I gave our team a quote last week that I'm sure to be reminded of often. I said, "it seems like I keep making Student Ministry more and more complicated for us." While the essence of what we're doing hasn't changed, the pace and level of excellence that we strive for continues to move upward. That's what I meant by complicated.
One of the things that we value highly at NSM is giving our students and adults an irresistible environment and an unforgettable experience. So we try to make the most of our shared space at Northwood. This week we decided to go for it. Even if you change simple things it can be a huge difference in the experience your attenders have. We changed the position of the stage.
A simple idea can create a huge complications. What we went for isn't anything new by production standards but for our attenders it was something that had never been done. Service in the round. We borrowed some 8" high staging and two light trees. We also hung a monitor for lyrics for anyone choosing to sit on our normal stage. I didn't have my camera so I got a few shots with my iPhone. Low light plus a lot of movement equals poor images, but you'll get the gist of what we did.
The result was our students excited about something new, unable to go about the routine of service and leaving wondering what we would do next week. I'm thankful for a great team of people who see the potential in our church. Each week NSM is raising the bar of excellence in production, serving, heart and attitude. I can't wait to see what God does next.