Environments Matter at Church

At Mt Vernon, we are ridiculously committed to creativity and excellence in all of our environments, but especially our Sunday morning worship experience. For each sermon series, we’ll change up the look of the stage: the lighting, the background, the props, etc. This was made possible by sinking some financial (and political) capital into upgrading our worship center to be able to transform from series to series. Why do we spend so much time and energy on our stage? Because we believe that environments matter at church.

An environment sets the mood. It captures the attention. If done well, it communicates to the church that the leadership is constantly striving for excellence and willing to put in the hard work to get there. The basic format of church hasn’t changed in centuries: sanctuary + pews/chairs + singing + preaching = worship service. Some say that the “gospel is enough,” that church leaders don’t need to be creative. The gospel definitely is enough, but church leaders can sometimes use this reasoning as an excuse for lethargy and laziness.

So, for the new series on Ephesians we started on Sunday, we changed up the stage. I’m biased, but I think we nailed it (I can brag because I didn’t do it!). Wanting to immerse ourselves in the book of Ephesians this summer, we took chalk and literally wrote the book of Ephesians on the walls behind the stage (picture above). Add some cool lighting, and you have an environment that immediately captured the attention of everyone walking in the door. But more than just a gimmick, this artwork literally highlights the theme verse for the series, Ephesians 4:1. (By the way, total price less than $10. We just paid for the chalk).

When we leverage our God-given creativity to draw people to Christ, it makes it all worth it. Our worship center is fifty years old. Two years ago we took a step of faith and radically redesigned and updated the interior. On Sundays like this, we can literally see why it’s all worth it.

QUESTION: What’s the most creative thing you’ve ever seen at a church?