Comments on: Feel the Squeeze http://tonymorganlive.com/2009/02/08/feel-the-squeeze/ Trying to be strategic. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:28:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Chris Rowney http://tonymorganlive.com/2009/02/08/feel-the-squeeze/#comment-9016 Chris Rowney Sun, 01 Mar 2009 09:49:50 +0000 http://tonymorganlive.com/?p=2897#comment-9016 G'Day! - Great post - thanks - I'm thinking through all this at the moment - we have a 150 seat capacity in our auditorium, and have run out of seats a few times lately, and have about 120 to 135 in attendance each Sunday now. (About 200 or so regular attendees - i.e. they come once a month or so - but only 120 to 135 on any given Sunday) SO we've hit the 80% - BTW the 150 chairs is a little crowded too - it is much better with only 120 or so seats out. I buy the idea that full is great and that moving at 80% may not always be wise - BUT my big issue is parking - We are on a very small block with only about 8 to 10 off street car parks - and the street is extremely narrow and we make it so only one car can drive down it (i.e. two cars cannot pass) when we have cars parked on both sides during a Sunday. Also what used to be the vacant lot opposite which we parked on until a couple of years ago is now about to be developed as townhouses, so we will have more traffic and lose some of the street parking we now have. Is that all compelling enough to have to move? Or am I missing something - I don;t believe multiple Sunday AM services will work as I think people coming and going at the changeover time will make traffic/parking worse, so maybe we could add a Saturday service as an interim, but is a total church size as small as ours big enough to do that viably? What are peoples experiences or advice? A talk I gave last year when we were preparing the congregation to consider some land is at http://www.tcfnet.org.au/future it shows a aerial view of our site - the land we were looking at at that time is now NOT being released for development as the owners plan to sit on it for 5 years hoping values will go up - so we can look elsewhere. I guess I like the ideas I have read on this Blog and others of doing the multi service thing - but wonder if to do that we need to at least get a facility (either our own or rented) that is somewhat self contained offering seating AND parking. Thanks in advance Chris Rowney G’Day! – Great post – thanks – I’m thinking through all this at the moment – we have a 150 seat capacity in our auditorium, and have run out of seats a few times lately, and have about 120 to 135 in attendance each Sunday now. (About 200 or so regular attendees – i.e. they come once a month or so – but only 120 to 135 on any given Sunday) SO we’ve hit the 80% – BTW the 150 chairs is a little crowded too – it is much better with only 120 or so seats out.

I buy the idea that full is great and that moving at 80% may not always be wise – BUT my big issue is parking – We are on a very small block with only about 8 to 10 off street car parks – and the street is extremely narrow and we make it so only one car can drive down it (i.e. two cars cannot pass) when we have cars parked on both sides during a Sunday. Also what used to be the vacant lot opposite which we parked on until a couple of years ago is now about to be developed as townhouses, so we will have more traffic and lose some of the street parking we now have.

Is that all compelling enough to have to move? Or am I missing something – I don;t believe multiple Sunday AM services will work as I think people coming and going at the changeover time will make traffic/parking worse, so maybe we could add a Saturday service as an interim, but is a total church size as small as ours big enough to do that viably? What are peoples experiences or advice? A talk I gave last year when we were preparing the congregation to consider some land is at http://www.tcfnet.org.au/future it shows a aerial view of our site – the land we were looking at at that time is now NOT being released for development as the owners plan to sit on it for 5 years hoping values will go up – so we can look elsewhere. I guess I like the ideas I have read on this Blog and others of doing the multi service thing – but wonder if to do that we need to at least get a facility (either our own or rented) that is somewhat self contained offering seating AND parking.

Thanks in advance Chris Rowney

]]> By: Amy Anderson http://tonymorganlive.com/2009/02/08/feel-the-squeeze/#comment-8731 Amy Anderson Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:38:50 +0000 http://tonymorganlive.com/?p=2897#comment-8731 I like having a new way to think about capacity. Just a clarification on calculating the ratio. If I have a venue that seats 500; we have 4 services; attendance over the weekend is 1600 in worship, and 400 in kids, would we do the math like this? (1600+400)/500 = 4.0 or (1600+400)/500*4 = 1.0 Thanks for the clarification. Amy I like having a new way to think about capacity. Just a clarification on calculating the ratio. If I have a venue that seats 500; we have 4 services; attendance over the weekend is 1600 in worship, and 400 in kids, would we do the math like this?

(1600+400)/500 = 4.0
or
(1600+400)/500*4 = 1.0

Thanks for the clarification.

Amy

]]> By: Paul Kuzma http://tonymorganlive.com/2009/02/08/feel-the-squeeze/#comment-8178 Paul Kuzma Thu, 12 Feb 2009 04:50:49 +0000 http://tonymorganlive.com/?p=2897#comment-8178 My experience is that some of this can depend on area of the country you live in. Southern California folk like their elbow room. They're willing to sit right next to each other at weddings or funerals, but not every Sunday. My experience is that some of this can depend on area of the country you live in. Southern California folk like their elbow room. They’re willing to sit right next to each other at weddings or funerals, but not every Sunday.

]]> By: Jimmy Smith (All Praise) http://tonymorganlive.com/2009/02/08/feel-the-squeeze/#comment-8177 Jimmy Smith (All Praise) Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:29:42 +0000 http://tonymorganlive.com/?p=2897#comment-8177 Tony, dead on. As a 33 year broadcast radio guy, our events are always planned for a smaller-than-needed venue. We want people telling their friends how many people attended. And while we on the inside use numbers to tell the story ("there were 2300 in attendance today) people speak in what I call "usage terms." "Man, there were so many people there, I think people were sitting in the foyer!" Now THAT creates word-of-mouth and excitement. Tony, dead on. As a 33 year broadcast radio guy, our events are always planned for a smaller-than-needed venue. We want people telling their friends how many people attended. And while we on the inside use numbers to tell the story (“there were 2300 in attendance today) people speak in what I call “usage terms.” “Man, there were so many people there, I think people were sitting in the foyer!” Now THAT creates word-of-mouth and excitement.

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