This week we are looking at some lessons I’ve learned in leading churches in portable locations.  I’ve paid the stoopid tax … no need for you to! [Check out Monday’s having a calm voice.]

Every week as a leader in a portable church you needs to focus on making things better for you team.  Leaders often try to find the one silver bullet to make everything better . . . but my challenge to you is to find 52 small things every year to improve your approach and system for your team!  Areas to be looking for improvements fall into three categories:

Easier

• Wheels // Is everything moved around your campus on wheels?  Your people shouldn’t be picking up and carrying anything.  Look at how you can pack everything to get wheels under it.
• Weight // Is there a way to do what you are doing with a lighter solution?  You don’t want your people you have to be “Hulk-a-maniacs” to serve . . . consider the weight of everything in the system when you are purchasing items.  Go with the lighter option.
• Remove Assembly Steps // Can you reduce the “some assembly required” with your items?  What can you leave connected together when it’s packed away so the team can just take it out of the case on Sundays? Less assembly = Easier Morning!

Simpler

• Reduce // Are you able to defend every item in the system?  Do you really need all those moving parts?  Get vigilant about removing items.  Every weekend for the next month . . . remove one item out of every room that isn’t being used.  The best person in the industry who lives this out is Sandra Nicholas at The Meeting House . . . she requires each area to justify every piece of the system . . . and I mean everything. [Follow her on Twitter] [Contact Sandra]
• Photos // Most roadies are visual learners.  Really.  You need to have photos of how everything is suppose to work.  Photos of what the rooms look like when set up . . . how everything packs back into your cases.  You’d be amazed how this simple step can make things so much better for your team!

Faster

• Sequence Matters // The order that things are done matters.  Look for ways to tweak the order that your team works on a Sunday morning.  You can find ways to speed up the delivery of the system just through the ordering of what things are done.  FEDEX doesn’t drive the most direct route to your house . . . they drive the fastest route to the make the delivery.  Look for those efficiencies in your system.
• Work Together // Your teams should always work in pairs.  Not only is working with someone else more fun . . .it’s faster than two people working alone.  Seriously.  You need to find a great connection point between the set-up teams and the ministry teams at the church.  Having the kids ministry people or the guest services team help with some of the set up . . .even for 15 minutes at the end of the morning . . . makes a huge difference!

What about your church?  What are some ways that you make your portable system setups better for your teams?  [We’d love to hear your  learnings!]