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When your church's people tell one story but the building conveys a contradictory message, the result is a construction feature not drawn on the original blueprints: walls that potentially keep visitors away.

"The idea that the environment is setting the stage, if not actually telling your story, is something we miss," says Mel McGowan, founder of Visioneering Studios, a California design firm for churches and ministries. "The idea that storytelling begins at the street is important."

The story your church tells to people who walk and drive by continues when they step onto the property. At its best, the story comes from a vision, and the message is the same whether told by the church's people or by its facilities. People make the connection, often subliminally.

"It starts with the sign they see when they drive by and the curb appeal of the church," says Bill Chegwidden, president of CDH Partners, an Atlanta design and architecture firm. "If people see a very traditional-looking church, they will have certain expectations when they go inside. If they see a very contemporary church and a different kind of design, the person will have different expectations. That does impact mission and vision."

When a church plans to construct a new building, it's easier to seamlessly match a vision with the facility. But many churches aren't in the planning stages of a building project and don't have that luxury. Fortunately, there are churches that have successfully navigated the rockier terrain of changing existing buildings to better match their visions.

Manchester Christian Church, a 1,700-member congregation in Manchester, New Hampshire, is one example. It met in a facility built in 1985, complete with a steeple and plain white walls in the sanctuary. The church began to outgrow its space, and with that growth came a process of evaluating facilities and better matching them to the church's vision to "change New England by turning ordinary people into extraordinary followers of Jesus Christ."

"Our gathering space didn't seem to match our vision to be an authentic community that was telling God's story in a culturally relevant way," says John Cassetto, pastor of vision and outreach. "The stories we were telling about life change were not being helped by our architecture. In fact, they were being hindered."

The church's solution? Renovate. It built in a new "black box" worship center, then converted the old sanctuary into a social gathering place called Stepping Stones Cafe, renovated the children's space, enlarged the lobby, and added an outdoor gathering place. The steeple is gone, too.

First Baptist Church in Peachtree City, Georgia, thought it was a caring place in touch with its community, located 26 miles south of Atlanta. The church was growing (it now has 2,700 members and averages nearly 1,000 people in weekly worship attendance), the community was changing, and leaders began to think about how the church facilities of the future could match their vision and surrounding community.

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