I am here in Dallas attending the annual Worship Facilities Conference, and I have just completed an exhausting but fascinating day full of learning sessions related to church design and construction. I chose to be a spectator this year, rather than an exhibitor or contributor, so that I can experience the convention in the same way pastors and lay leaders, (i.e. our clients) experience these Events, in order to learn the best way for our firm to contribute in the future. The conference is well organized and well attended and it is exciting to meet church leaders from all over the country. I spoke to quite a few pastors today that are struggling with the growth of their church. A common emotion is excitement mixed with fear over what the Lord is doing in their church. These pastors feel lost in an area that they have little training, and are unsure how involved they should be in the process. Most wish to delegate the responsibility entirely to members of the church knowledgeable in construction. My response was that this was partly a good idea. They should not be tied down by the details of the construction process, but their involvement as leader and visionary is critical throughout the design and construction process. This thought was echoed many times by the various session presenters as well.My day began in a session on master planning conducted by a local architect. I found this session to be rather boring, but the other attenders did not. The presentation was comprised of concepts that I know very well, as an architect, but I cannot expect ministry leaders to know these basic things.

The second session was a technical session on lighting design for theatrical productions. New technologies of fluorescent theatrical lighting, dimming, and LED lighting were discussed. This session was very well done. It blended basic concepts, technical knowledge with practical design solutions.

The third session was a discussion about the challenge of architectural design in the emerging church. This is a personal passion of mine and I found this discussion very interesting. This is definitely a concept I will speak in further depth on later.

And finally the last session was about creative ways for churches to acquire land. Many of the items discussed were similar to the approach of some of our clients, such as partnering with developers, land gifts, and having a community mind set. There were also some very important principals discussed; such as the importance of the relationship of the pastor to the land owner, the communication of vision, to the land owner, and the spiritual obligation to seek the best interest of the landowner.

I finished the day this evening with a tour of First Baptist Church of Dallas- Criswell Center. This is a 210,000 square foot, 7 story addition to the church in the middle of an urban setting. It was a design challenge of respecting the old, and accommodating the new. The church was well designed and beautifully detailed. Well that is all for now, I will check in again tomorrow.

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