Is it time to bring your church back to life? Maybe you have extended the size and reach of your congregation, and the building needs to follow suit. Or, have you realized the true potential of your church, and want to maximize its capacity? Adding an extension to your current church building can completely transform the space. Saving money, time, and resources, it is becoming increasingly popular to buy an existing building or church and renovate it.
Whether you are giving your existing church a makeover, or are renovating a new campus ready for a fruitful launch, organization is the most crucial part of a construction project. From church management software, to your church building design, we have considered everything for a successful and coherent church building project plan. Read on to ensure that your church construction runs smoothly, with plenty of planning and preparing – these are 5 things that you won’t want to forget!
Budgeting and Funding, Fundraising
The first thing to consider is how you will be able to fund this project. Will it be enabled by rigorous budgeting? Or will you be relying on local fundraisers to pad out the fund? Although you will almost certainly have thought about the financial resources for this project, it is important not to assume money will be coming in from anywhere.
For instance, you may have applied for local funding that rarely gets rejected because of the nature of your church. But, it is crucial to work within your means, and for this reason, we would urge you not to spend too lavishly until the money comes in. If you are planning on launching fundraising campaigns, start at least a year before construction is due to begin.
Organized Plan – Timeline
Working out organized church building plans, with a feasible timeline, is also essential. Is there a set date that you would like constructions to be completed by? If there is, it is important to be realistic and work the timeline out from the point of beginning, not the desired endpoint. Disruptions caused by overly ambitious deadlines result in lost money, disappointment, and disorganization.
The scope of your project will also affect the timeline. For large church building project plans, the timeline will likely be complex, with many overlapping elements. Communication is key in any project but especially important for medium to large range planning. Use daily reports to check your progress while staying on track, made easier by a handy church management software.
Design, What Do You Need?
Designing the desired blueprints for your new church requires many discussions, to ensure that everything has been considered. Why not provide a suggestions box, or something similar, so that members of your community can share their voices and opinions too? There will likely be elements brought to your attention that you’d never even considered!
An incredibly effective way to ensure that your design is foolproof is to imagine running through a season of services at this new location. It doesn’t have to be a tediously detailed run-through but can be helpful to demonstrate whether there will be space for all your events, whether the different age groups will be able to fit alongside one another, and highlight any other problems before it's too late.
Size, Spatial Constraints, Accessibility
To create a church space that is welcoming to all, it is invaluable to prepare for all kinds of accessibility requirements. Have you included a ramp? Are there stairs upon entry? Is there a ground-floor bathroom? Decisions such as these will make the difference in whether your church will be an inclusive and accepting space.
Where Will the Services Take Place?
With your church building under construction, you may need to organize a different site to hold your Sunday sermons. This also depends on the scope of your project, as if it will last just a couple of weeks, switching to online church services in the short term could be a great solution.
However, it is highly likely that these constructions will be underway for a longer period of time in which case it would be vital to consider renting a separate space to allow the community to come together. Rather than leaving your congregants without a support or faith network, access to a temporary site to gather would be cherished.
The most important things to consider when building a church? Plan, plan, and plan. We would recommend an online platform where all of the necessary deadlines can be viewed in a calendar-type format with ease. You can even use church management software to keep organized, so that all the elements of the project, and who is involved in what can be seen at the click of a button!
While building from the ground up can be very rewarding, it is also a mammoth endeavor, which takes a lot of investment and planning. Instead, gaining ownership of a property that already has access to the necessities like water, electricity, and gas, can be much more appealing. Both options provide you with enough wiggle room to create the perfect worship space for your disciples. As churches are focal points for the entire community, constructing a safe and welcoming space for all is key.