Church-Out-Of-A-Box

REUNION Christian Church

Boston, Massachusetts

May is the start of a new series of email updates examining the experience of Church-Out-Of-A-Box for our new churches. Church-Out-Of-A-Box, sometimes referred to as Church-In-A-Box, is a situation where a church meets in rented facilities on Sundays like a school or hotel and carries in and sets up everything they need for a quality experience of worship, fellowship, and children's ministry every weekend. Here is a sampling of equipment moved each week: sound equipment (soundboard, speakers, mics, cables, monitors, mic & music stands), lighting, staging platforms, projection system & screen, parent call system, directional and room signs, information and literature tables, equipment and supplies for coffee and refreshments, decorations, rugs, chairs, tables, learning center equipment and supplies for age-appropriate children's ministry from birth to elementary school.

Our first interview is with REUNION Christian Church meeting at the Backbay Hilton in Boston, MA. The church is led by Hank Wilson (Lead Minister), Mike Brown (Director of Creative Arts), John Tischer (Director of Community), and Phil McArdle (Director of Generosity). This new church launched public worship in February 2007 and has averaged 259 over the last 12 weeks. The interview for this article is with Mike Brown who, along with Phil McArdle, gives weekly oversight to the Sunday morning set-up and tear-down for the worship experience.

Mike, why would a new church use Church-Out-Of-A-Box?

Leasing a 24/7 facility in Boston was too costly for a new church. By renting a facility only on Sunday mornings for worship opened several possibilities of venues that perhaps would not have been available to us otherwise. We stress the fact that the church is people, not a place to which you go on Sundays. Thus, we can gather for worship in the ballroom of any number of hotels or other venues throughout the city. We have been able to focus our time and invest money in people, ministry, and relationships and have more flexibility since we are not tied to a lease on a building.

How long have you been a Church-Out-Of-A-Box?

We have been portable since November of 2006 when we started conducting corporate worship for our Core Group and those we invited to join us. Prior to this, we used our equipment in some preview services with our Core Group to become familiar with it, to work out the "bugs," and to get accustomed to the best use of it. Our official public launch was in February, 2007.

Where or from whom did you purchase/get your boxes, equipment, and trailer to do Church-Out-Of-A-Box?

We have six felt-covered wooden boxes on casters which were given to us by Rockingham Christian Church (2001) after she moved into her first 24/7 leased facility in Salem, NH. Rockingham had received them as a gift from Harbor of Hope Christian Church (1999) when they moved into their 24/7 leased location in North Chelmsford, MA. We also have five metal carts and a 26-foot trailer which we purchased from Church on Wheels. Restoration House Ministries helped locate a truck which we purchased to pull the trailer. All of our equipment could have been purchased through Church on Wheels, but we found a better price on equipment locally and wanted to develop a relationship with local vendors. We also felt it was good to be able to secure service for our equipment, when needed, on a local level.

Do you leave your boxes and equipment on the trailer throughout the week or do you use another storage facility? What challenges do you face either way?

We do leave all of our things on the trailer with the exception of the drums and computers. The drums are stored in the Malden Chinese Christian Church building, the trailer is parked in their parking lot during the week, and we take the computers to our office on Beacon Street in Boston. We have seen no negative results from leaving our equipment on the trailer through the cold and heat of the changing New England seasons.

How many boxes do you have and how are they designated for different areas of ministry?

Two of our wooden portable boxes are designated for the children's ministry area. The other four wooden boxes house our drums, lights, sound shields, speakers, stools, and all of our stands. Our drum cart was specially designed with a number of different shelves for the different sized drums and equipment. We use three of our metal carts for the base amplifier and other crates full of cables, wires, etc. for all of our equipment. One metal cart is designated the audio/soundboard cart and was built to fit our soundboard, opening on the top and front for ease of use. Another metal cart is the staging/table cart, and our subwoofer is also on wheels.

How much time do you allow for set-up, tear-down, and load-up of the trailer? How many volunteers are required?

Total time for unload and set-up is 1-1/2 hours max. Tear-down is completed in one hour. We plan an hour from when the trailer arrives to the start of morning rehearsal. While we are in rehearsal, the rest of set-up continues with hospitality, children's ministry areas, and signage. It takes REUNION longer to set up and tear down due to the location of the hotel loading dock and an elevator that accommodates only two carts at a time from the basement to the second floor. Our set-up teams are usually made up of 8-10 people with a few musicians in the mix, and another 8 individuals are on the tear-down team. Children's ministry leaders pack up their carts after the children are dismissed. Phil McArdle sets up the teams each week. Individuals serving on a team usually don't do both set-up and tear-down on any given week, with the exception of the staff.

How do you avoid burn-out and keep the teams energized to do Church-Out-Of-A-Box for a long period of time?

We recruit individuals who have servant hearts and affirm their value in the overall picture of fulfilling the mission of REUNION, "helping people find their way back to God."  For some, this is their initial connect to our community--meeting some of our artists and serving alongside the staff, while making a contribution to the community. This also provides an opportunity for the staff to evaluate how new individuals interact with others in order to help them move on to other areas of ministry within the community.

Where do you hold mid-week worship team rehearsal?

For us, this has been the biggest disadvantage of being a Church-Out-Of-A-Box. Praise team rehearsal is often held at the Malden Chinese Christian Church. Each week we have to back up the trailer, unload, set up, practice, then pack it all away and park the trailer again. This requires additional people and time to get ready for rehearsals. We are in the process of setting up a good system in the Malden Chinese Christian Church worship hall that can be used for our rehearsals while blessing the church with a system they can use for their own worship services. In addition to the church, sometimes we use studio space in Boston at Berkley School of Music whenever one of the students in the band is able to sign up for a studio or ensemble practice room.

What have been some advantages and disadvantages of using Church-Out-Of-A-Box?

Rehearsal space is a drawback, due to transportation issues for our praise team members. It is much better for us when we can rehearse downtown in our target area as opposed to going out to Malden. Thus, we have found Berkley School of Music to be the better location when it is available. We also don't have to set up our equipment at Berkley, saving both time and energy. All we have to take is our microphone case, stands, and cables and we are ready to go--"just show up, plug in, and rehearse."

Some of the advantages to Church-Out-Of-A-Box have been flexibility and portability. It gives us the opportunity to move on to larger space as we grow. The cost is also less than what it would be for a 24/7 facility. We can easily move our worship services to more than one location throughout the weekend as we move beyond our two Sunday morning services at the hotel. Being portable allows us to do a concert in a park, a coffee shop, or any number of other locations to meet people where they are.

Another disadvantage is that Sundays are very long days for our staff. The day starts at 6:00 a.m. when we pick up the trailer and move to the hotel for a 6:30 set-up. The trailer is reloaded by 2:30 p.m. However, due to parking needs at the Malden Chinese Christian Church, the trailer cannot be parked in their lot until after 5:00 p.m.

Would you recommend Church-Out-Of-A-Box to other new churches or existing churches in transition?

Absolutely, because of the possibility of more or less space that is available at an affordable initial investment. This was especially good for us as a new church. For growing churches the flexibility of Church-Out-Of-A-Box is a great advantage until sufficient critical mass is attained to know what kind of permanent space is needed.

For more information about REUNION, go to www.reunionboston.com.