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Like most churches, you never seem to have enough space in your facility for the special program that's going on right now. You wish that somehow you could requisition some of the rooms that are fully used during the week but are now dark and idle.

With a little creativity, there are ways to make your building big when you need it big, and small when it should be small. Here are some ideas.

Many small churches that are building for the first time are choosing to put up multipurpose structures because they need to do much with limited space, says Doug Jurney of Ceco Buildings. Yet larger congregations are also building these types of spaces for recreational, socializing, and dining purposes so that they can reserve their sanctuaries for more formal events. "It runs the whole route," Jurney says.

No matter what size church structure you have or are planning to build, it's wise to include plenty of narthex or lobby space adjoining the sanctuary or auditorium. In addition to using this space for greeting and socializing, some churches are using the narthex for receptions, coffee serving, buffet tables—even full-scale dining. If the space is used for meals, the congregation will need a nearby place for food preparation and clean-up.

The needs list builds and builds.

How can you get all of these amenities in a space that's affordable? The secret is strategic adjacencies, or the art of planning so that everything you need is close at hand. Ask any good cook how a kitchen should be laid out, and you'll find that easy access to cooking supplies is more critical than the size of the room.

The same is true of storage space, classrooms, administrative space, meeting rooms, and other areas in a church. Whether you are designing an addition, expansion, or a new building, strategic adjacencies for multipurpose use should be high on the priority list.

When our firm asks a client for a list of needs (a programming document), we create a strategic adjacencies chart in response. This chart ensures that we have all the required spaces where they need to be for ordinary use as well as when they must be recruited for special occasions.

This same chart can be developed for an existing building to show the strengths and weaknesses of your current facility. Once you see what features and amenities need to be coordinated, you're better equipped to plan how to bring them together. Some examples:

1. Set up for seating. What do you do when you need more space for people in your services but there's no place to seat them? Often, if we remove some barriers, there can be plenty of room for additional seating.

For example, some spaces that are adjacent to or already part of a sanctuary or auditorium can be mobilized to allow temporary seating for special events or holiday services. There might be space for added seating in the front of your room. The platform could be scaled back so that additional rows of chairs can be set up. Farther back in the auditorium, if there are sight line issues, raised platforms can be set up to hold additional seating.

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