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If you are planning to construct a new church building or remodel your existing one, you're in good company. This year, churches in the United States will spend an estimated $8 billion on new facilities. Before finalizing construction plans, though, you may want to read what builders we consulted are saying about trends in the business.

The builders include Jim Avery, vice president of sales and marketing for Sprung Instant Structures, Calgary, Alberta; Bill Couchenour, president of Cogun Industries, North Lima, Ohio; Sam Harmon, president of S.R. Harmon Construction, Warners, New York; Tom Lundberg, president of GuideOne Taylor Ball Construction, West Des Moines, Iowa; Bob Lunn, director of operations for Barden Commercial Division, Middleport, New York; Paul Marston, president of Richmond Sterling, Atlanta, Georgia; Wayne Nowlan of Allied Design Architectural and Engineering Group, PC, which provides professional design services for Morton Buildings, Morton, Illinois; and Mark West, business development manager for Century Builders, Houston, Texas.

Trend One: Maximize What You Have
Because of the high cost of new construction, many churches are looking for ways to stretch their existing buildings to meet needs. "The battle to maximize square footage for the budget, while maintaining design integrity, is intensifying with the rising costs of property, construction, and operations," Couchenour says.

Some churches are looking for ways to free up space for more high-priority usage. For example, churches that are building a drama ministry need space in which to store sets and props. Since many of these items are seasonal, churches are finding ways to store them off site.

Trend Two: Plan for Growth
Churches that are looking for property on which to build should choose something spacious enough to accommodate current programs, parking, and people's expectations for more spacious facilities. "In the past, church facilities were smaller. Now people must have more seating and more classroom space," Harmon says. "They're no longer content to meet in the choir room for Sunday school; they want a different classroom for each class."

Churches should also plan for expansion, builders say. "Even if you're not going to build all at once, you've got to do a master plan that lays out the campus with space for the future," West says. Until about five years ago, only large churches did this, he says. Now every church has to do it.

"Clearly, the predominate trend we are seeing in the church environment today is one of growth," Lundberg adds. "This requires churches to establish master plans and construction programs that facilitate expansion."

For example, the walking distance between parking lots and church buildings must be factored into that plan. "In Houston, you don't want people to walk a half-mile in 100-degree weather," West says. Likewise, a half-mile of braving ice and snow in the Midwest is hardly tolerable on the way to Sunday morning worship.

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