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Northville, Michigan's Ward Church offers two Sunday morning services; a traditional environment featuring choir and orchestra and a contemporary service (see next slide) with a modern stage design described as “eclectic mainstream.”
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Think about the last time you ate at a truly remarkable restaurant. What made that experience memorable? Certainly the food was impeccable, but what about the rest of it? Chances are your experience was not just the taste of the food, but the environment that encapsulated the culinary adventure. It's safe to say that eating a prix fixe tasting course dinner in a cold, barren, and fluorescent-lit concrete room would not enhance the experience in a positive way. Atmosphere counts, and it counts for much more than we give it credit.
As the growth of multi-campus congregations and church plants have exponentially risen, so has the expansive variety of worship environments. We see churches pop up in old shopping centers, gymnasiums, theaters, schools, warehouses, and acquired church buildings from the past. And with each building, churches are seeking to not only make them a place of connected community, but a place that exudes comfort, style, and a unique environment.
Scour the web and you're sure to come across the gamut of worship space stage designs. What was once reserved for occasional special events is now a weekly mainstay in many environments. From basic drapery to full-scale sets rivaling anything Broadway can offer, we see a loaded spectrum. For the majority of production directors, time, space, and budget are limiting factors on how we can “dress” the stage, not only for special events but for a year-round experience.
There are fantastic resources available for stage ideas, where full designs can be copied from other churches in easy fashion. There is nothing wrong with this approach, but learning the reasoning, artistic, and creative aspects behind creating a successful design and environment is a challenge worth pursuing. Is it always easy? No. Is it possible? Yes. And in order to start, we need to know why this all matters in the first place.
Looking for Clues, Finding the Feel
The human brain is like a miniature servo motor, able to focus in on details and stimulation with laser precision. Usually happening in our subconscious, it is on a continuous search for clues about our surroundings–quickly making connections and assumptions about any given circumstance, thing, or person. They often say in the world of public speaking, the audience has already made assumptions about the speaker before that person even utters a single word. Body language, stance, eye contact, and the list goes on. Visual impressions are much more powerful than we think.
While the psychology behind this runs deep, we should safely assume that environment matters. And when people walk into our worship space, they will undoubtedly begin making assumptions and connections about their experience simply based off what they see. From the brand your church exudes, to the tone of the service, to the professionalism of you and the staff, to the trust and comfort someone will feel, it can all be swayed either direction from these visual clues. Of course, this is not just coming from what's on stage, the lighting, the set, or other pieces of production. But isn't that what everyone is looking at front and center?
With this in mind, any stage design should start with these facets at the front of creative planning. What are we trying to portray? What feelings and emotions, either in general or with a particular sermon series, do we want people to experience? Until you know the broad and specific aesthetic of what you're trying to accomplish, it will be difficult knowing how to get there. And with a blueprint in mind, we're now set up for success when it comes to developing the concept and creative ideas. Focused direction, if you will.
Inspiration and Idea Creation
One of the biggest lies we often tell ourselves is, “I'm not a creative person.” It's as if we assume creativity is a magical power reserved for a select few in this world. Not only is that false thinking, but it limits our ability to expand our mind and profession. Coming up with ideas does not always equate to reinventing the wheel. But it is about seeking a solution that is unique to our environment and accomplishes specific goals. As mentioned earlier, there is nothing wrong with finding another church design that seems hip to our liking. Remember though that what works for one place does not always translate to another.
Talking with many of the great artists, designers, and architects of the world, you will quickly learn that many gather inspiration for their work on a continual basis. They look far beyond their own world, finding clues, creative insights, and concepts in every place you can imagine. These people maintain file folders and computer archives for this exact purpose–filling them on a regular basis full of clippings, photos, and ideas.
Think of this creation process like a recipe: it's not always one ingredient, but combinations that all work together. A little bit of this, a touch of that, a sprinkle of something spicy. So yes, we can develop a stage concept by pulling together a few separate sources and mixing them into a fantastic end product. So start gathering inspirations. Scour the web, newspapers, magazines, and with your own eyes for photos, art, architecture, fashion, nature, textiles, and forms. Consider this your tool bag. The more tools at your disposal, the easier it will be to find a solution.
What's Next?
By now, many of you are probably thinking, “Gosh, this is way too much work. Can't we just throw a few things on stage and get on with it?” While it might seem advantageous to skip to the end, giving attention to these crucial steps of thought and intent are what separate an effective design from mere decoration. And guess what, the more you do it, the better the entire process becomes. With experience, you'll be able to quickly whittle down your ideas into a cohesive plan, implementing your design appropriately for your worship space and helping to keep your audience engaged.
