From EVENTS to ENVIRONMENTS with Andrew Silbert and Sarah Burtt
Episode Summary
Episode 39 of Reinventing Church explores a crucial shift many pastors are wrestling with: moving from event-driven ministry to disciple-shaping environments. Big church events can spark energy, but they rarely produce long-term transformation. This episode breaks down what does produce mature disciples, intentional relational spaces, thoughtful worship environments, and consistent training rhythms.
Shane Stacey from Clarity House opens the conversation by walking through the five key “social spaces” that shape people: public, social, personal, transparent, and divine. He explains why each environment produces different outcomes and why churches get stuck when they rely too heavily on one space, usually the big room.
In the main interview, Andrew Silbert and Sarah Burtt talk with Derek and Danielle about the real-life experiments happening inside Grace Church. From simplifying worship services, to adding liturgical moments, to creating mid-size training environments where people can actually practice prayer and spiritual skills, this episode shows what it takes to design spaces where discipleship can take root.
Leaders will appreciate the practical insights on starting simple: run a 4–6 week pilot, try sermon-based table discussions, or create clear invitations to smaller spaces where confession, testimony, and accountability can thrive. The team also unpacks some behind-the-scenes learnings on opening staff meetings for development and shares a helpful end-of-year reflection tool based on the historic Christian practice of the examen.
If you’re looking for actionable ideas to move your church beyond events and into environments that actually form people, this episode is an invaluable guide.
LINKS & RESOURCES
SHOW NOTES
Key Insights from Shane Stacey (Clarity House):
Why environments matter
- Big gatherings create energy, but they rarely create depth. Shane walks through why different relational spaces shape people in different ways.
- He uses high school as a metaphor: pep rallies (public), homerooms (social), lunch tables (personal), and close friends (intimate). Each space forms us differently.
Five key social spaces
- Public (100+) – best for inspiration, momentum, proclamation.
- Social (25–75) – best for practice, feedback, and developing competency.
- Personal (8–15) – best for support, closeness, gentle challenge.
- Transparent (3–6) – best for deep transformation, vulnerability, and accountability.
- Divine (1:1 with God) – Jesus modeled this rhythm often.
Core insight for pastors
- No single environment disciples people well.
- Many churches overuse one or two spaces and expect them to do everything.
- Disciple-making requires an ecosystem—a mix of overlapping spaces where different developmental outcomes can happen.
Leadership takeaway
- Before creating an environment, clarify the outcome you’re after.
- Then design the room, group size, format, and expectations around that specific goal.
Key Insights from Andrew Silbert and Sarah Burtt (Grace Church)
1. Rethinking Sundays as formation environments
- Andrew describes the shift from “performance” to creating a vertical space where people encounter God, not simply the people on stage.
- The team has experimented with:
- Simplifying worship and adding hymns
- Liturgical elements and Scripture readings
- Reordering services so praise, proclamation, and prayer flow together
- Having readers and band members come directly from the congregation
- Opening natural light, reducing distractions, and making the room feel more like gathered worship than a production
2. Designing discipleship spaces beyond Sunday
- Sarah emphasizes moving from attendance to belonging—helping people become “one of the many” rather than “one among many.”
- Mid-size trainings (25–75) have been especially fruitful. They allow:
- Actual practice, not just teaching
- Immediate feedback
- Action steps people are using in daily life within days
- Smaller spaces (groups of 8–15 or triads of 3–6) allow for:
- Personal storytelling
- Confession and honesty
- Spiritual partnership and accountability
- Concrete “I will” commitments, not vague next steps
3. Tips for designing effective environments
- Start gatherings with autobiographical sharing—it grounds the room.
- Create space for confession, not just discussion.
- Celebrate moments of courage when people try something outside their comfort zone.
- Don’t force intimate interaction into spaces that aren’t designed for it (e.g., “turn to your neighbor” in a 700-seat room).
4. What the worship service could look like “from scratch”
- Core pillars stay: gathering in God’s presence, proclamation, praise, prayer.
- If there were no constraints, Andrew would add:
- Movable seating and smaller prayer circles
- Family worship as a regular rhythm
- Weekly communion
- Testimony as a central storytelling moment
- A room arranged around shared encounter rather than a single focal point
5. Advice for churches starting the shift
- Don’t jump straight to small groups**.** Consider starting with a mid-size environment where pastors or elders guide tables around sermon-based discussion.
- Use four- to six-week pilots**.** Low risk. High learning.
- Look for low-hanging fruit**.** Try something small, tweak as you go, and don’t over-program.
- Remember discipleship takes time**.** Progress happens through repetition, not one-off moments.
Behind the Curtain
Topic: Open meetings and schedules as a simple discipleship/ training practice
- Derek and the team discussed opening up their internal meetings for other pastors and staff to sit in and learn.
- The insight: open-door meetings sharpen your own processes, expose your team to fresh perspectives, and create built-in development moments without adding calendar load.
- The challenge: clarity of purpose is essential. Meetings with clear agendas and outcomes are easier to open than loosely defined gatherings.
- Derek discusses the advice to open his own schedule at the beginning of the week to any staff who can come along with him for any meeting.
Tips & Tools:
**Tool:**15 Questions of Examen: A Year-End Tool
- Derek shares his annual rhythm between Christmas and New Year: setting aside a couple hours to look back on the year and look ahead with intention.
- He offers a set of 15 reflection questions rooted in the historic Christian practice of examen.
- A few examples:
- If this year were a book, what would the title be? What was the hinge chapter?
- What moments felt most life-defining?
- Who shaped my year, and why?
- Where do I want to grow next year, and what’s the first step?
- The goal: don’t just live your life—interpret it.
