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
Check back in November!
Resources for your Church Office
Church Library
Check back in December!
Resources for your Church Library
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!