On August 26th, 2007 I was standing on a stage in Riverside, CA. My arms were raised while perspiration was dripping down my face. The guitar that was hanging around my neck was severely out of tune and my ears were ringing from a horrible monitor mix. A basketball hoop hung over my head. The gymnasium was an audio engineer’s nightmare and my band was an ragtag group of amateurs. A UPS driver. A car salesman. A seventh grade teacher. A Starbucks Barista. We were hitting sour notes all over the place. Yet this was quite possibly the greatest moment of musical worship I had ever experienced.
Twenty-four hours later I walked into the most expensive church building I had ever been in. I would soon be leading worship in one of the most technologically advanced worship centers in the US. I was blown away by the intelligent lighting system, ProTools console, and neverending rows of chairs. 3,018 to be exact.
Only professional musicians played on that stage and I was far from that. But this would be my new church. I almost felt guilty.
Almost.
Oh, how things can change in twenty-four hours. Yet underneath all the ProLightXtravaganza and basketball hoops there is a core of commonalities between the two venues – and lots of lessons both environments can learn from each other. Here are a few.
What the Megachurch Can Learn from Church in a Gym
1. Worship in the Fluorescent. We are making a mistake by ALWAYS having programmed lights, videos, and loops. These are all great things that can aid in bringing people into His presence, but they are not necessary. What happens when we keep listening to the same CD over and over again. We eventually stop hearing the beauty in it and we replace it with something new. New in your world may be all the house lights on. I know. This is close to blasphemy in some of your heads. Trust me - if they can worship in the fluorescent, they can worship anywhere.
2. If you build it, they will come. There is something to be said about having to build an entire church auditorium in one hour. When people sit in seats that they carried-in and look at screens that were hung that morning, there is ownership involved. Church does not happen without them. And the worshippers OWN it. Give your people something to own on Sundays. Your worship will accelerate. I promise.
3. Shift Happens. Changing things on a Sunday morning may seem like a disaster waiting to happen. But sometimes it is OK to adjust things as the morning progresses. I agree that God can move just as much in preparation as inspiration. Yet sometimes the greatest times of worship are when the generator blows in the middle of the song and all you hear are hundreds of voices getting louder because now THEY are the instruments. And you can't program that.
What the Church in a Gym Can Learn from the Megachurch
1. Small does not equal suck. Your people come to your church because they are in love with how Jesus Christ is shaping their lives through your ministry. Don't go half way. Strive for excellence in every facet of what you do, from band rehearsals to Sunday programming. Even a small shift in attention to detail can create a much better worship experience.
2. Bono has nothing on Mrs. Smith. Your volunteers are rock stars. Treat them that way. Shower them with praise and even go the extra mile by creating a space for them on Sundays to unwind and relax. A green room of sorts. It may be one more thing that you have to set up but they will feel the love when they get a room with Green M&Ms and a Wii while everyone else waits in a twenty-minute line for bad coffee.
3. Sally the bongo player. Look. Just because they can does not mean they should. I am a believer in doing a few things excellently rather than lots of things poorly. If you have a great worship leader and a bad drummer, have acoustic Sundays until you get a better drummer. Don't be scared to strip things down until you can pull things off excellently. Your people will thank you for it.
So there you go. I love the nine years I spent in a gym. I love the building God has given my community to worship in now. Both environments should celebrate where God has them while looking to each other for a shove in the right direction.