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Your Church, Jan/Feb 2000
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If You Build It, Will They Come?
Advice from church consultants on the
relationship between building and congregational growth
John R. Throop
"If you build it,
they will come." That may have been true of a baseball diamond carved out
of an Iowa cornfield in Field of Dreams, but the concept is not
necessarily applicable to the local church.
There's no sure answer for when a church should build or expand. It's
a kind of holy which-came-first- the-chicken-or-egg question: Should you
build a larger facility and expect growth? Or should you postpone building
until your sanctuary is so crowded with people that it's bursting at
the seams?
Church consultant Lyle Schaller, who has written more than 30 books on church
planning, growth, and ministry, doesn't have a clear answer to the question.
"There's no single answer to the question about building for growth,"
he says. "It depends entirely upon the individual congregation."
Don't look for a formula, either, he cautions. There isn't one.
"I've known some congregations that have been in temporary facilities
for over 20 years, and they continue to grow, while others have built new
facilities for growth but experienced very little of it," he says.
Ministry First
Nonetheless, there is some advice on how to sort through this quandary:
• Start with the right perspective. A new building is not an
end but the means to an end. A structure enables ministry to occur; it should
not be regarded as a monument. Bob Lunn, director of commercial development
at the design-build firm Barden & Robeson, supports that, saying that
people are not attracted by beautiful buildings but by meaningful ministry.
"The building is just the tool of the ministry. It is not the ministry, as
so many churches think," he says. You build or expand to meet the needs of
the ministry, not to make a ministry.
• Develop a master plan. A church should develop a plan for ministry
before starting any building project. The master plan should be a prayerful
projection into the next three to five years of the ministry's scope
and how it will affect numerical growth. "We're finding that among
evangelical, Pentecostal, and fundamentalist churches, if the planning is
done properly and the church is built carefully, a congregation seating 100
to 300 people in the sanctuary can expect to double in size in three to five
years," Lunn says. New churches and very small congregations can expect more
rapid growth if they are intentional and prayerful in their decision-making.
Everyone in the church needs to be on the same page spiritually to come up
with a plan to build at the right time for the right reasons. To achieve
that, Lunn urges that the pastor sit down with church leaders and deliberately
seek the Lord's guidance for ministry development. Then they should
ask the entire congregation for input. "See what unfolds for phase one, phase
two, phase three, and beyond in a logical progression, with normal budgeting
requirements," Lunn says. "Then watch the Lord bless."
Rules to Build and Grow
By
Once you've developed a ministry plan, you should heed some basic rules
about growth. According to Schaller, these include:
1. The 80-percent rule. When a sanctuary is 80 percent full, it's
full as far as Americans are concerned since Americans tend to prize a large
personal space separating them from others. Get closer, or wedge in together,
or put chairs in an aisle, and visitors will think there's no room for
them. Church growth can stall.
2. The sanctuary-last rule. Schaller says that typically the sanctuary
is the most expensive construction element in a plan. It's also the
most difficult part of a church complex to alter later, even in preengineered
buildings. It's better to expand or build the sanctuary once other pieces
are in place and when more members are committed to support the building
program. Build your sanctuary last, he advises.
However, keep in mind that the sanctuary is the engine that drives all other
buildings and uses for land (i.e., parking, outdoor recreation, future
expansion). The space where your church worships is the capstone, or the
focal point, of your complex. Make sure that every piece of the complex fits
your overall vision.
As you build or improve multipurpose and educational facilities, those changes
will affect your present sanctuary. More programs usually attract more people
who might eventually come to worship with you along with their friends. So
how will your sanctuary accommodate swelling attendance?
Will your congregation be comfortable with multiple services, or does one
major service on Sunday better fit the church's beliefs and style? Can
your congregation deal with a multipurpose building that includes a worship
setup, or should it have a separate sanctuary? The answers to these questions
will determine how quickly you need to build a new sanctuary.
3. The ample parking rule. According to church consultant Kennon Callahan,
people who attend church expect ample off-street parking. They also want
a safe, well-lit parking lot. In addition, families today often do not come
in one car; the ratio of attenders to cars is about 1.75. So if the
church's worship attendance is 500 and the church plans to grow, it
should allow at least 300 parking spaces, with room for expansion.
4. The Sunday school space rule. In planning a Sunday school classroom,
allow 400 square feet for every 15 to 20 participants, Callahan says. Increase
that amount for children, and de crease it for adults. Nurseries should be
roomy enough for several children as well as adult caregivers to move about
freely. They should also include space for cribs, rocking chairs, and crawling
toddlers. With the new baby boom in full swing, such planning is especially
critical.
Church growth is influenced by such factors as parking space and the size
of classrooms. So it's important to plan construction with a hopeful
eye to ward growth so that the buildings don't quickly become inadequate.
Be prudent about growth projections, however, to prevent putting up a facility
that is too big. People can be put off by an uncomfortably empty room as
much as by a crowded one.
Put the Pieces in Place
After the master planning process is complete, consult an architect or a
design-build firm to work out the construction details.
"No architect can tell you what your design needs are if your church can't
describe what will be happening inside," Lunn says. "Nor can a capital fundraiser
tell you what's financially feasible to build. It has to be the Lord's
leading in a congregation."
The next step to consider is finances. A congregation should ask, "Can we
afford to build?" It should also ask, "Can we afford not to?" If the principle
"Money follows ministry" is true, then money should be available if a clear
case can be made for facilities expansion, renovation, or relocation.
It may be prudent at this point to develop other pieces of the plan besides
the sanctuary, since the sanctuary is the most expensive part of that plan.
A solid base of support can be developed while alternate means of worship
space are found, such as multiple services, a large fellowship hall for both
worship and fellowship, or the use of another facility for a temporary worship
center.
The Right Time to Build
There are so many variables in a growth-to-building ratio. That's why
there is really no right time to build. In addition to factors already cited,
Schaller suggests there are the economics of the community, the acceptance
of the pastor, the quality of the leadership, and the willingness of the
people to change and grow. He thus advises churches to initially spend money
on the least expensive buildings of their plan while they deepen their pool
of donors for further expansion.
In the end, the timing and funding for construction is up to God and his
children. Church leaders must build on a solid foundation, Christ Jesus,
and realize that God's temple is his people, not the building they meet
in.
John R. Throop is a management consultant based in Peoria, Illinois,
and is vicar of Christ Church Limestone, near Peoria. Contact him at
jthroop@concentric.net.
Helpful Resources
| • Barden & Robeson
• Ceco Builders
• Century Builders
• Morton Buildings
• Speed Fab-Crete
• S.R. Harmon Construction Company |
800-724-0141
800-474-2326
800-777-5622
800-447-7436
800-758-1137
800-587-0547 |
Copyright © 1999 by the author or Christianity Today International/Your
Church Magazine. Click here
for reprint information on Your Church.
January/February 2000, Vol. 46, No. 1, Page 54
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