they are filled. Others flood the school with willing volunteers to read and serve. An interesting story about one church (Faithbridge Church) that launched strong in an elementary school is here.

Here are some photos of school treatments that create welcoming environments for children:

Scott Cougill is CEO of Portable Church Industries in Troy, MI, a company that has partnered with more than 2,000 churches to launch strong and thrive in rented spaces. Find Cougill on Twitter @ScottCougill. For more information, download a free eBook that goes into many more specifics about volunteer structure, training, setup strategies and staffing. churchexecutive.com