A stark contrast exists in the American church between belief and practice. A Gallup poll found that 96% of 18-29 years affirmed a belief in God or a universal spirit. And yet, this same group has the lowest church attendance percentage of any other age group. In the book “The Unchurched Next Door”, Thom Rainer asserts that 74% of the entire unchurched population is somewhere between neutral or open to highly receptive to the gospel. Yet, study by the Barna Group found that 38% of 18-29 year olds have a “bad impression of present day Christianity” and one third of them would not want to be associated with Christianity.

The U. S. Census Bureau shows that the amount spent on religious related construction has grown over the past fifteen years from $3½ billion to nearly $8 billion. Even when inflation is factored out, churches are still spending significantly more than just over a decade ago. Yet, according to Barna’s statistical tracking, church attendance has actually declined over that same period of time.

There is dichotomy between a highly spiritual nation and one that is not connecting with the present-day church. What does this mean for the future of church facilities? What role will facilities have in supporting ministry in the days ahead as the church struggles to grow and reach the rapidly changing culture? To begin addressing this question, RSI joined with the Cornerstone Knowledge Network to bring together some of the most innovative pastors and thinkers in the country today. Each church and leader is, in their unique way, actively engaged in understanding cultural dynamics and ministry effectiveness. The leaders that invested their time and effort include:

Rex Miller - author
Joseph Myers - author
Charles Dishinger/Ted Beasley — Gateway Community Church, Austin, TX
Dave Ferguson — Community Christian Church, Naperville, IL
Dave Putnam/Shawn Lovejoy — Mountain Lake Church, Cumming, GA
Tim Stevens/Mark Waltz — Granger Community Church, Granger, IN
Mark Bankord/Eric Parks — Heartland Community Church, Rockford, IL
Raul Palacios/Troy Gramling — Flamingo Road Church, Cooper City, Fl

This group of churches share many characteristics. Each has a rapidly growing combined weekend attendance of 32,000, all have a proactive missional-mindset, and all have a passion for reaching the unchurched with faithful teaching. The pastors are risk takers with a clear vision to pioneer new strategies and methods that are effectively ministering to their communities in significant ways.

They are also very distinct. Some place a very strong emphasis on the weekend gathering. Yet another said that if it could keep only one ministry, they would keep their small groups. Some are quite structured with their ministry processes, while others are fluid and organic in their approach. Some place significant emphasis on facilities while others have a wide variety of styles and facility types in their multi-site locations.

In terms of how church facilities relate to ministry, 3 principles emerged during the day-long discussion.

Alignment with Vision
No two “churches” or “church facilities” will look the same. That is because no two churches have the same vision for ministry. Each affirmed that the purpose of the church is to invite persons to be disciples of Christ, thereby fulfilling the Great Commission. So the question becomes, “How does God want us to do that?” The answer to that question identifies the values and methods of each individual church. Churches in the discussion repeatedly emphasized a clear and compelling vision that focused their time, efforts and organization. They didn’t adopt ideas simply because they worked somewhere else. Rather, they sought to understand why they worked and then determined if they were applicable or not for the people God had called them to reach.

The vision of the church includes its facilities. Buildings are part of the church’s identity, whether meetings take place in a mall, a theater or a more traditional facility. The physical meeting place shapes perception of the church, its vision, and its unique character or DNA. One church talked about how they lost the “MacGyver effect,” - an informal, pioneering atmosphere where everything held together with duct tape - when they moved to their new state-of-the-art facility. Another church shared how they tried to make their new facility feel like home by keeping it in the same proportions as their original worship space even though the new one was much larger.

All buildings make a theological statement but the final interpretation of that space is in the mind of the user – what they perceive to be sacred, aesthetic and interactive. Therefore, as leaders assess need for space and facilities, it is done in light of their vision for ministry and a keen awareness for how facilities—old, new, or transformed—will affect their character as a community.

Excellence
A call to fulfill the great commission is fueled a voracious pursuit of excellence in every aspect of ministry. They do not pursue excellence out of an egotistical desire to be “the best”. Rather, they pursue excellence because the business of reaching the lost is too important to settle for anything less. These leaders embrace a missional mindset that matches their competencies with unique opportunities in their communities. The manifestation of excellence will look different in a church of 500 compared to a church of 5,000 but it is the pursuit of excellence that is key.

Out of a desire for excellence they proactively take on the task of leadership development. They view leadership development as a fundamental part of their approach. The vast majority of their leaders were developed from within. They purposefully seek to identify and train people that are already part of their fellowship. Some of the pastors that participated in this discussion had been members of the church for a number of years before they decided to leave secular careers for full time ministry.

A commitment to excellence and leadership development shapes a need for facilities. During the week, the primary need is for space that accommodates small groups of people meeting for prayer, mentoring, coaching, and service. During the weekend, the primary need is for space to gather for worship. Some churches choose to rent space for the weekend, only purchasing and maintaining space for the small gatherings needed during the week. Others build and maintain space for both small group and large weekend gatherings. The multi-site communities combine renting and owning, using up to 7 dramatically different spaces from a gymnasium to a traditional sanctuary. Whatever the arrangement, there is a commitment to excellence and to the vision of the church. The vision determines the need for facilities.

In a seemingly bold shift from the past, this commitment means leaders will even abandon a facility if it does not serve the vision of the church and its ministry. In order to stay nimble and relevant to the culture, many expressed a need for space that is flexible and adaptable. Some even defined building “success” as the building’s ability to change or “morph” over time to accommodate new ministries.

Community
The leaders expressed a desire for their church to be deeply integrated with their local community. One leader said, “Our prayer is that if our church expressed an interest in leaving, the community would beg us to stay.” This is in stark contrast of the image of a church fighting city hall and its neighbors to approve an expansion plan. Instead, there is a hope to find ways to adopt and improve the local community by being the church in it. The strategies for this integration include providing space and services that the community lacks, such as health facilities and performing arts centers. The leaders look for every chance to connect with their community whether it is attractional, incarnational or both.

Drawing on the observation that many people are willing to belong before being willing to believe, the leaders stated a goal of the church being a space and comfortable place for people to be all week long. This plays out by integrating personal and family life, work, social networks, and faith community. The church, through its community and space, provides opportunities for connection at times throughout the week. When people sense a spiritual need, they might be more likely to open their hearts to Christ because they were already meeting friends in these gathering places.

In addition to providing a place to connect, facilities should honor how relationships develop. Several noted that spiritual depth is the result of relationships, not programs and activities. Effective building design will understand the organic elements of how relationships develop in those spaces. The first step is to honor how relationships develop in many places - even unexpected ones. One church told of a woman that only came as far as the parking lot to drop off and pick up her daughter. Members of the church met her in the parking lot and fostered a relationship that, after a year, saw the woman become a follower of Christ.

The importance of welcoming the artists and creative class of the community into the facility surfaced. Urban planners state that successful development begins with attracting the creative class, those talented artist and leaders in the community. Facilities that attract and engage the creative class need to provide options and fluidity, because choice is critical in the process of connection and creation. Creating space that inspires creativity and excellence will spur community growth.

The future of church facilities, therefore, is tied to the vision of the church, its commitment to excellence in all manners of ministry, and its ability to foster community both among believers and with the community at large. There is no question that church facilities are going to look different, perhaps dramatically different, than they did in the past. The accelerated rate of change in design ideas, technology, and public space will require buildings to “learn.” Buildings will need to be adaptable, designed to be easily changed and transformed to meet evolving needs and opportunities.

The conversation led by RSI and Cornerstone Knowledge Network with these thought leaders was an exciting and creative experience. There is much more to learn and understand about the church as God reveals his work in the world. In the meantime, may the knowledge captured here assist other leaders and pastors to use their facilities to reach people for Christ. 

The Cornerstone Knowledge Network is a central source for fact-based, experience-tested information that can help churches clarify their missions, improve organizational leadership and successfully complete building projects. For more information call 1-888-595-7360 or visit www.theckn.com.

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