Equipping You for Ministry, Room by Room.
Here is the church, here is the steeple, open the doors to discover room after room of possibilities! Over the span of twelve months, we will light up each space of the blueprint below with great ideas for ministry both within and beyond the walls of your church. Every room features something different. Just hover over the interactive blueprint to discover the many ways we want to support you—room by room!
Gathering Space/Narthex
We begin this year-long tour with the space that connects the outside with the inside—your narthex.
God can be found in thresholds! Whether coming in or going out, in-between places matter to God because they speak to the dynamic of your coming together as the church and being sent out in Jesus’ name.
Your narthex serves as a threshold between the worshiping, faith-forming pulse of your church and a world in need of the manifold grace of God.
What words come to mind when you think about your narthex—welcome, introduction, hospitality, warmth?
Whatever the words, we can help to make your narthex a place that invites and informs!
Download these posters featuring the inviting text and images from Pastor Daniel Erlander. Post them on the doors of your narthex to send out your church community merrily and with good humor. The Martin Luther poster is especially fitting for Reformation Sunday.
Sacristy and Worship Space
The heart of every church is its sanctuary. There is an ebb and flow in this space—a coming together to gather and learn, grow and reflect, pray and sing, and a sending back out to share newfound learnings, peace, and the care and joy of our Creator.
The mix of the divine and the human creates a space embodying a living grace. Small children squirm and babble, hands clap on (maybe near, or off) beat, microphones squeal, and attention may wander. In the sacristy, communion trays are prepared, paraments placed, and altar guilds urgently remind “Do NOT touch that brass without gloves!” Amidst the perfectly imperfect, our Lord finds us open and willing to learn and love.
The walls of a worship space see the milestones of a life—baptisms, first communions, confirmations, weddings, funerals, and everything in between. Every gap between bricks and undusted light fixture holds the weight of generations of emotions from joyous celebration to the deepest of grief. It invites participation by members, visitors, employees, and volunteers to come together in the ritual of worship.
Whatever milestone your sanctuary and sacristy are observing today, we want to help make it a space that honors and celebrates the heart of your ministry!
Invite God’s blessings upon both the people who equip your worship space and the furnishings of worship through two collections of downloadable prayers. The first prayers are taken from the Altar Guild and Sacristy Handbook: Fourth Revised Edition. The second are taken from the Evangelical Lutheran Worship Occasional Service for the Assembly. Both are featured below.
Church Office
The engine of the church is often found right inside the front doors. The church office is the location of logistics, the emotion behind the emails, and the coordination of the congregation. The church secretary is ruler of this kingdom with every operation of the building created and noted by their fingertips, all while being the friendly face and welcoming voice people encounter upon entering.
In this space, the word is printed on hundreds of bulletins every Thursday. It is spoken in every meeting looking to enhance, streamline, create, and implement programming for a multigenerational community. It is enacted every time the phone rings and a friendly voice picks up, ready to answer any query, offer support, or connect you to that which you seek. It pulls in and sends out the myriad of employees, volunteers, and youth (often there for a candy from someone’s desk) with tasks, answers, and thanks. It is in this space that the day-to-day of the divine occurs.
We give great thanks for those who coordinate the behind-the-scenes work of nourishing the ministry, mission, and community of a church while keeping the lights on, doors open, and bulletins printed. Let us support the continuation of this great work with resources that can aid and bolster such endeavors.
Invite some levity into your church office with these signs created by our design team. These daylight saving, Thanksgiving, and general autumn signage will keep your congregation smiling through the season. Our playful “office closed” notice is guaranteed to get a chuckle all year round. Perfect for bulletin boards, office doors, or anywhere that could use a touch of good-hearted humor.
Church Library
Great joy and great peace can be found among the shelves of a church library. The overstuffed (maybe slightly uncomfortable, possibly donated) chairs are the site of impromptu council meet ups, confirmation small group discussions, and kids waiting for their adults to stop chatting on a Sunday morning. The well-worn board and picture books at preschooler eye level may elicit squeals of delight. All this and more may be observed by rows of pictures depicting previous pastors who dedicated their time to an institution that still gathers people today.
Many rooms in a church advertise movement, sound, and participation. A church library is a special place to pause and rest a bit in stillness within the church building. Books and other media stacked generation upon generation remind us of the values held before and show us the journey taken to get to where we are now. Each shelf provides a companion through any discussion and thought, whether it’s seminary-level analysis of the Old Testament, books about dealing with grief, titles on major societal issues, or a whole host of other topics. A church library provides a safe place to explore new ideas and grow in faith.
You better believe we have recommendations for expanding and updating your library! With resources covering all sorts of topics and for all kinds of audiences, let Augsburg Fortress help add the next layer of wisdom to your church library.
Breathe some fresh air into your library with a recent bestseller list, customizable shelf cards for Staff Picks and other titles, and New Arrival signs.
Pastor Office
Check back in January!
Resources for your Pastor Office
Sunday School Rooms
Check back in February!
Resources for your Sunday School Rooms
Fellowship Hall
Check back in March!
Resources for your Fellowship Hall
Nursery
Check back in April!
Resources for your Nursery
Youth Room
Check back in May!
Resources for your Youth Room
Church Musician Office and Choir Room
Check back in June!
Resources for your Church Musician Office and Choir Room
Children’s Ministry Leader Office
Check back in July!
Resources for your Children’s Ministry Leader Office
Youth Ministry Leader Office
Check back in August!