If you are starting a church, there are so many things to consider you may not even know where to start…

When purchasing equipment for your portable church, with all the financial pressures a church planter faces, it is easy to focus only on economics. In truth, your equipment purchases must not only reflect the creativity, vision, and personality of your new plant or campus, but the equipment must also be safe, efficient, professional and easy to use.

We have found the equipment purchases for new churches to be simultaneously the most exciting and stressful times in the church launch experience. As such, we hope to ease some of that stress by explaining the different aspects of making sure that your equipment is as portable as possible. Including the importance of cubic volume and ease of setting up and tear down.

If your new church (or new campus) is going to be in a rented facility like a school, movie theatre, art museum, community center, etc – it will be imperative to make sure that your equipment will pack up & move out easily, is light enough to install easily and can handle the consistent packing and unpacking, road noise and travel.

The Cubic Volume Conundrum – a ratio of space to cost

Chairs

Let’s say you are purchasing chairs for your new church. You have found one that is relatively comfortable (comfortable enough, at least, to get you through a forty-five-minute sermon), it’s padded, it stacks and it’s even lightweight – making it perfect for your volunteers. The cost of this chair? Only $20 per chair. You want to purchase 225, and the price tag of $4500 fits the budget quite nicely.

The other chair you’re considering is considerably more expensive at $42 per chair. While the chair seems more sturdy and durable, you’ve not noticed anything considerably better about this chair than the other one. It has all the features of the other one – it’s lightweight, it’s stackable and it’s comfortable, but at a substantial additional $4950 more than the other chair, it doesn’t seem worth it. Is that additional cost really worth the durability?

Surprisingly, you may find consultants like us encouraging you towards the $42 chair. Economically, the choice is clear, so why would we encourage you towards the more expensive chair?

For an average church of 225 people, the cost per cubic foot of storage space is about $10 per cubic foot*

225 of the $20 chair takes up 600 cubic feet vs 225 of the $42 chair takes up 300 cubic feet

Trailers

In our experience, we have found that the average church trailer is between 725 – 1010 cubic feet. A decision to purchase the inexpensive chair will use between 40% – 85% of your total storage space allotted for your all of your equipment purchases. In contrast, a decision to purchase the more expensive chair will use only 30% – 42% of the total storage space allotted.
If you can fit the rest of your church into 15% of your storage space – your choice is simple! Go with the least expensive option! If, however, you find yourself having to move into another trailer or another Konix container, or pay another monthly fee to store an additional trailer somewhere, in order to make space for your other equipment, the numbers could add up to over & above the initial +$4950 for the more expensive chair. That is the reason we might persuade you towards a more expensive chair, because in the long term, your more expensive chair could pay off in a variety of different ways, such as staying in your allotted storage space and keeping your storage space costs within budget.

More storage space leaves more room for additional equipment, helping you “flex” with people growth. One might argue that you can find a lightweight, comfortable chair for less than $42, but in our experience – durability is every bit as important as cubic volume considerations.

Storage costs can vary dramatically depending on your situation. Many churches purchase a trailer and park it somewhere for free. Others rent a trailer parking space. Some churches have access to onsite storage at the facility they rent. Whatever the case, make sure you understand the upfront and ongoing costs of storage so that you can evaluate the cubic volume impact of your equipment choices.

Other Portability Resources

Principle #1 – Consider the Weight

While we are on the topic of things to know when planning for portability, download our resource 6 Effective Principles for Portability for even more helpful information.

*This is based on Portable Church’s experience with churches across the nation, and is based on the average church trailer and / or storage space

Know the differences between Portability vs Permanent vs Touring Gear vs DIY

By Portable Church Industries: In a new church ministry (aka church plant), the audio/visual/lighting needs will likely be your largest expense. Determining what gear you need can only come after clarifying the purpose for having AVL in your ministry, and the context in which your ministry will take place. 

When considering the competing points of tension in making AVL decisions, the two primary elements that will dictate what a supporting AVL system can look like are budget and venue. Knowing where to look to get the right AVL System will help with both, (regardless if your budget is small or large).

All AVL gear for a church (regardless of size) needs to be integrated into a design that fits both of the above; your budget and context. These will fall into one of three types:

Portable System Design, Touring System Design, and Permanent System Design.  After describing each of these design types, we will also dive into the Do-It-Yourself method

PORTABILITY DESIGN

• The Portable Context – the venue is a rented facility (school, YMCA, theater, community center, event center, etc.) and is the same each week you meet. However, you can only occupy he venue for a brief period (6-8 hours) in which you need to load-in, do church as many times as necessary, and then load-out.
• Things to Consider – Budget and convenience usually drive the use of this design. Rented venues are usually well known by the greater community in which you want to launch and inherently provide ample parking, access, function and flow, and dedicated space. You are going to ‘pay’ for portability somewhere, either on the right system or in human resources. A good Portable AVL design is quick and easy to load in and out, highly systematic, presents a very professional image, and allows a volunteer team to thrive in the process.
• The Pros of Portability (using a PCI SYSTEM)

• • Volunteer friendly
  • A complex system created to be intuitive for volunteers to set up
  • Load in and set up in facility in 30-50 minutes (on average)
  • Load out of facility in less than 20-40 minutes (time is $$ here)
  • No special access needed
    • No loading docks
    • No wide doors
    • No extraneous ramps
    • Parking lots, or whatever, work great
  • Integrated plug and play AVL design
  • EVERYTHING fits through standard doorways
  • Cases designed to protect expensive gear
  • Excellent efficiency, effectiveness, and impression
  • Comprehensive to include worship, children’s ministry, first impressions, trailers, and storage
  • Cases and trailers balanced for weight distribution
  • Launching as a portable church is the least expensive way to launch a new presence into a new community

• The Cons of portability (all portability systems) 
  • Set up and tear down each week
  • Higher need for volunteers
  • A bad design causes significant burnout
  • To do it right, some pieces will cost more

TOURING DESIGN

• The Touring Context – Because touring groups are in a new venue for each performance, the touring design in response to the need to be ready for any new situation or environment that might come up from week to week.
• Things to Consider – Will you be in the same facility from week to week, or encounter a new facility and environment each week? What will the access be at each new facility? Will there always be a dock to load in and out of?

• The Pros of a Touring System
  • Expensive gear is protected really well
  • Load in/out processes can be similar to portable
  • Usually have a gear-solution on hand for every situation

• The Cons of a touring System (in the context of a church meeting portability) 
  • Gear storage is usually overkill in rented situations
  • Cost of gear storage is prohibitive
  • Often designed around the use of a hi-lo
  • Usually requires extra gear for unforeseen circumstances ($$)
  • Gear is stored/transported in individual cases – need for flexibility decreases efficiencies
  • Usually assumes loading docks, or box trucks with lift gates (slower and inefficient, also unsafe for non-professionals)
  • Size of gear storage sometimes at odds with size of doorways available(they assume large doorways)
  • Usually designed for sophisticated users and crew (paid professionals)
  • Load in and load out times are longer (touring assumes multiple hours or overnight set-ups)

PERMANENT INSTALL DESIGN

• The Permanent Context – Facility under your control 24/7. Typically, spaces can be dedicated to specific use(s).

• Things to Consider – Facility spaces as well as AVL uses are typically designed for known ministry patterns. As often as ministry patterns change over a period of decades, can the AVL design respond appropriately to change?

• The Pros of a permanent Install System
  • Opportunity to set and forget lighting, video gear, controls
  • Usually, infrastructure constructed to support AVL structures
  • Can accommodate a large range of sophistication
  • Most gear can be adjusted by individual technicians
  • No set up and take down process

• The Cons of a permanent Install System (for a portable church)
  • Cabling is buried inside conduit and left alone, durability is less a consideration
  • Ease of handling isn’t needed – Handles, durability, weight is not a primary consideration
  • Speed of set-up and take down isn’t a consideration in the design of the system
  • Once a permanent system is installed it is ‘set and forget’ – These designs are not inherently volunteer friendly
  • Complacency over time
  • Lots of cost outlay
  • Less flexibility

DO IT YOURSELF SYSTEM DESIGN

The last design method to consider is the DIY system. We understand the allure to doing it yourself. It’s a real option that some simply have to consider. Pastor, we LOVE what you are doing and our main drive at PCI is to help you focus on building kingdom in your cities and peoples lives. However, we also want to help you consider all the costs to take into consideration.

The popular thought is “if I do it myself it will be cheaper.” There is no doubt that a cheaper system can be purchased. But low up front cost obviously doesn’t mean it will be the least expensive. Initially, you only know what you know, and you absolutely don’t know what you don’t know.  With an extreme amount of AVL knowledge, AVL Integration/Production Experience, and access to well-priced and diverse gear selection for audio, visual, lighting, acoustics treatment, and staging, a good system can be designed and built. But the skillset for designing an excellent portable system is rare to find. This typically leads to a design that is not built for maximum portability. The costs of this is extreme volunteer fatigue and burnout, incorrect gear choices, longer set-up time, higher facility rental costs, frequent damage to gear, and an unsustainable system among other things.

We have found that when churches buy the right system up front, the initial higher investment is frequently paid back many times over and both the user and church visitor experience is better week after week.

Ultimately, we want you to be a success.

Whatever you are considering we encourage you to connect with one of our portable experts to help you process your thoughts to get you ready to launch strong and thrive for years to come!

Finding the right equipment for your portable church is no easy task! Space, storage and transportation are just a few of the factors that have to be taken into account. In addition, setting up and tearing down equipment every week can be a unique challenge.

You need equipment that is best suited for your specific portable church needs. How can you make sure that you don’t mess it up? You can start by keeping these seven key pointers in mind:

1. Costs involved

Choosing the right portable equipment can save your church thousands of dollars! However, in order to make that correct choice you need to get your numbers right. Don’t forget to take into account the following costs:

• Individual equipment pieces
• Rent and other venue-related expenses
• Storage and transportation
• Equipment wear and tear
• Replacement of equipment

For example, if your church pays rent by the hour, you should especially be mindful of the setting up and tearing down time, when choosing your equipment.

2. Venue facilities and limitations

No two portable churches have the same equipment needs. For example, a church that meets in a school might not need chairs, whereas a movie theater church might not require a projector and staging.

Before you choose any equipment or utilize the facility’s systems, remember to ask the following questions:

• Will the setup be the same each week? Or, will we need to move our equipment to different parts of the facility?
• What are the landlord’s expectations regarding payment for any damage or repairs of equipment?
• If we need to use another part of the facility, will we be able to move the permanently installed equipment there?
• Will the facility’s electrical capacity be able to handle all the equipment?

Answering these questions will bring you a step closer to picking out the right equipment for your facility.

3. Setting up and tearing down

Installing and packing up equipment is a key element of the portable church experience. While this weekly exercise encourages a healthy volunteer culture, it can be tiring and frustrating for your team. You can avoid that by making sure that your equipment allows for efficient and easy setting up and tearing down.

Before zeroing down on the equipment for your mobile church, here are a few crucial things to consider:

• How much time will it take for setting up and tearing down this equipment? How many people will I have for our set-up and takedown teams? And, how much time does our team have at its disposal, both before and after the service?
• Will it be easy for volunteers to carry equipment in, around and out of the building?
• Does handling this equipment need special skills? Or, can volunteers be easily trained to install, use, and put it away?

The right church equipment, if coupled with proper management and regular motivation, will drastically reduce any chances of volunteer burnout.

4. Proper storage

Storage – or the lack of it – is a key determining factor while choosing your portable church equipment. While a few rented venues offer on-site storage, most require the church equipment to be brought in and taken out each week. Therefore, it is important that the equipment you choose allows you to:

• Store it in a safe manner.
• Stay within your allotted storage space.
• Keep your storage space costs to a minimum.
• Have some free space for storing additional equipment.

The amount, nature and cost of storage will help you choose the best-suited equipment for your church needs. For example, you might need to invest in special storage cases, either a shipping container or a trailer, to ensure that your equipment remains safe.

5. Efficient transportation

The weight, size, and volume of your portable church equipment have a direct impact on transportation logistics. Here are a few key questions to ask beforehand:

• Is the facility accessible via both stairs and elevator(s)?
• Will the team be able to load and unload the equipment in the truck/trailer safely and efficiently?

The experts at Portable Church Industries have helped hundreds of mobile churches with efficient storage and transportation plans. Our customizedrolling storage cases are designed to safely store and transport all your equipment– for years to come! And, at times when on-site storage for these cases can’t be negotiated with the landlord, our custom-made cargo trailers will make sure that all your valuable equipment stays safe.

6. Durability and safety

An important factor that needs to be taken into account is the life of the equipment. It might be a wiser decision to invest in slightly more expensive equipment if it will last longer. Don’t forget to ask these crucial questions:

• Will the equipment need to be upgraded every few years?
• Is it made with safe and durable material? Will it withstand the rigors of the road and will it sustain under weekly set-up and occasional drops?

The equipment that you get for your portable church – right from the chairs and projector to the audio and lighting systems – must be reliable and long-lasting.

7. Appeal and comfort

Finally, your equipment will be used by your teams every week. Therefore, it’s key to ensure that they are able to use it comfortably and efficiently – and have fun while doing so! Make sure that the equipment checks all these boxes:

• Comfort
• Appeal
• Ease of use
• Durability

Don’t forget to ask for your teams for suggestions before sealing the deal. For example, your worship leader might have some ideas about specific brands for the sound desk and mics.

The equipment requirements in a portable church environment are vastly different from those in a permanent church building or even a touring band.

Designing portable church equipment solutions is a unique, niche skill. Click To Tweet Thankfully, the experts at PCI have been providing customized equipment solutions to portable churches for over 25 years.

Our balance equipment solution for your church will ensure that ALL aspects are taken into account. We’ll find the right piece of equipment for the right application, and if we can’t find a part – we’ll invent it ourselves!

So, give us a call today at 800.939.7722, and we’ll design and deliver the perfect equipment solution for your portable church!

5 reasons why you should consider Church. in a Box

by Portable Church Industries: We often get calls from pastors who are saying they are wanting to launch soon or are on a tight budget and are not sure where to start. They are looking for a great system that they can get their hands-on fast. The good news is that we have an awesome solution made specifically to be quick and affordable. If you are looking for gear to get your church off the ground in a quick time frame and/or with a tighter budget, here are 5 reasons you should consider Church. in a Box.

1. Cost savings for smaller budget

The # 1 reason church planters love Church. in a Box is that it saves the church planter money and still allows them to capture their vision. Church. in a Box systems start with pre-designed solutions crafted intentionally to save your church money. From eliminating the need for a consultation and travel costs to the gear inside each of the packages, we have scrupulously designed incredible systems at even better prices.

2. How the process starts

All that is required to get the ball rolling on your very own Church. in a Box system is to talk with one of our Church Launch Specialists. We will set up a virtual meeting where you can send us some pictures and videos of your venue and we discuss which packaged system will best fit your needs. If desired, you can even request a designer to come out and tour your location in person, but it’s not always necessary or required.

3. Modifications & Upgrades

All of our pre-designed solutions are based on patterns that we have seen time and time again over the past 10 years. We have artfully designed robust systems that function in a multitude of venues. However, we can still do modifications to make it work even better for you. If you need a brighter projector, more or fewer microphones, specific kids ministry supplies or other requests, we can take care of it. Our systems are engineered to save costs and be as efficient as possible to start off with and then they can be tweaked from there.

4. Continual improvement

No matter which package you start with, the systems are designed to grow along with you. Whether your plan is slow and steady growth, or launch large and grow fast, you can add and modify to the system to meet your churches needs. Watch the video at the top of this blog to learn of the many ways church plant and multisite churches use a Church. in a Box systems as they grow or use them to grow into potential new cities.

In addition to your church growth, on our end, we are continually and intentionally improving our packages based on our learning and experience. Updating them to include the latest technology, kids ministry, and guest services gear.

5. Designed by PCI experts

Ordering a Church. in a Box system is not like going to the store and ordering things you need and then putting it together yourself. All of our packages were designed and every little detail thought through so that it will run smoothly with little effort on your end. We do all of the racking, wiring, and testing for you here in our shop before it gets to you, so you know everything will work together. You build into your city and team while we provide a system that keeps you focused on the for the long run.

Your church isn’t about your building, and we get that. We created Church. in a Box Solutions to be an answer to doing portable church efficiently and effectively with minimum capital. There are 8 total packages, 4 are AVL only and 4 are AVL and Kids & Community. Each one of them is uniquely designed with you, the church planter in mind.

If you want to learn more about the packages, click here. And check out our Church, in a Box Facebook page for more updates.

Ready to discuss the packages? Feel free to call us at 800.939.7722

Smart Portable Church AVL – Video

by Portable Church Industries: Video is designed to enhance the audio of your worship experience; video helps make the audio experience better. And, since the spoken word is the most important piece of your worship experience, video acts to create interaction and connection between what is being spoken and those listening. By visualizing scriptures, lyrics or even just simple designs, the content of what is being heard is bolstered. The range of choices that a church has when it comes to their video can vary all the way from a basic TV to an LED wall, a triple screen setup or video editing and edge blending, just to name a few. We have worked with churches of every size to figure out ways to deliver video that makes sense for each one, specific to their individual needs. Here, we address some of the top things to consider while planning out your video…

Pricing

Video can become the most expensive piece of AVL very quickly. The reason for that is the amount of gear needed to pull it off and the associated costs of all of that equipment. Video control could potentially have many pieces to it such as converters, switches, monitoring, playback devices, computers and more. It takes a lot of engineering on the “inside” for the “outside” visual to work seamlessly. Here at PCI, we go to great lengths to ensure all of the gear is not only packaged for durability and functionality, but also as efficiently as possible. That includes the making the right choices the first time.

Brightness

Concert venues, movie theaters and now, even more so, with the advent of 4k TV’s, people are becoming increasingly familiar with high lumen/high end video, often increasing expectations. While the brightness of your video doesn’t need to match these multimillion dollar events or venues, it is important to know what your desired outcome is before factoring in screen size, projector brightness, ambient light, light control, etc.

Throw Distance

Surprises with the need for short, ultra-short and long throw distances can add price rapidly. For budgeting purposes be aware of this potential high cost as you are choosing venues. We typically find this a challenge in small rooms or on small stages. We have tested numerous ultra-short throw projectors and not all are great options. If you have good light control in your room, there are some very good priced, lower lumen projectors available at a great price. Costs add up quickly if both a high lumen projector AND short throw lenses are needed.

LED Wall

LED walls are one of our favorite things to create internally and while quality (high DPI) walls were previously out of price range for most portable churches, prices are dropping. And, the finished product always looks amazing! We have been re-engineering LED walls internally, working with manufacturers to make them incredibly volunteer friendly – simply plug in and turn on. *while we are loving these prices dropping so quickly, they are still currently much more than a more traditional projector and screen setup.

Volunteers

As we’ve mentioned before, volunteers are your biggest determining factor in reproducibility. You want to make sure whatever AVL system you have in place is something that your team is able to manage week in and week out. Don’t forget to design your systems around your least experienced volunteer.

One last thing…

Though the size and cost of full systems can vary, functionality and portable artistry are integrated into every system. Whether it be a larger video rack with laminate desk space or a smaller more compact video rack, the same volunteer experience is designed into every solution we provide. Quick connect I/O panels is just one example of this. These panels allow volunteers the ability to set up a large scale production easily and efficiently without needing to understand the engineering behind the system. The panels take care of the thought process behind the connections (i.e internal wiring) and give volunteers the confidence to set up any system with a low rate of error.

Designing highly technical systems with a volunteer mindset is the key to providing an efficient portable solution with excellence. This is the desire and is in the skillset of every one of our design consultants at Portable Church®. It is one of the many keys to giving more life to your volunteers who, in turn, can pour more life into the church body.

Want one of our experts to reach out to you? Fill out the Talk to an Expert Form.

by Portable Church Industries: Choosing to visit a church for the first time can be a daunting experience for many. Many first time visitors to your church can have their defenses up. Perhaps they have been hurt by a previous experience; perhaps they walked away from established religion a long time ago; perhaps they’ve never been to church. Regardless of their reasons for walking in our doors, it is our job to “disarm” them, to set the stage for them to hear the gospel and to prepare them for praise & worship.

A quick and easy way to ensure their comfort in a Portable Church is to ensure that your signage iscorrect, helpful, easy to read and pleasing to the eye.

Great communication, especially if no one is around, makes a guest feel valued and brings quick trust to your church.

It’s possible that your first-time-visitor will prefer to remain anonymous and will not be comfortable asking strangers for directions. Even if they are comfortable with asking for directions, they may not always be able to locate someone (especially if they arrive late). Make sure they know where to park, which entrance to use, where to get information, where to get coffee, where to drop off their children, which door to use for the worship environment, etc.

As a quick rule of thumb, when a visitor is standing at a sign pointing them toward somethings, they should be able to see the next sign from where they are.

Here’s a quick list of suggestions we make to all of our church planters:

• • Menu Signs– place menu signs at all entrances that show locations for major routes.

• • Helper Signs– If visitors will have a long walk from one destination to another, make sure to place “helper signs” letting them know that they’re still heading in the right direction.

• • Destination Signs– Each room should have a sign in front of it, signaling “This is it!”

• • Exterior Signage– Outside your venue, use signage to clearly mark parking entrances, main entrances and sectioned parking. Take the main entrance or the street-facing entrance and “claim” it as your own while you’re there!

Making these simple suggestions a part of your portable church culture can help you begin tocreate an environment of comfort and ease for your first time visitor.If you haven’t yet, check out some of the environments and mobile church signage we’ve done on our photos page.

As always, if you have any questions – especially regarding  signage concepts, the right number of signs, the height, width, etc, give us a call.

In the meantime, check out the signs at the airport next time you are there. Pay special attention to the signs you use when trying to find the baggage claim at your destination.That’sgood signage.