The Community-Centered Church

Could your church use an extra fellowship hall? What about more space for the youth group? Do you need room to start an outreach program for community seniors? If you’re asking these questions and others, then it’s time to consider a well-designed multipurpose building. And if you think such buildings are something only wealthy churches can afford, think again.

No matter what you call them—multipurpose buildings, family life centers, activity centers, or gymnatoriums—these increasingly popular flexible spaces are as likely to be found on a 400-member church campus as on a megachurch campus. Churches of all sizes are finding them a less expensive and more versatile alternative to traditional space.

“It’s not a trend; it’s a factor of the economy,” says Henry Kohlleffel, vice-president of Century Builders in Houston, Texas. “A gym holds more bang for the buck.”

Many growing churches, he says, are using multipurpose buildings as a steppingstone before investing in their ideal worship center. Building a multipurpose facility first allows the church to raise capital funds while accommodating rapid growth.

Kohlleffel gives this example: A church with 800 people in worship wants to build a sanctuary that seats 1,000 people and also a family life center. However, it can’t immediately afford such an ambitious project, and growth is so rapid that a 1,000-seat worship space would prove too small upon completion. Realizing the versatility of a multipurpose building, the church decides to make such a facility an interim step on its path to building a dream sanctuary three to five years down the road. Without a multipurpose building, the church would probably just continue holding services in a storefront or school.

What’s the Difference?

In general, traditional buildings and multipurpose buildings have one major difference: ceiling height. A traditional fellowship hall usually has an eight- or ten-foot ceiling, says Jim Avery, vice-president of sales and marketing for Sprung Instant Structures in Calgary, Alberta. In a multipurpose building, ceilings are higher to accommodate portable staging and gymnasiums. Most gymnasiums are built to high school or college requirements, approximately 6,000 square feet with 20- to 25-foot ceilings.

“When there are a lot of people, you need height for clean sight lines,” says Avery, whose Sprung stressed-membrane structures measure 35 feet high at the peak. Additional height allows room for volleyball, basketball, worship, drama, and large music presentations.

In a traditional sanctuary you can’t remove the pews or theater seats to set up a basketball court, but the usual limits don’t apply to multipurpose facilities. A family life center can quickly be transformed from recreational to educational space by hiding sports equipment and setting up chairs and tables. Such flexibility enables churches to host their current ministries while simultaneously expanding into new areas.

Of course, not all multipurpose buildings are intended to be used as a gym. Even without a higher ceiling, these buildings can be used for a variety of events, and they are easier to adapt to normal sanctuary requirements.

A Full-Service Community

As churches increasingly try to reach their neighborhoods, multipurpose facilities can nicely accommodate new ministries throughout the week, such as sports leagues, coffee houses, drama nights, and more. Many churches are not just busy on Sunday mornings, they’re alive on Tuesday and Thursday nights, too, and a family life center provides the perfect space for multiple activities.

“Churches today want to make themselves a full-service community,” says Shawn Barrett, sales and marketing manager for United Church Structures, a pre-engineered building company in Davison, Michigan.

She’s observed churches that have started a variety of creative recreation programs. “It gives them an opportunity to interact with other Christians,” Barrett says, “and they are able to include people who may not be regular church attenders.”

Examples: Century Builders built a walking track above the gym floor of a church in a small Texas town. The town does not have a mall, so the church opens its building early in order for seniors to invite their friends to walk in a safe, secure, and climate-controlled environment.

Zion Church Builders, an authorized Ceco builder, built a family life center with a fireplace for Christian Union Church in Metamora, Illinois. Designed to be a warm, inviting space, the church uses the facility for meetings and baby and wedding showers.

GuideOne Taylor Ball Construction of West Des Moines, Iowa, built a facility for a church in Elizabeth, New Jersey. It remains open 24 hours a day, so now the neighborhood youth have a safe place to play basketball.

Other churches have included permanent or portable stages for drama productions and complete kitchen facilities.

Though most of these multipurpose centers are built for a single church, sometimes churches will share a multipurpose facility. Wayne Nowlan of Allied Design, which provides architectural and engineering services for Morton Buildings in Morton, Illinois, says that in some smaller communities his company has built activity centers that are open to all local churches.

Is It Right for Your Church?

Though detailed statistics on church multipurpose facilities are not available, builders say the trend is limited not by geography but by demographics. Suburban churches are more likely to build a multipurpose building than their urban neighbors, land availability being a major factor. Church size, annual growth rate, and the need to do something quickly appear to be other deciding factors.

Size. “It seems that churches begin to think about building this type of facility when attendance approaches 400 to 500,” says Tommy Lundberg, president of GuideOne Taylor Ball Construction. Since a gymnasium also can be used for worship services, multipurpose buildings are ideal for churches that are currently meeting in temporary space but own their own land. Building a multipurpose center allows them to offer a range of ministries while also providing a place for worship. “A larger church can afford a sanctuary and a separate recreation building,” Century’s Kohlleffel says. “A smaller church can’t afford both, so building a multipurpose center is less expensive than a bigger, traditional church.”
Growth. “Rapidly growing churches located within large population centers are prime candidates for multipurpose centers,” says Barrett of United Church Structures. A church experiencing growth rates of 15 to 20 percent can postpone the higher costs of a traditional sanctuary until its funding base is more solid. In the meantime, the church can invest its money in ministry programs, which in turn can promote sustained growth.
Speed. Churches that need a building fast should consider a multipurpose building. Such structures often can be constructed more quickly than a traditional building with sanctuary and education space, which may require multiple roofs and sloped floors.

Part of a Master PlanThe multipurpose addition at Calvary Presbyterian Church in Enfield, Connecticut, includes a gym and fellowship area, complete with a full commercial-grade kitchen and music room. This addition, built by Barden Commercial Division in Middleport, New York, is only the first of three phases of church expansion. Calvary’s multiple-step plan is typical, which is why it is critical to have a master plan for your church campus before you build an activity center.

Many churches have a preconception about what they want, but sometimes they need more time for reflection. For example, Pyjar cites a church campus that is cut up by buildings and parking lots but has a vacant field in one corner of the campus. Members think their new building should go in the vacant lot, he says, but it might be better to move a parking lot. Then the new building can be attached to the main church campus, a location that will better facilitate mingling after services.

A master plan can help churches gauge their overall space needs and combine the proper elements in a multipurpose building. For instance, ministries building such facilities often balance the need for having open space (for worship and athletics) with the need for having private space for small groups or Christian education, says Barrett of United Structures. One easy way to balance the two needs is by designing a two-story multipurpose complex, with two floors of classrooms on the perimeter of the building. It’s a great solution, but builders and architects won’t know what needs your church has unless you articulate them.

Flexibility Is Key

“In a traditional sanctuary, everything is fixed and focuses toward the front. But in a multipurpose building we try to keep things as flexible as possible,” Pyjar says.

Chairs are often used instead of traditional fixed seats, but care must be taken to ensure that space is provided to store chairs when not in use. Bleachers can be used for sports viewing but don’t provide the necessary comfort during worship services.

“Multipurpose facilities definitely provide a real challenge in the areas of acoustics and lighting,” says Lundberg of GuideOne Taylor Ball. “Attempting to balance the acoustics in any large open space, especially one with beams overhead, is really difficult and requires professional assistance.” Often sound problems can be treated with acoustical tiles or sound-absorbing panels after the building is complete.

There are also lighting challenges. For a recreation area the preferred lighting might include high, clear windows. However, the same space may be used for multimedia presentations, which require darkness or at least control over lighting. Fortunately, there are a host of vendors that provide lighting that can be controlled or dimmed. Adding electronic window shades can help darken even the brightest room.

User-Friendly Space

While traditional sanctuary and education space is in great demand on the weekends and maybe one other day a week, multipurpose spaces are used all week long.

“Our customers tell us that the versatility of this type of building lends itself to so many activities that it’s not unusual for the building to be reserved by various groups far in advance,” says Beutler of Miracle Steel Structures.

And that’s the type of situation churches envision when they build a multipurpose center—their aim is to create cost-effective space that’s used often by both members and the community.

Jennifer Schuchmann is a management consultant and writes from the Atlanta area. Much of this article was written while she waited for her son to finish basketball camp in their church’s new gymnatorium.

November/December 2001, Vol. 47, No. 6, Page 12