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Restaurants around Willow Creek Community Church in Barrington, Illinois, were packed after Sunday morning services. When church leaders realized that, they suggested that the church might want to provide a place where people could fellowship with food. Today, Willow Creek has an 800-seat, two-story atrium and a mall-style food court.

You may want to start a food ministry in your church. The first thing you need is a large, commercial kitchen, right?

Wrong. Church architects and food-service managers advise starting small and letting facility upgrades follow ministry growth. You should also plan for the future.

Since the majority of meals that your church will be hosting will consist of food that people prepare at home, Bruce Wardell of Bruce Wardell Architects, in Charlottesville, Virginia, recommends planning a kitchen in which large amounts of food can be heated or cooled. "A congregation of 150-200 people will do fine with a warming kitchen or a large, residential-style kitchen," Wardell says. This space should include lots of counter space for salad preparation, a few heavy-duty ovens, one or two refrigerators, a freezer, and several microwave ovens.

Next, think about cleanup. According to Wardell, one of the biggest dilemmas for churches with warming kitchens is the dishwasher. "A residential dishwasher has a 40-minute cycle. By the time it finishes, everyone has gone home," he says. One option is to use paper and plastic table service. Another is to install two or three residential dishwashers. A more costly but better long-term solution is to invest in a commercial dishwasher.

Making the move from a warming kitchen to a commercial kitchen is a big step, but a congregation with more than 500 members may want to consider the up grade, Wardell says. However, the decision must be program driven. "If your church isn't making it with your old facilities, there is no guarantee that ministry will happen with a big expensive kitchen," he says.

In addition to doubling the cost, a commercial-grade kitchen is subject to a higher level of review by the local health department. Health codes vary from state to state, but most states require a separate handwashing sink and a two-compartment vegetable preparation sink in addition to clean up sinks, says Doug Stephens of Hull-Stephens & Associates in Swartz Creek, Michigan.

Harriet Watts, food-service coordinator at First Baptist Church in New Orleans, Louisiana, suggests getting professional advice before planning a commercial kitchen. "Get someone who is an expert because once you've built, you're locked in," she says.

At First Baptist, a part-time cook, one helper, and many volunteers serve food to large groups every day. The church offers cafeteria-style fellowship suppers on Wednesday nights, lunches for needy people on Mondays, lunches for senior citizens, and more.

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