The Portable Church Challenge

     One of the biggest challenges to being a portable church are those elements that are totally beyond your control. This morning I walked into the theater and found Jason waiting to welcome me bloody knife and all. Although I certainly appreciate the creativity that went into this I could just imagine some of the younger set from Journey freaking out and not wanting to come back to the creepy movie church.  A quick application of some pipe and drape saves the day but in this type of environment you’ve always got to be ready for any challenge thrown your way. For those of you looking at planting a church in a movie theater here are some practical tips.

• Expect the unexpected. Our theater loves to put creative displays together promoting movies. Problem is these displays often alter our Sunday plans. Stop by the theater before Sunday and see what adjustments you might have to make.
• Be prepared. Pipe and drape are your friends. If there is something that will detract from your church’s atmosphere cover it up. Although a certain segment of your church may find a 10 foot tall display of a busty Angelina Jolie with guns blazing attractive not everyone will share in the enthusiasm.

  

• Safety first. If there is something that kids can play on they will. Just because it belongs to the theater don’t think it’s not your responsibility to make sure the environment is safe for everyone.  A portable drill and a few self tapping screws shored up this somewhat floppy display in the middle of the  lobby.
•   Form a good relationship with the manager of your theater. Remember you are sharing space and they are just as worried about you screwing up their work environment as you are about them screwing up your church environment. If you move something put it back where you found it and teach this to all your volunteers. Capture a “before” picture with your camera phone to help you remember where everything goes.
• Learn where light switches, thermostats, alarm panels, breaker boxes, etc, are in your theater. Trust me; one day you will need to know this information.
• Hide your empty carts, boxes, etc, behind the scenes. Your environment will look better without a lot of clutter reminding people that you are portable.
• Be flexible. Movie start times vary and there will be some days that you may have to start tearing down only minutes after setting up especially if you are using your theater’s lobby.
• Finally own the environment. Just because you are portable doesn’t mean you have to look it. Invest money in quality signs and banners. Like it or not some folks may not give you a second chance if you don’t look like you’ve got it all together. Make the best first impression that you can.  Here’s a shot of what you see entering our theater’s lobby.
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