Learn more about the PCI Bistro Cart and its various configurations.
Space naturally demands to be filled, and when you have a large number of people in the same place at the same time, it seems only right to define a space around which these people can converse and interact with one another. This is precisely what the Bistro Cart is for.
Unveiled at the Exponential Conference prior to the pandemic in 2020, the Bistro Cart can serve as a coffee service, a welcome center, or even a guest service center in lobbies.
We want you and your team to know how you can easily break the ice with first-time visitors or guests using this easy-to-use and portable Bistro Cart.
Provide excellent direction for your people when you learn the importance of portable church signage.
Signs are often taken for granted, even though they are the backbone of ensuring the efficient movement of people. We depend on signs to help us navigate through grocery stores, on the road, and in buildings that we are unfamiliar with. Your portable church needs signs, that’s for sure.
It’s a good idea to secure your signage before launching because effective signs will help you host an impactful launch day. Launch days are busy and as a new church, you may not have enough people to help direct newcomers. Overcome this potential stress by securing signs before you launch.
Portable Church Industries’ test is to ask church planters to consider a shy, introverted mother who might be attending alone with three small children. Can she get to kid registration, coffee, and worship without having to talk to anyone?
This may surprise you, but remaining “solo” is what a lot of people prefer, especially for the first few times they attend. Of course, this is an extreme example but if this hypothetical person can navigate to these important places, then you’re on the right track.
Here’s a list of portable church signs you should have. We’ve based this advice on 3 critical categories and from our extensive experience in working with thousands of churches.
Menu signs are great at-a-glance signs that provide a big picture. For instance, at the entrance, an attendee should be able to see in which direction the Worship Center is and where the Children’s Ministry area is, too.
Menus should include
Worship
Children’s Sign-In
Coffee
First-Time Visitors
And then other main areas that may apply, like College Ministry, etc.
Menu signs don’t need to be too big and churches usually use pullup banners for them. They’re simply signs that tell someone which direction they need to walk in to get to where they want to go.
2. Wayfinding: Portable church signage that uses arrows
Wayfinding signs direct with arrows and is a more definitive guide for your people. These are generally signs that are seen from any point in your church.
These signs are really important because they not only effectively direct people to key church areas but also signify where to go in an emergency. Think about signs that show the way to an exit or gathering point.
Pro-tip for portable church signage:
Get your wayfinding signs professionally printed without arrows, but rather a blank space where the arrow is meant to be. Use velcro and attach professionally printed arrows in the right direction. This gives flexibility and saves you time and money for if/when areas move.
3. Destination
Destination signs can range from signage on the curb that announces your church’s presence nearby, to parking lot signs, to door signage designating the class held in that room.
Destination signs are usually very easy to read, without too many words. Make sure these are very direct and placed in an accurate location because they’re usually the last sign that someone follows before reaching their destination. You don’t want to place these in a slight off-the-mark location, which may lead to confusion.
Each sign should be specifically designed to suit its purpose. Many portable church signage solutions are versatile and can even fulfill the criteria of all types cited above.
Churches ready to reach more people must learn lessons from those who have gone before them.
If you speak to anyone who has walked the road of going multisite or planting a church, they will tell you that learning from those who have gone before you is a top priority. This is advice that you may have already heard but it’s worth repeating because of how true it is.
If your church is ready to reach more people and go multisite or plant a church, it is time for you to look for input from experts and those who have learned valuable lessons on their own journeys.
Stephen Trammell, pastor and senior leader at Champion Forest Baptist Church, Texas, is someone who has learned numerous lessons from being part of the team that led their church into going multisite.
His team reached out to Portable Church Industries to ensure that they didn’t forget a thing. However, Stephen’s advice goes far beyond reaching out for expert help. He has processed what he has learned and is able to share actionable advice to churches ready to reach more people. What’s more, is that he offers statistics that help put going multisite into perspective.
Though our interview with him was extensive, in this article we have selected Stephen’s input on:
Actionable advice for going multisite
Statistics that draw us back to the church in Acts
Make sure to earmark this information to consult when your church is ready to reach more people.
Actionable Advice One Multisite Leader Gives to Churches Ready to Reach More People
Q: What would you say to another church that is on the brink of going multisite to reach more people?
Stephen’s answer: I would say go for it. It’s one of the most efficient and effective strategies to fulfill the great commission. And the beauty is, if your church is healthy then you want to duplicate that. What if you could take the experience of your original church campus and take it to where people are; if you could just infuse your DNA into another segment of your community?
Step 1: Do a geo-map of your membership
See where your already-existing members are situated in relation to your original campus. You will want to find pockets of where your current membership lives, around a 10–15 minute drive away from your original campus. You don’t want to go too far beyond that circle because then it becomes difficult to duplicate DNA. You want to be able to ask people who live in a particular region if they would be willing to help you launch a new campus near them.
Explore the land and find what is available in the region you’re looking at launching in. Perhaps there is a school building or a theater.
Step 3: Read
I would also read every book available on multisite churches and listen to a lot of podcasts on multisite. There are so many resources available to us related to multisite – many that live on the Portable Church Industries’ blog.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Stephen’s answer: Let me give you some stats on multisite that may be beneficial to you:
In 1990, there were ten multisite churches in the United States. In 2005, there were more than 1,500 multisite churches. And now there are more than 8,000 multisite churches. The reality is that multisite is not a new concept. When you read the book of Acts, it’s a multisite church.
So, what I want to say is: Continue to walk closely with the Lord and God will show you what’s next, He will show you how to extend your reach, He will show you how to expand the vision of your current reality, and God will raise up people within the church members who will have the same calling to go multisite. Not everyone will go with you but you don’t want everyone to go with you. The goal is to have a core group of people to go with you and then focus on reaching new people for Christ.
But here is the key: your senior pastor has to be fully on board and fully committed to going multisite to reach more people.
CHURCHES READY TO REACH MORE PEOPLE MUST LEARN BEFORE THEY ACT
Acting before learning often leads to a far more arduous journey to going multisite. As Stephen Trammell points out in his actionable points, there is a wealth of knowledge out there and it should be accessed before you embark on your multisite journey. But where to start? There are a lot of podcasts, ebooks, and articles for you to access, right at your fingertips. There are also courses, specifically designed to educate you on the ins and outs of going multisite.
Are you leading a church that’s ready to reach more people? We are here to help. Book a free consultation with us today.
Learn how to make the best brew in town with this instructional video on how to use portable church’s coffee brewers.
Portable church’s coffee brewers are very easy to use and clean, which makes all the coffee-lovers and servers super happy. As with most machines, it’s best to know the recommended instructions for correct use. This is why we have a detailed video that will guide you through using portable church’s coffee brewers correctly.
We recommend that everyone on your serving team watches this video and learns how to make a great cup of coffee with your equipment.
How and why to remove water from the coffee brewer
Descaling and cleaning the coffee brewer
The useful magnets that are included with portable church’s coffee brewers
Make sure you share this clip with anyone who will be serving hot beverages at your church to ensure your people get the best brews in town.
Does your church or ministry need to set up a beverage station? Do you have questions about the various options available for creating a beverage area? We’re here to help! Book a call with us today.
Keep your church plant launch timeline manageable with a 90-day launch checklist.
A church launch is no simple task. Hundreds of elements must all come together at the right time and in the right way for it to be a success.
No doubt, you and your team have read numerous articles or books about launching, and you’ve probably consulted with experts, too. However, it would be way more useful to have all of their knowledge, condensed and neatly collected into a step-by-step procedure for you to follow.
Essentially, you need a checklist. Checklists are easy to use but tremendously important for planning and accomplishing a church launch. Checklists help you to focus on what needs to be done and they keep you from getting caught up in the details.
In the words of lead pastor, Craig Kackley, “Nothing was going to stop us…but I like to work smart not hard.” And this is exactly what a checklist offers a launch team: the opportunity to work smarter.
People can assume that checklists are only important for the day or two leading up to a launch but what is truly needed is a 90-day launch checklist. A checklist like this will keep your church plant launch timeline manageable and by the time your launch date comes up, you’ll be more than prepared.
90-day Launch Checklist: Keep Your Church Plant Launch Timeline Manageable
For those who are not convinced that lists and structure are well-suited to their style of leadership and planning, check out these 3 reasons why a checklist will make the run-up to your church launch significantly easier than if you didn’t have one.
1. A plan that is ready to go
Rather than needing to brainstorm for hours with your team, a ready-to-go checklist has already been worked out, edited, and finalized by church launch experts. You should only find mission-critical tasks on your list that directly contribute to launching.
Right from the start, your checklist should have headings, such as
Develop a marketing plan
Determine your target audience
Run advertising campaigns
Design social media ads
However, each of these headings should have actionable steps that will lead you to ticking off these items quickly and without confusion along the way.
2. Overcome the Overwhelm
Taking on a big task like launching a church can leave leaders feeling considerably overwhelmed. In moments like these, you need to receive direct instructions on what to get done and how to get it done. You don’t need excess information, you need straightforward direction.
Wayne Fisher, pastor at Faithbridge Church, TX, reached out to Portable Church Industries for help with launching and this is his take on how the expert help impacted his launch:
“Why wouldn’t you consult with PCI? If you do it yourself, you are going to land in the back of your pickup truck with a guitar and people around you in lawn chairs, because there is only so much you can do. And at the end of the day, the ministry is what matters. You’re walking uphill trying to put something together by yourself.”
Your mind may be focused on the launch itself, but how will people know that you’re launching if you don’t publicize the date and what you have planned for the event? These steps seem like a need in the distant future, but they really are mission-critical. And a good checklist will outline the steps you must take to gain successful exposure.
WHY KEEPING YOUR CHURCH PLANT LAUNCH TIMELINE MANAGEABLE IS IMPORTANT
We all want to do things well. And some are better at managing their time, resources, and expertise than others. Using a helpful resource, like a checklist, will benefit your whole team and church because everyone involved in the process will be following the same set of guidelines.
Download the complete 90-day launch checklist and host a fantastic launch day that will draw your community to church.
Get inspired to create inviting portable church spaces with these transformations.
The portable church space transformations that take place on Sunday mornings always blow our minds. We see churches all over the country take a generic stage or room and turn it into a functional space, befitting a worship service or ministry. It’s amazing!
How do churches bring their visions to life?
With careful consideration of the venue and goals, churches have many design solutions to choose from. Whether it’s a box solution or a fully design, portable church spaces are efficient, durable, and volunteer-centric.
Take a look at the before and after images below and consider what kind of equipment and effort it took to make the transformations. (Hint: Probably less than you think!)
4 Impressive Before & After Photos of Transformed Portable Church Spaces
1. Gymatorium Worship Center
This multipurpose gym and auditorium isn’t limited to just those two roles: it’s also the home of a weekly church gathering.
With sound equipment, lighting, and an impressive screen, the design transforms this portable church space into an inviting worship venue.
This church creatively placed on stage to block unwanted visuals and improve acoustics, all while creating an interesting stage design.
With strategically placed play panels and carpets, this area is ready for kids of different ages or a variety of classes.
In a children’s ministry area like this one, playing music or magnifying voices will help in teaching and corralling the group, and of course, facilitating worship. Whether your kidsmin area is small or large, we have sound solutions to suit your portable church space.
This is another example of a drastic transformation, both in stage design and attendee experience.
What’s especially impressive is the use of seating arrangement, screens, and a variety of lighting to create an intimate setting in what would otherwise be a stale, acoustic-less gym.
Bandroom Children’s Area
With carpets, multimedia, tables, and toys, it only takes one look to know this band room has been transformed and outfitted for kids — and fun.
Unified play panels create a perfect backdrop for turning it into a colorful and inviting children’s ministry area. In addition, the panels protect the room’s valuable equipment from its visitors.
Although different from one another, each of these before and after images represents similar journeys. Every transformation began with a dream to welcome the unchurched into their community, which is made easier by these approachable, updated worship centers and ministry areas.
Need an “after” for your “before”? We’d love to help!
Discover the quickest way to lay your portable church foam flooring in your kidsmin space and improve your set-ups times.
With most tasks in life, there is a slow way to do it, and a more efficient way, too. Your team should be trying to find the quickest, safest, and most efficient ways to set up and tear down because no one truly wants to spend longer than needed to do these tasks.
Foam flooring can take some time to get used to and setting it up can take much longer than anticipated if you don’t know the best way to lay each piece. We want you and your team to know the most efficient way to lay your portable church foam flooring, so that your Sunday setting up is not held back by this task and your kidsmin area looks ready and waiting for some fun to be had.
Make sure you share this clip with your kidsmin set-up team so that they can get this task done more efficiently.
Does your church or ministry need portable church foam flooring? Do you have questions about the various kidsmin environments we can create? We’re here to help! Book a call with us today.
Make your church-planting journey easier by spending time learning about where to plant a church.
Your church is blessed and has an abundance of volunteers and leaders who are driven to widen the reach of the gospel. Your church has been directed to plant a new church, but how do you determine where to plant a new church?
This is a scenario commonly seen when it comes to church planting.
CAN’T WE JUST PLANT A CHURCH ANYWHERE?
Deciding where to plant a church takes time and research. It’s like a pastor writing a sermon: they take care in asking God what message needs to be heard, they seek guidance from God, and they consider what messages have been spoken before.
It’s the same when you look into planting a new church. Ultimately, God must guide your leadership team to where He wants a new church planted. But it also helps to be well-studied in the realms of church planting and what has been advised by the people who have walked this road before you.
There are extensive resources that provide valuable information on this topic. But to set you on the right path, there are three points that should be considered.
A great vision, deep faith, and an abundance of money are not the deciding factors on where a church should be planted. Indeed, these three factors are important, but the most important factors to be considered are:
Is the area spiritually receptive?
Does your church have a social network in the area?
Does the leader of the new church have local knowledge and relationships in the new area?
If the answer is “yes” to all of these factors, this means that your church and its leaders are very familiar with the potential area and it is likely that the choice you make will be well-informed.
If you can’t answer “yes” to these, don’t be discouraged. This either shows that you need to do more research and spend more time in this area, or that it may not be the right area to plant in.
Never undervalue your hometown or a place where you have spent a lot of time. Often, people are tempted to seek adventure and plant a church far away from everything and everyone they know. But God uses what you have and what you know – so don’t forget about the area and the people you already know.
Have you and your leadership team spent time building a strategy for reaching an entire region with the gospel? This is something you should do because it will help you plan where to plant a church.
Working with a strategy will mean that you consider a large region that God has shown you needs more churches, and within that region, you will research the best areas to establish a church. You can imagine the well-known movie scene of a map on the wall with red pinpoints in a certain area, identifying ideal places.
Of course, your map points may be a bit different from where God leads you in the end but there will be a good framework in place to work from.
3. Launch a church where a venue is available.
This point’s title can make it sound like we suggest that you take any old venue that is available and rent it.
No, this is not what we mean.
What it does lead to is the importance of remembering that God will lead you to an area, and it may not be the exact place you had identified. Often, God uses the available venues to show us where to plant a church. Many church planters have walked the streets of their ideal area, knocking on doors that close in their faces, only to find that God wanted the church to be over the road, across the train track, or even in the next town.
In a nutshell, have your plans but hold them loosely and ask God to guide your searches.
If you are not flexible when church planting, you’ll most probably run into a lot more challenges than if you prioritize adaptability from the beginning.
As Christians, we already know that God’s plans can be surprising and take turns that we can never anticipate. And this is the case when you plant a church, too. We can have our plans, we can pave the way, but oftentimes, we need to look at ‘plan B’ or take a moment to ask God, “What do you want?”
What will help you tremendously is to set aside time to listen and read about what others have learned on their church-planting journeys. What do the experts say? How can you avoid some common pitfalls?
Going multisite? You can learn more about determining a location when you download this free resource: Where to Launch Your Next Campus.
Learn the best way to hang Portable Church’s scuba wall and avoid a mess of magnets when you pack things away.
Scuba walling is everyone’s favorite thing about being mobile. It may be the texture or how easy it is, or maybe all the clicking magnets. There is definitely a correct method for hanging your scuba that avoids damaging the material and a big mess of magnets the next time you need to set up, and we’ve created a video to help.
Portable Church’s scuba walls are designed to look great and be super simple to set up. Even though the setting up and packing away of scuba is simple, we want you to know the tricks to get the most out of your gear, which is why our instructional video is so very valuable for training anyone who will need to hang and take down your church’s scuba walling.
Show your volunteers how easy it is to use scuba when you share this clip during your training sessions.
Does your church or ministry need a scuba wall? Do you have questions about how to divide rooms effectively? We’re here to help! Book a call with us today.
Stay inspired and encouraged on your journey with these church planting verses.
We often set off to complete a big task, filled with inspiration and vision but soon find ourselves questioning what we are doing and how to do it.
Have you found yourself in this situation?
This happens all the time with church planters. We begin with such enthusiasm but along the way, the road is long and filled with obstacles, which can be discouraging and leave us second-guessing our mission.
We know that church planting work is critical to expanding the Kingdom, but sometimes we forget where these truths come from. Church planting verses from the Bible are treasures that we should hold close to our hearts. They will fill us with truth and bolster us when we feel weary.
This is why we’ve collected 11 church planting verses from the Bible and formulated a helpful list for you to come back to, time after time, and help you on your journey.
11 Church Planting Verses from the Bible
1. Zechariah 4:10
Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin.
Though your congregation may start small, focus on the advantages of beginning this way and don’t compare yourself to others. Remember to seek contentment and satisfaction with where God has you right now.
2. 1 Thessalonians 2:9
For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.
Church planting is hard work – the kind of hard work that should not be side-lined or ignored. The people we minister to are watching us and we should want our hard work to be an example that the church follows.
Beware: You won’t find any church planting verses that say the work is meant to be an easy journey.
3. Romans 10:14–15
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
Evangelism is key to extending the Kingdom but it is often neglected when there is a lot going on within the workings of a church. But church plants infuse the body with momentum and energy. Though church planting takes a lot of resources and energy to put into motion, always remember that your endeavors will mean that someone else (or many) hear the Word of God.
What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
It all comes down to God and church planting is His work. We are partners in this work, but any growth that we witness is because of God. Let this be your focus.
And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.’
An amazing part of church planting is that it reminds us of God’s instruction of going out into the community to draw in visitors. This means that the physical building of the church is not the draw-card, but Christ’s people, stepping out into their communities, bringing the church to people.
6. Matthew 13:33
He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”
Church planting is not only about saving individuals. It is about God’s Kingdom infiltrating the world, which brings about transformation. The effect that church planting has on communities is immense and although we may not see an immediate transformation, planting churches brings light to the darker corners of our towns and cities.
7. Philippians 1:6
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
If God called you to plant churches, then He has a plan. Through the more challenging days and weeks of church planting, keep this in focus. With flexibility and a keen focus on God’s plan, you will come to see that His plan is good because God is good.
And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.
When planning to plant a new church, it is easy to have elaborate dreams of an established church with many staff members, a myriad of programs, and a large budget. There is nothing wrong with dreaming, but don’t overcomplicate things. Not everything needs to be elaborate and for people who are new to the faith, you want to make their paths simple to follow, focusing on what is most essential: God.
9. Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
All church planting journeys are different. But some of them involve very bold moves and spiritual battles that can leave you feeling dismayed and weak. This verse certainly reminds us that God is our strength and we must trust in His help and sovereignty.
10. Luke 18:27
The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
Can’t find a building to rent? Encountering extreme resistance within your chosen church plant community? What seems impossible to you is not impossible to God. He has a good plan that may not be what you imagined but will come to fruition in His timing.
11.Galatians 6:9
And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Days and weeks of searching for the ideal building to rent for your new church plant, hours of meetings, planning, and scheduling, plus everything else that we encounter day to day can leave us feeling exhausted and disheartened. Take heart in knowing that the work you are doing is good and that you can turn to God for strength and a renewal of energy in your journey. He is able!
THE VALUE OF SEEKING TRUTH IN CHURCH PLANTING BIBLE VERSES
It can be a long and arduous road, this journey of planting churches. A curated list of church planting verses from the Bible can be a useful resource that you can go back to, time and time again when you need to be reminded of the importance and value of your work.
And, of course, talking to someone who knows the kind of work you’re invested in is also hugely beneficial. Do you have someone who you can chat to about church planting and all the highs and lows involved in it? Do you have someone who has already planted churches and has extensive knowledge regarding the best steps to take?
Talk to an expert in church planting and gain invaluable insight and support.
