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Building a church facility for today's needs and for future needs is no small endeavor. Even small projects are complex, involving thousands of decisions and elaborate coordination. You need a plan that vividly describes your desired destination and clearly defines a path that will get you there.

We call this a "master plan," and it needs to look several years into the future so that today's decisions move you in the right direction toward tomorrow's goals. Here are some expert tips to help you develop your master plan.

Developing a master plan is an important project for any church. "People in the congregation want to know where the church is going," says David E. Evans, AlA, Mantel Teter Architects, Inc. in Kansas City, Missouri. "They want to know that there is a plan of action."

Evans points out that even though churches are often visionary organizations, leaders still need to actively contemplate and pursue this vision. "Think big," he advises. "Don't underestimate the extent of your church's potential for ministry in your community. Most churches remain the same size for years and years because they have not acted on their vision, or properly communicated it to the congregation. They lose people out the door as fast as they come in the door. Motivated people will generally not remain in an unmotivated church."

At the same time, the grand vision must be tethered to reality. "Over the years I have observed that a lack of vision is not usually the problem, rather a lack of wisdom," says Evans. "For example, a church in a community of 500 people should not plan for a 3,000-seat sanctuary."

In creating a vision, Ed Bahler, CEO of Aspen Group in Frankfurt, Illinois points to three driving forces that must be considered. The first is leadership passion—what the pastor and other leaders in the congregation are personally passionate about. The second is the congregational gift—what the congregation is good at. In these two respects, the vision must be consistent with the church's "code," its unique personality and giftedness. (For more information about this "code," be sure to read our article "Your Building Code," in the March/April 2007 issue of YOUR CHURCH magazine, or read it online at yourchurch.net.)

The third factor that must be considered in developing a vision is the specific needs of the community. This vision is then carefully articulated in the master plan, and it is this master plan that becomes the vehicle for communicating the vision to the congregation.

Bahler advises to take a step back at each phase of the project and make sure you are going in the direction of your vision. The same long-term vision that got you started is the vision that should drive you through each succeeding step. "This is a powerful tool," he says, "for it forces you to think through and clarify each thing you do."

Many church master plans can be accomplished at the church's existing location, especially if the church's vision involves service to local community. Still, healthy churches tend to grow, and at some point in their history, churches need to consider more space—either relocation or an expansion of their ministries.

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