The Making Sunday Happen Podcast | Episode 010

Preparing for Church in a High School with Jonathan Hawley

Show Notes

Show Notes and Resources Mentioned:

In this episode, I talked with Jonathan Hawley, Production Director at Newspring Church Lexington about how his campus prepares for church on Sunday while being in a portable facility. They hold two morning services at a local high school and set up and tear down every Sunday.


Here are some key pieces of information from our conversation:

1. Weekly Band Practice and Rehearsals.
The team at Newspring Lexington is intentional about rehearsing every Monday night in preparation for Sunday. When possible, they add in production volunteers to the mix.

2. “Service Planning Notes” Document.
Their team uses a document they call “Service Planning Notes” that is a working Google doc that all campuses can see in real-time. This document is the hub for creative ideas, series and service planning and more. They use Planning Center Online as the final version for all volunteers and staff to work from.

3. Have a Clear Plan of Action for Sunday Load-In.
They have 2 Production Gear Trucks, and designated teams for load-in, production and execution, and load-out.

4. Have Clear Communication with your Volunteers During the Week.
Jonathan sends a MailChimp e-mail to his volunteer teams every week communicating key information, keeping them up-to-date on everything that is happening the upcoming Sunday. From locations to Call-Times to responsibilities and leadership roles, and more. He is intentional about setting his teams up for success for Sunday.

5. Have a Clear Schedule for Sunday.
The team at Newspring Lexington knows exactly when SoundCheck, Run-Through, and key meetings are throughout a Sunday to keep everyone on the same page.

6. Program as much as you can before Sunday.
They pull out their gear during the week at their office location and program as many light and audio cues as they possibly can so that they are only tweaking on Sunday and not having to rush to program all songs and transitions with only minutes to spare.

7. Be prepared to think quick on your feet.
Due to the limitations of being in a portable facility, there are some spontaneous decisions that need be made on Sundays. Being able to think of solutions quickly in the moment helps them execute at a high level.

What I really took away from Johnny in this episode is how prepared their teams are. They really strive to prepare and plan as much as they possibly can leading in to Sunday. If you are at a portable facility, whether a high school, a theater, or other temporary venue, these practices will certainly help your team be more efficient and execute your services at a higher level.

Twitter Icon Follow Jonathan Hawley on Twitter: @johnnyhawley

 

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Tweetable Content from this Episode:

Suggested Tweet: "Do you have a Service Planning Document that all your campuses work from? @johnnyhawley @carlbarnhill Learn more:"

Suggested Tweet: "Have clear communication with your volunteers leading up to Sunday. @johnnyhawley @carlbarnhill"

Suggested Tweet: "In a portable church facility, it's important to be prepared to think quick on your feet. @johnnyhawley @carlbarnhill"

About the Show

The Making Sunday Happen Podcast is the definitive podcast for those who plan, create and execute worship experiences all around the world. This is a legacy podcast where we interviewed hundreds of church leaders, pastors, authors, worship leaders, and church production staff.

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