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One of the biggest traps that we can fall into is believing that progress can only be accomplished through huge projects or complete overhauls. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact, I would argue that one of the best ways to move your organization forward is with small, consistent improvements.

I serve in a brand new church plant that’s only six weeks old at the time of this being written. Although we are only a few services in, this is a principle that I’ve had to remind myself of constantly.

Whether your church is a few weeks old or has been around for a hundred years, there is always room to improve your Sunday services.

It can be easy to get discouraged that any change to make things better is out of reach due to lack of time, money, or other resources. But we’re better than that. God has equipped us for the exact season that we’re in. We simply have to embrace where we are and make the improvements that we can make.

Last week, rather than wallowing in my pile of can’ts, I sought to make small improvements in areas all around our church that would make a noticeable impact on Sunday. Some were technical. Some were practical. All were creative.

• We created what I call “Pinterest-y” themed centerpieces in our coffee area.

• We used pumpkin spice air freshener around our building rather than our regular scent.

• We changed our lobby/pre-service playlist to a more spirited, hipster vibe. Listen to it here.

• We updated the design of our announcement slides.

• We changed up our stage lighting to include more colors.

• We started using a new set of motion backgrounds for our songs.

• We changed our order of service to include a fun, warm opening from one of our pastors.

• We took more photos on Sunday morning of real people in our church for social media.

Announcement Slide

All of these were relatively easy to accomplish, but made a huge impact on Sunday. People really took notice of the changes and I can honestly say that it was our best service yet.

You’ll also notice that I said we changed, we used, we started…

That’s because I got other people involved on these small projects. Even when it was in the smallest capacity you can imagine. But do you know what happened when these projects turned out to be a success? We celebrated our victory.

Getting people involved in small, tangible improvements is the easiest way to keep your church progressing and your volunteers smiling.

It’s a win-win.

So, what can you do this week to make your church better? Who can you get involved to help you do this? Creative Ministry is more than what happens in the tech booth. Don’t be afraid to use your creativity all around your church.

Small improvements make a big difference.

Kendall Conner

What do you get when you combine production, design, and communications together with a passion for the Church? It turns out, this is the precise formula to make up Kendall Conner. For over 20 years, this Christ-led creative has been bridging the gap between media and ministry. In addition to serving as the creative pastor in his local church, he is the Chief of Operations for Church Motion Graphics, a ministry-focused design studio that serves thousands of houses of worship around the globe. Kendall specializes in equipping church media leaders and volunteers to utilize creativity in their services to share the hope of Jesus.

6 Comments

  • ML Cameron says:

    What do you mean by “pinterest-y” centerpieces? Do you have examples you can show? It might spark some ideas for our lobby/coffee area.

    Thanks!

  • Really love the spirit behind this post. You guys are doing whatever you can to make a difference instead of complaining about what you don’t have. Keep up the good work and thanks for the tips! Love the playlist!

  • What do you use to give out a scent? I’ve never thought about doing something like this before, but it’s a brilliant idea!

    • Kendall Conner says:

      Our church meets in a movie theater, so we have to get past the popcorn smell! We spray simple Glade air freshener about 15 minutes before our guests arrive.

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