When looking to build new the average suburban church will need approximately one acre for every 100 people that it wants to seat in the Worship Center. This ratio is a general Rule of Thumb, and will vary according to the municipal zoning and planning regulations and any constraints imposed by the site itself. For […]

The phrase “environmental issues” tends to conjure up images of “tree huggers” and endangered habitats of the snail darter. While such issues do occasionally come into play, this subject covers a broad category of regulations that affect the ability of a site to be developed. Environmental regulations are intended to protect the Environment from destructive […]

Yesterday, we examined Trend 2: Multifunction, Multipurpose, Multi-Venue, Multi-Site from 7 Biggest Trends for Churches by Church Business.  Today, we’ll be looking at Trend 3:
Churches Must Act Like Good Neighbors
Stephen J. Ferrandi says:
It used to be that if you wanted to build a church — not a megachurch, just a church — people didn’t fight you. And now, if […]

As noted in Strategic Facilities Plans, a church is often well served when the first phase of its development includes a multi-purpose center. Typically these are gymnasium-sized and shaped spaces, varying in capacity of seating between 250 and 900 people. (900 people would be a professional basketball sized court, with over-run on the ends and […]

Churches are notoriously bad at planning for the future. Much of our work comes from helping churches creatively adjust an existing facility that has become a “train wreck” due to a legacy of poor planning. Reactions to urgencies over a long period of time is the most common culprit. As an urgent need arises for a larger […]