This post is by far one of the most important concepts that has affected the overall atmosphere on a Sunday morning at Elevation Church. It’s really pretty basic and probably something on every church planter’s checklist. But I think it’s also one of the first things that may lose its priority especially when there is no easy solution. We’ve learned that it’s not free Starbucks coffee but rather room seating dynamics that dictate the energy level in our Sunday Morning Worship Experiences. And this is something that we are very intentional about controlling.

I know- here they go again; the church is manipulating people by controlling the environment on Sunday morning. No- the church is actually using their brains to create a distraction-free environment for the God of the universe to speak to those who may not know him. Why not control a room? What’s more distracting than an empty room and empty seats?

The golden rule in church planting has always been that a room that is 80% full is done growing. And there is a lot of truth to this but I’d argue that a room that is less than 80% full is not only a distraction but a reason for a visitor not to want to come back. Guests feel alone and singled out in a sparse room. They wonder why nobody else is there. Today’s culture likes to blend in when placed in a new environment. 75 people spread over a 250 seat venue is not only disturbing for those in the seats but try being the preacher.

Why not be creative and somehow shrink the room to 100 seats to achieve critical mass. Or better yet somehow start with 60 seats (liked you planned it) and then when 75 people show, all they’re talking about is how you had to free up more seats because “that placed was so packed��?. The rule of thumb is to always look like more people showed up than you were expecting. This is a fundamental principle to maintaining momentum.

So, our golden rule is to always set out too few chairs, block off more seats than we need to, and have everybody leave talking about how crowded the room was. We pack the rows tight and hope that the only empty seats (if there are any) are behind the people. Of course this offends some that like to sit in an aisle seat and those that want to sit in the back because the music is too loud. (So we do things like put an earplug dispenser in the lobby and risk offending the easily offended.)

Sure, it’s inconvenient to have ushers ask people to squeeze in, and to move pipe and drape back as more people come in. And we have people say “Why don’t you just open up all of the seats��? or “set out all of the chairs��?. It would be easier not to have to do these things but nothing is more important than doing our part to create a distraction-free environment for God to move in people’s hearts. We believe that empty seats lead to distractions and a lack of anticipation. Most non-Christians understand packing a house for things like concerts and movies. These events tend to be crowded when they are worth going to but somehow church is supposed to be boring and you sit wherever you want because there are plenty of seats.

For those who are filling up one service- add a second service. Some need to add a third. Some churches need to move to a bigger venue and make it feel small initially by controlling the seating dynamics and shrinking the room. Whatever you do, never settle for not being able to grow as a church. You should always strive to have some empty seats. Just get creative in how you hide or block off those seats while maintaining critical mass in the available seats for every worship experience.

Chunks Corbett, Executive Pastor

Filed under: Church Planting, Creative Elements, Growth | Comments Off

If you’re considering spontaneous baptisms the event just became a whole lot easier.

We’ve compiled the hours we spent planning into a concise format that will fast forward the process. The systems and practices in the kit were utilized over the past two weeks in which 388 people were baptized between our two campuses. It was an experience that profoundly changed those who were baptized, produced a new level of resolve in our volunteers and instilled an attitude of excitement throughout the church.

Begin by reading Part 1 and Part 2 of our previous Spontaneous Baptisms blogs if you haven’t done so already. Feel free to rip us off and make it better. The only thing we ask in return is that you share the stories and let us celebrate with you.

Check out the entire kit online.

Larry Brey – Assimilation Pastor

Filed under: Creative Elements, Growth, Worship | Comments Off

One of the most overwhelming tasks for me when I first started as a
Children’s Pastor was to figure out what I needed to purchase (and where to
purchase it)! We’ve compiled a basic list below of equipment and supplies
we found helpful to buy before launching our first service. The lists are
broken into three age categories: babies & toddlers, pre-school, and school
age children. I hope this helps you as you begin the process of preparing
for the children.

Click here to download the E-KIDZ SUPPLY/ EQUIPMENT LIST

Heather Bishop - Children’s Pastor

Filed under: Children's Ministry | Comments Off

Have you heard of the 6 P’s? It’s an old saying that goes “Prior Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance”. You may have heard it with a 7th P, but we won’t go there. That axiom could not be truer if you’re considering spontaneous baptisms. The amount you plan will have a profound impact upon the success of the baptisms. This is a two week process you can’t spend too much time drilling down. At the end of day when tens or hundreds of people have had a life changing experience, it’s worth every minute.

Here’s an overview of the major components involved in the process:

Scheduling the Worship Experience
We started with one worship song, announcements and a second worship song. We wanted to move as quickly as possible into the sermon because every second was so important. It was a powerful 30 minute message dispelling traditions and calling people to go public with their faith in Jesus Christ. The sermon ended with Lead Pastor Steven Furtick walking into the baptismal tank fully clothed. He called his mother up onto the stage and proceeded to baptize her. It was an incredible moment dispelling religious traditions and it certainly helped that it was Mother’s Day. Next was the call to action and a prayer. Following the “amen” people began to move from their seats as the band played “Rain Down”. Our producer, Damion Pirolli, actually made it rain on stage during the song. It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen!

Moving People
As people moved from their seats they were directed to a “dry” changing facility. It was close to the stage and as people walked into the changing area they where given a bag containing dark shorts, dark t-shirt, undergarments and a pony tail holder for women. They put on the baptism gear and placed their street clothes in the bag and headed out of the changing room. Since we only had 5 minutes to get the first few ready, time was critical. We obtained very little information on the front end and moved people out on stage as quickly as possible. The only paperwork we had them fill out before they were baptized was a nametag that was placed on their upper left chest and a simple name card.

The Baptizing
We looked at a variety of options for the baptismal tank and made the decision to purchase a large fiberglass baptistery. It’s what most churches install as their permanent baptistery and it was worth every cent. It allowed people to walk in one side and out the other making flow of traffic a breeze. Because of its size and the way we dressed it, it set the stage for an impacting and efficient experience. As people approached the tank they handed their name card to a staff member who announced the name as the person was helped in the tank. Pastor Furtick handled all the baptisms and yes he was quite sore after baptizing 209 the first Sunday. A total of 15 minutes (per worship experience) was allotted for the actual baptisms. We adjusted the pace of the baptisms according to the number of people that responded. It was as simple as positioning the next person to get in the tank at the top of the steps or on the floor at the base of the steps. The simple adjustment allowed us to baptize as many as 84 in one worship experience or as few as 27 in another.

After the Baptisms
People were helped in and out of the tank by a multitude of ushers. They immediately had a towel thrown over their shoulders and were escorted off stage where they were given a pair of flip flops for the rest of their walk. Since we now had time to slow down we were able to have people give us their contact information for follow-up. We were forced to use separate “wet” changing facilities because we had to turn the dry changing rooms around for the second and third worship experiences. In retrospect it was the best way to proceed because it allowed us to have simple areas where people could change and was very close to the stage. The wet changing rooms were the high school locker rooms in a different building and allowed us to set-up everything they needed to change back into their street clothes.

Volunteers
Without the hands and hearts of 55 volunteers dedicated solely to the baptisms, the morning would have been a disaster. They were divided up into teams with an assigned team leader running point and problem solving. We placed our best volunteers in those critical roles, trained them in the processes and empowered them to make decisions. We utilized the Saturday before the baptisms to set-up everything up as well as train the volunteers on the entire process.

Remove the excuses
To move people to action, to get them out of their seats, you must diffuse every possible excuse. “What will I wear”? Well, we have shorts, t-shirts and underwear. “But I don’t have anything for my hair”. No problem; we have hair dryers, hairspray, combs and brushes. “But my family is not here”. We have a professional photographer and we’ll send you a picture in the mail. To remove all the excuses means you have thought of the possible responses and taken steps to answer their questions before they ask.

As you see there is a lot of detail and planning involved with spontaneous baptisms; that’s why we’re putting together a spontaneous baptism kit. We’ve gathered everything we developed related to our spontaneous baptisms and are making it available for anyone who’s interested. It will be posted on the blog this Friday so check back and pick it up. It’s totally free and we want you to rip us off, use what we did and make it your own. The only thing we ask in return is that if you do spontaneous baptisms, share your stories with us; let us celebrate with you! Send your stories and questions to

Larry Brey – Assimilation Pastor

Filed under: Assimilation | Comments Off