I mentioned in the previous post that I am a fan of ministry environments. What is interesting is it is impossible for this not to happen. Everything we do is done in a particular environment. A Bible class that is lecture-centered in a large room with poor acoustics has a feel that is different from a Bible study in a home over a meal with a small group of people discussing scripture and application. Everything we do is surrounded in environment whether we recognize it or not. Everything has an environment whether we plan for that or not. Often we have been a part of those environments for so long that we no longer think of the message they are sending to those who walk in the door. Our environments either help or hinder the ministry we are trying to do. Environments, like it or not, can bring people back or send them away regardless of the truthfulness/correctness of the content of our teaching.
So before I go into any more detail about how we create them we first have to recognize that they exist and that they are everywhere. The less we recognize that the more likely we are to not use them for the best possible outcomes. In some upcoming posts I am going to talk about the factors that influence our environments and how to think through creating an effective environment for ministry.
