and it’s dead quiet, that can feel weird, like a hospital or a library —
which is probably not the impression you want first-time guests to have.
This is why background music can be so effective. It gives some
ambient “noise” that feels much more natural as people move
throughout your space.
The video experience is just as important. From a visitor’s perspective,
the use of digital signage can be a big boost to making a first-time guest
feel more comfortable. First, it gives them something visually interesting
to look at. It might have some announcements for the day, or a map of the
campus, or a list of classrooms. Or, for those who arrive late — not that
this ever happens in church! — it could have a live camera feed from the
worship center so they can be drawn into the worship experience. Proper
audio and video perimeter systems can make a real connection to the
main worship space. They can also make an earlier connection and reach
out further to start to communicate to a first-time guest as soon as he or
she steps out of the car.
Shaver: From a security point of view, let me add some thoughts
as this emerging characteristic is growing in importance. The use of
security cameras in the design illustrates that safety is important for
church staff, members, visitors and guests.
As a simple example, the use of visible cameras beginning in the
parking lots and church building entrances ensures all that their safety
and security are important to the church. Continuing the video security
through-out the facility — such as the nursery and children’s areas —
certainly can provide a level of comfort for young parents.
For the church leaders in our discussion: In what ways does
your church’s design support engagement, campus-wide?
Conrad: The design of our new building will engage our members in
three specific ways.
First, it will create a gathering and hospitality area that will be used
by the entire community throughout the week for fellowship and
discipleship. This area will also aid in the building of unity among our
Sunday worshippers before and after the services.
Next, the children’s area will provide a safe environment for kids
to learn about God and His Word, which will allow parents to feel
comfortable leaving their children while they worship and learn in the
service and studies throughout the week.
Finally, the student area will be the first of its kind for our church.
This will be an area where leaders can come alongside students in
opportunities for fellowship and discipleship.
All three of these areas will give us the space and security needed to
provide opportunities for transformation through Jesus Christ.
Is demonstrating engagement important to the church
financing process?
Kuehn: Yes. A church with an “engaged” church family is growing in
both numbers and in finances. This means that each year, the church is
seeing its annual contributions grow at least a small percentage. Church
members typically become engaged before they start to give consistently.
Once you start seeing the average annual gift per member tick up, that’s
a good indicator.
The same goes for new attendees. It typically takes people 12 to 18
months before they feel like they’re part of a church family.
From a lending perspective, engagement goes beyond just the
worship service — it can be seen in the leadership team, in the
quality of the financial statements a church provides, and in the way
a church presents itself to a lender. Leadership teams who are well-
rounded in both business and ministry are often the most successful
in securing a lending relationship. Churches need a leader with
vision, but they also need people on the team who can get things
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done, who will follow through, and who understand business. These
people don’t need to be paid staff; they can be on the board or simply
volunteers within the church.
The most critical part of providing financial information to a bank or
financing company is to provide information in a format that’s widely
acceptable in the business world. I always recommend that any church
looking for financing has a CPA take their information and put it in a
“Compiled” statement, at minimum. This is the lowest-statement quality
provided by a CPA; but to a lender, it says that a professional has looked
at the numbers and that they balance year over year. It also shows that
you’re serious about taking your church to the next level, financially.
Larger loans should be providing a “CPA-Reviewed” statement to their
prospective lenders.
Fredericks: Yes, demonstrating engagement has been important to
the financing process at our church. We wanted the entire congregation
to be involved in giving, regardless of the amount. We ran several
projects that enabled people to choose how they wanted to be involved.
In what ways can engagement be gauged and demonstrated
to a lender?
Kuehn: So many churches that I’ve worked with over the years
provide information in a format that makes sense to them, but not to
a lender.
There are several key ratios that lenders will look at right up front to
see if your church will meet the criteria set by their underwriting policy.
A leader who not only knows what a lender will be looking for, but has
prepared his or her church to meet the criteria lenders need, will make
the underwriting process smooth for the church and the lender.
For this reason, it can be very worthwhile to enlist someone who
understands both the church’s needs and the financing institution’s
needs early in the lending process to ensure your success in getting a
loan offer that not only satisfies your church’s financing needs, but is
also competitive in the market. Asking the right questions of a church
consultant is critical:
• What experience do you have with working with churches on
their finances?
• Can you provide a few references?
• Does your organization actually fund the loan?
• If not, what lenders do you work with to fund? Do you understand what
criteria they use for approvals?