Church Planting is both an art and a science.  In order to impact the culture that a church is being planted in, there is typically going to be some sort of gathering that is commonly thought of as a “worship service.”  At the Village, we are attempting to create more than a service.  Instead, we are attempting to create more of an experience.  Our desire is to create a worship experience that is not the norm of the Midlothian area.  We want people to experience something that they have never experienced before in order to connect people to God through the hope that is found in His Son, Jesus.

In order to do this, we made the decision to do some research by going to a few churches that are intentionally creating atmospheres in their Sunday morning gatherings designed to create a memorable experience for those in attendance.  The first church was Lifepoint Church in Fredericksburg, VA.  A few weeks ago, Nate did an excellent job of capturing what was learned from a logistics standpoint.  The systems that Lifepoint has designed are excellent, and from the moment that a person drives onto their campus to the moment that they drive off, it is an experience unlike any other church in that area.  From their signage to their sound and lighting they are executing everything with excellence.  They successfully transform a high school into Lifepoint Church every single Sunday.  Through the signs, pipe and draping, and lighting; it barely resembles that of a high school once completely set up.  We learned some very valuable lessons and were able to take inventory of what will be needed in order to transform a school into a church campus.  This also has a great deal to do with their people.  We were able to spend a lot of time talking to the people that make up the volunteer staff of Lifepoint, and the greatest reason that they are able to pull off excellence every single Sunday is based largely on the willingness and worshipful attitude of their people.

This past Sunday, we had the opportunity to go to Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC.  Elevation is one of the fastest growing churches in the US.  They have 3 portable campuses offering 8 different service times.  The question that we are forced to ask about them is, “what is it that sets them apart that has brought such growth?”  From a completely human standpoint, after experiencing 2 different services, I would have to say that it is the atmosphere that they offer in their worship experience.  From the moment you walk into the auditorium there is a buzz of anticipation that begins with a 5-minute countdown, with amazing graphic imagery on 6 different screens covering from stage floor to ceiling.  This makes it possible to easily change the imagery in seconds, which they did a few times throughout the morning.

At the 2 campuses that we were able to attend, it was also obvious that both of the worship bands were committed to what they were doing.  Their stage presence as well as their precision on the instrumentation and singing was not by accident.  They obviously spend hours week in and week out practicing and strategizing as to how best to create an atmosphere conducive to worship.  Nothing during these services happened by accident, because it was all planned out and executed intentionally.

The things that we have learned from both of these churches are very challenging, but very necessary to help us to realize the time, energy, and effort that we must put into creating a worship experience that will connect people to God.  It is not going to happen by accident, and it will definitely not happen by simply showing up on Sunday morning.  It is going to take hours of preparation behind the scenes that no one will see to create an hour that will change people’s lives by introducing them to Jesus.