"[A] large, curved, 30-foot-high wall of glass graces the front of the building. In the foyer
area, this allows people to see cars passing by and helps bring the community inside the
church building." — Ryan Binkley
importance of our presence in the community, and God's calling on our
church. That's the heart behind why our team set out to design a place
that would prepare us to reach people for years to come.
Easley: At our church, the need to expand presented itself due to
exponential growth and limited space.
We recently moved into Phase 2 of our construction plan. The
timeline we expect is about 18 months once construction begins
and will include a new worship center, children’s space, senior adult
space, common areas, hospitality areas, renovated student space, and
parking expansion.
Reaching the lost has always been our goal. It has evolved over time
from the 19th century to the 21st and has adapted as culture changes,
but the goal must always remain that church is a welcome place for
those who don’t know Jesus yet.
Binkley: Our church was growing and looking for a new building,
and the opportunity presented itself for us to do a project. Once we
purchased the land, we sought out an architect firm that could help
capture the heart of what we wanted and bring the latest in church
design to our community.
Now we’re in Phase 1 on a building that allows more than 800 in the
building at one time — approximately 28,000 square feet. The main
sanctuary seats 550 people at capacity and has church offices; children’s
ministry, youth and young adult ministry rooms; and a large, open foyer
for coffee and fellowship.
The project took about 18 months to complete, from the beginning of
design to move-in.
Over the past 20 years or so, how have people’s expectations for church
spaces changed?
Woody: Church facilities used to have a lot more closed-in, closed-up
spaces versus the larger, more flexible common area spaces of today.
This lack of transparency often created a sense of formality, or sent the
message of, ‘You’re not welcome here.’
Ashcraft: Yeah, the idea of how to do church has evolved over the last
five to 10 years. Specifically, church design is becoming less inward-
focused and more about serving the community. It’s about creating space
that really allows those of us who are in to serve those who aren't yet.
Woody: Frankly, for many years, churches have been referred to
as ‘third places,’ in addition to home and work. Yet — at least in our
opinion — they often didn’t live up to that. Often the campus did not
serve all generations and age groups together well. Today, churches are
looking to facilitate all age groups in common areas.
Hanna: Yes, they’re definitely designed to be more inclusive now — and
not just across age groups. We’re also seeing a big focus on accommodating
families with special needs and making them feel welcome.
Woody: Right; that’s a perfect example. We have seen growth in this area.
Which church design elements can make spaces seem outdated, irrelevant,
or just generally off-putting?
Woody: Old, tired, outdated facilities can do this with poor
landscaping and massive, un-welcoming parking lots. If you built a
church to be relevant 30 years ago, some of those spaces might not be
reflective of the ministry needs and expectations of today. Sometimes
churches lose sight of the fact that their facilities should need to meet
current expectations — not just among members, but among guests.
An example of this would be today’s expectations of providing a safe
and secure environment.
Merriott: True. One feature of our church’s project will be a new
primary ‘front door’ for guests. In our current configuration, it's
challenging to decipher the guest entrance. The new design offers a clear,
single entry point from the guest parking lot, which will be identifiable
from the road.
Hanna: Wayfinding is a big issue, too. People don’t want to ask someone
behind a desk where to go; they want to be able to check in and navigate
the campus easily.
Ashcraft: That’s right. We've all visited churches where we’ve opened a
door, walked through it, and ended up in a dark corridor with no signage
or clues about where to go from there. You feel like you’re someplace
you shouldn’t be, and if that's our first-time experience on that church
campus, we’re probably second-guessing coming back.
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