Creating Home-Field Advantage in a Mobile Church Reality…

I was recently asked to write a “Guest Blog” for the Assemblies of God Church Planting Blog & Website. What follows is that post…

For 7 1/2 years, Next Level Church has existed exclusively in a mobile
reality. We spent the 1st 200 Sundays in a movie theater, growing from the
smallest theater and eventually ended up doing 2 services in the largest
theater. In nearly 400 Sundays as a Mobile Church, we’ve learned quite a bit
about Creating a “Home-Field Advantage” in our Mobile Reality.

With the vast majority of church plants today being launched in Mobile
Environments, the need to avoid “Mobile Fatigue” is greater than ever.

Here’s what we’ve learned…

1.  “Mobile” doesn’t mean “Less.” Too many church planters unconsciously
let their language communicate that their mobile reality is less of a
church, than a permanent facility church. Being mobile is a mindset. For 7
1/2 years, we have created energy and momentum by leveraging a positive
attitude about our mobile reality from the minute people are interested in
our church.

For example, at every new member’s class we say, “Can you believe the state
of Florida built us a $40 Million Dollar building and all we have to do is
set up some equipment and let them have school in here from Monday to
Friday!?!” Right from the time a person joins our church, we want them to
know, “This is who we are and we love it!”

Our staff embodies this as well. They MUST BE the champions of our mobile
reality. The can NEVER say things like, “Someday, we won’t have to do all
this…” or “This is so much work, I’m tired.” Nothing deflates volunteers
who are creating environments for God to change lives like that kind of
leadership.

2.  It’s what you’re doing, but it’s not ALL you’re doing. Too many
churches spend way too much time on their set up and tear down. When we
coach with some churches now, I am always amazed at how it can take upwards
of 2 1/2 hours to set up and as long as 2 hours to tear down.

We set up 4 main environments, our Foyer & Coffee Bar, a 900 seat Auditorium
with full concert quality sound and lighting, our KidsZone with 10 small
group classes, & 5 Pre-K Classrooms in less than an hour. And the bulk of
the set up is done in less than 30 minutes. Our goal in the Auditorium is 23
minutes, and most Sundays our guys get real close!

We decided long ago that the mobile reality was going to be our reality for
a long time and therefore we had to figure out how to not let it become
overwhelming to us. Constant revision and systemization is huge. (See Point
#4.)

3.  Protect your Key Leader. In the early days of our church plant, I was
highly involved in the set up reality of our church and it was horrible. I
remember well being the “door knocker guy” at the front door of our movie
theater each Sunday morning. It was a good day when Mike Ash, our associate
pastor, told me to “get lost” and “spend sometime with Jesus.”

We recommend every mobile church appoints a Chief Operations Officer, or
COO, for Sunday morning who is the go-to guy/girl for the morning. When
something is missing or a coffee bar wheel is flat (trust me, it happens),
they are the person to call, not the lead pastor. (Believe me, he’ll preach
a lot better if you do!)

4.  Get Systematized. A final component to avoiding mobile fatigue is
through systemization. In our coaching and training we stress the need for
systems like crazy. Everything (& I mean everything) in a church can be
broken down into a system. When we create systems, process sheets and job
descriptions for every area of our church, we create 3 Amazing Commodities
for our church:

First, systems create Predictability. Predictability creates trust in your
church attenders. And when they trust that the “Sunday Morning Product” is
going to be the same week in and week out, they’re more likely to invite
their friends. Systems give you that.

Second, systems create Reproducibility. This means that a particular
environment is not dependant on a particular person being there in order for
it to be created the same. We want every area of our church (including the
sound board) to be able to be set up by a 14 year old teenager. If it’s not
that simple, we keep tweeking the system. Plain and Simple.

Finally, systems create Accountability. Without a system, it’s difficult to
know “Who’s Butt’s on the Line.” And with no system to blame, unfortunately
we end up blaming people. Many good volunteers have been hurt by a leader
who blamed them instead of the lack of an adequate system.

When a system breaks down, it’s easy to examine it and fix the system issue
without offending the person who may or may not have been involved.

For nearly 400 Sundays, we’ve see God use a Mobile Reality to change the
hearts of hundreds of people. Mobile Church is not just a passing fad or
trend, it’s a way of life in the new reality we find ourselves in. If you
embrace it, your people will thank you for it.

Bio:
Matt Keller is the lead pastor of Next Level Church in Fort Myers, FL and is
the author of The Up the Middle Church (www.UptheMiddle.com). Next Level
Church coaches dozens of churches each year across the country and
specializes in helping churches embrace their Mobile Reality more
effectively. To contact them, go to: www.NextLevelChurch.com. Matt can also
be found on Twitter @matthewkeller.