Responding and Creating Growth

I've been thinking about next steps for Connections a lot lately. I finally figured out one piece of the puzzle. And while this may be obvious for you, this was a huge breakthrough for me.

Here's the background:
One area where we need to continue our growth is in the Sunday worship experience. I was convinced before we started Connections that there is biblical precedence and cultural relevance for the public gathering of worship and exposition of God's word (That's fancy preacher talk for preaching).

Basically, I put it this way- I think having a great worship service still works! I like worship, and I like "events," so I like a worship experience that feels like an event- a tight order of service, excellent music, a relevant biblical message, great use of media arts to help the experience flow, etc. People love this stuff!

Anyways, you know this, because this is what we do. And now we are seeing results. Attendance has grown, people have been bringing friends, and lives are being changed. We've had the baptisms to "prove it." People are going deeper into our church community. All of this is very exciting to me.

So, on to the break through...
What do we do with growth?

First- we must "RESPOND" to growth in the morning service when this becomes necessary. At some point the theatre will just feel too packed, probably when we are consitently breaking 250 in worship. We respond by moving to two identical services, or a video-broadcast service at the same time in the theatre. (There is of course the option to move to another venue, but for now I'm thinking about how we make the theatre work). This is an improvement/expansion of what we are already doing. This is one step.

Second- we must "CREATE" new growth by offering a new venue. If we add another service, at another time and location we have the oppotunity to reach a whole other group of people far from God. This is what I'm praying about, and where I need direction.

Right now I have no idea where this venue exists, but I think it's out there in London. I think there is a huge group of people that want to know God and gather in community, but who simply aren't going to get up and out in the morning. I think that if we offered a venue that felt raw and real, they would be open to checking it out.

London has nothing like this- no church that meets in a club, in the middle of the night life, that meets Sunday night, that can offer what we want to offer. I can't adequately articulate what it is, but I know it isn't out there yet.

I want Connections to offer it, because I want these folks to know and expereince the love of God that all of us Sunday morning folks are already experiencing.

Let me know if you find the perfect spot!