Miracle Truss, the Minneapolis, Minnesota-based division of Miracle Steel Structures, started designing and fabricating steel components for commercial, industrial, and agricultural buildings in the 1970s. From its beginning, the company was committed to providing low-cost, flexible structures. In the 1980s, the Miracle Truss vision caught the attention of a church building committee with a tight budget. When the committee head contacted the company and explained his church couldn't afford a traditional bricks and mortar building, Miracle Truss engineers stepped up to the plate. They consulted with the committee members to modify their typical building design. According to Steve Beulter, Miracle Truss vice president, "The church was completed with a two-thirds savings of what they would have normally spent."

Since that success, Miracle Truss has worked regularly with churches that want affordable structures with flexible floor plans and finishes.

Flexibility
Typically, church leaders contact Miracle Truss with a general idea of the building they'd like to construct. As company engineers plan the structure's steel frame and truss system, they take into account details specified by the church as well as the building site and environmental factors. The firm's broad range of experience includes designing churches for the Midwest prairie, Hawaiian mountainsides, and urban streets.

"The heart of our building process is the steel truss system," explains Beulter. "Steel's strength and lower cost give us great flexibility in meeting the demand for the large, open worship and activity space that would cost much more in a traditional building."

Engineers employ expertise gained while working with other churches and recommend ways to save money at various stages of the project. And the engineers are happy to consult with an architect if the church has hired one. All work is accomplished via telephone, fax, and e-mail—an important factor in keeping costs under control.

Once the church approves the design, employees in Miracle Truss's South Dakota factory fabricate the truss and other building components. The company maintains engineering certifications in every state and certifies the trusses before they're shipped to the church.

In addition to the steel framework, Miracle Truss can also be selected to provide exterior siding and roofing. Miracle Truss's steel siding is custom-cut to the building design, and is available in a palette of 19 colors. Some churches even use contrasting tones to add interest to the church exterior. The easily assembled siding material has a watertight system and stands up well in the harshest environments.

Often, a church chooses a fine interior finish and alternative materials such as brick for the outside of the building. "By the time some churches get done, members can't see a single piece of steel inside or out," says Beutler. "The beams are sheetrocked, and interior and exterior walls are finished as they would be in a traditional building."

In these instances, the building committee and construction-savvy church members buy local materials and professional services necessary to complete the structure.

Team Building Experience
While some congregations hire out the entire assembly and finish process, other congregations turn the project into a team building experience.

"The low infrastructure cost and the opportunity to use member labor allows churches to assemble a dream building for a fraction of the traditional cost," says Beutler. "Another advantage to the Miracle Truss system is that it gives the congregation a chance to come together as a team."

Do-it-yourselfers prepare the site by pouring a concrete slab or piers. Then they erect the building by bolting trusses to the framing. There's no need for welding. And because the framing is spaced two feet apart, insulating the building is easy. From there, a church can look to its resident plumbing, heating, carpentry, and interior-decorating experts.

Durability
A Miracle Truss church can be erected in a few weeks or months but the investment will stand the test of time. The company is certified by the International Conference of Building Officials—the group that authors the Uniform Building Code. Two natural advantages of steel framing over wood framing are that neither termites nor hurricane winds can threaten the integrity of the structure. Miracle Truss offers a thirty-year warranty on its exterior siding.

But most telling are the customer survey results. The five favorite features of surveyed Miracle Truss building owners are:

• Ease of erection.



• Solid construction and strength.



• 100 percent usable interior space with no floor or ceiling obstructions.



• Sleek, contemporary appearance.



• Easy interior to finish or insulate.

If there's a new church in your future, Miracle Truss offers an economical structure with the opportunity of turning the project into a team building experience for the entire congregation.