FROM THE EDITOR
A facilities focus
In recent years, facilities
management has hit church
leaders’ radar in a big way,
and for good reason.
Especially at large and multisite churches,
a thoughtful approach to managing
facilities drives cost savings, freeing up
valuable funds for ministry. It also saves
staff-hours, so maintenance personnel can
focus on predictive work instead of ‘putting
out fires’ — and in doing so, minimize the
chance of ministry disruption. Improved
facilities management also translates to
better stewardship of the earth’s resources.
Even so, many churches still rely on
inefficient, outdated paper- or Excel-based
systems. Blackhawk Church in Middleton,
WI, was one of them — until recently,
when Director of Facilities Matt Kautzky
recognized the need for an overhaul.
In our cover story (INTUITIVE.
PROACTIVE. PEACEFUL. on pages 6-8),
Kautzky walks us through the beginning-to-
end implementation of an intuitive, proactive
facilities management platform — all with
zero downtime.
Spanning more than 130,000 square feet,
the church’s mechanical systems are not only
sprawling, but complex. The new facilities
management system not only manages the
bricks-and-mortar components within, but
it even extends to include A/V and musical
equipment. Now, everyone from the pastors,
to the worship leaders, to the accounting
team are reaping the benefits.
“It provided an opportunity for me to go
beyond a traditional facilities management
standpoint of, This is broken; it's in this room; it's
this ID or this QR code,” Kautzky explains. “It’s
not that there are never any challenges; it’s
just that there aren’t recurring challenges — a
door that won’t lock, or a cleaning procedure
that’s routinely overlooked. It's the little stuff
that makes a big difference.”
Because your facilities are your physical
calling card — not to mention your biggest
capital asset (and, likely, expense) — it’s also
critical to ensure their design is effective.
This isn’t something they teach in seminary,
so we’ve called in the experts to demystify
the process.
In this issue, you’ll find two design- and
facilities-focused Remote Roundtable
Discussions:
In LEADING OR LAGGING? (pages
20-23), church architects and their
clients discuss what makes a church’s
design relevant and appealing to current
expectations. They discuss not only what
those current expectations are today, but
how they've changed over the years, which
design elements have the opposite (read:
offputting) effect, and the importance of
relevancy in church design — including
what that means, exactly.
Produced in conjunction with
National Association of Church Design
Builders, ENSURING AN ENGAGING
CHURCHGOING EXPERIENCE — BY
DESIGN appears on pages 14-17. For this
discussion, we’ve gathered pastors who’ve
“been there” — along with experts in church
architecture & design, worship technology,
security & surveillance, and financing —
to discuss how why all these elements are
crucial for an engaging experience.
Additionally, we’re offering insightful,
practical articles on personal finance (IF
YOU ARE LATE STARTING TO SAVE
FOR RETIREMENT … CONSIDER
THESE STEPS, pages 10-11); top-priority
risk management strategies (EFFECTIVE
SCREENING: KEEPING THE WOLF
OUT OF THE SHEEP PEN, pages 18-19
and 3 POTENTIAL THREATS TO YOUR
CHURCH AS IT EXPANDS on page 24); and
even an examination on the current state of
technology in the Church (“THAT’S JUST
THE WAY IT IS.” BUT DOES IT HAVE TO
BE? on page 25).
churchexecutive.com
Volume 19, Number 1
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EDITORIAL ADVISORY PANEL
Stephen Briggs
Associate Pastor of Administration
First Baptist Church | Hendersonville, NC
Denise Craig
Executive Pastor
Abba’s House | Hixson, TN
Mike Klockenbrink
Chief of Staff
Lakeside Church | Folsom, CA
Dan Mikes
Executive Vice President
Bank of the West | San Ramon, CA
John C. Mrazek III
Executive Pastor
Pathways Church | Denver, CO
Sam S. Rainer III
Senior Pastor
West Bradenton Baptist Church | Bradenton, FL
Mark Simmons
Business Manager
Christ Community Church | Milpitas, CA
As ever, we welcome your feedback!
Eric Spacek
Senior Manager
GuideOne Insurance | West Des Moines, IA
RaeAnn Slaybaugh
CLA
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