Recently our student ministry team and I tried to create a functional information space. We hoped to get students and their families to come check us out in between our church services and learn more about who we are and what we do. Too often we saw missed opportunities because of failing to engage students. In creating an engaging and functional space we are becoming more strategic with our opportunities.

    We asked our students already attending what they would like to see and made movements towards that. We decided to add some back yard games, a video game station and some lounge seating. Immediately we saw a turn around. More students were staying around longer, having more conversations and bringing other students we have not met before. It was a quick win for our student ministry.

  Recently I read a blog post about coffee bars in churches. The idea that they help create community and spark conversations within the church. However, many churches are building coffee bars without thinking through the space it is in and the purposes for which it exists. Evaluating the purposes and function of our resources allows us to make the best choices. We shouldn’t put a coffee bar in a remote corner of the church. It would defeat the purpose.

  What spaces are you creating and for what purposes? Evaluate what you do and how successful it is. Maybe there are some small things you can take away or add that make a dramatic impact.