Atmosphere First

The right atmosphere is a crucial component to any event or service. It will either amplify or diminish the effectiveness of everything you do. With that said, it is necessary to cultivate and sustain an atmosphere of expectation and interaction. If the atmosphere is not kept in constant check, it will be stolen. When the atmosphere is stolen, the door is opened for weird vibes and unimpressed, teenage critics.

Instead allowing them to define the atmosphere, we define the atmosphere and welcome them into it.

Expectation

Expectation is the precursor to faith. In order to create an atmosphere of faith, expectation must first be instilled. When you expect great, you receive great. Therefore, the goal is to offer an easy on ramp towards faith through expectation. For Awakening, this means over-the-top openers. Without suggestion, there must be excitement the moment someone walks through the front door.

Our opener’s theme is typically space-related. Launch sequences, rockets, digital glitches. Space, for our benefit, is suspenseful.

Everything must be exciting and cohesive. Astronaut DJ? Check and check.

Interaction

Interaction is a response to faith, but we don’t focus on the church kid who is well versed in service-etiquette and Christianese. In order to cultivate the right atmosphere, the new and unaware must be offered an opportunity to learn. We want to assimilate every single person into the Awakening culture. We are teaching them to be loud, to be celebratory, to be all in. This is done through initiating interaction from the very beginning. Suspense is built through expectation, thus interaction is the fulfillment of expectation. Where rather than introducing the atmosphere through words, it is done through action. You will dance. You will jump. You will shout. Not just for the intro, but for the whole conference.

Here, within the first three minutes, we’ve built their faith and we’ve taught them how to respond. These are the two things needed for them to receive and for the conference to be set in motion.

Watch the Intro: