Context

Worship Circle is an exclusive worship leadership training program that takes place over a six- to twelve-month period, designed to purposefully position worship leaders under seasoned mentors within the context of small groups.

Designed to be a fully-virtual experience, Worship Circle was using Zoom to facilitate its monthly sessions where a leader or notable voice in the Christian worship space would teach to the Worship Circle members followed by time for the small groups to meet together.

With leaders spread across the United States, Worship Circle was open to using a better tool for gathering its members and holding it's monthly sessions. Zoom calls could not provide the engagement or interactivity necessary for circle-based conversations without extensive pre-work programming the breakout groups. 
 

Setup

Imaginate designed a rooftop environment that created a sense of community, connection, and escape from the noise of life to host the small group sessions. By collaborating with Todd Fields and the Worship Circle administrative team, Imaginate was able to capture the vision and put together an experience that would be a perfect fit to the culture of camaraderie Worship Circle was trying to create. 

Results

The free-roaming networking experience at the start of the program was a breakthrough moment when the groups could mingle before the session began, and small group leaders (coaches) could network amongst themselves. In Table Mode, members and coaches felt like they were actually there, able to move freely throughout the event space and connect with whomever they chose.

In Presentation Mode, Brett and Ainsely Younker (the guest speakers for the event) were able to present in a focused view, so all attendees could get the most from the teaching (rather than the traditional grid-view experienced in most video conferencing tools). From there, the chat and Q&A created room for interaction, followed by a small group time back in Table Mode.

The event was an incredible visual display of the heartbeat behind Worship Circle: for worship leaders to know that they are loved and not alone. By reimagining this experience from a traditional  "video call" to an engaging and intimate virtual "retreat,"  Imaginate was able to give the members, coaches, and leadership of Worship Circle a greater level of authentic connection with each other. All the participants having conversations simultaneously was visible, just like watching a room come to life with table discussions. Seeing the many circles of conversation and connection happen in a virtual setting was exactly the kind of virtual experience Worship Circle was aiming for.