CHURCH CONSTRUCTION FORECAST : 2021 “… BUT GOD !”
When considering the church facility construction outlook in 2021 and beyond , I believe it boils down to these two words .
On a flight recently , I happened to be seated next to a project manager from a commercial construction company with projects across the United States . Naturally , I asked the question , “ So , how ’ s business ?” His reply wasn ’ t surprising because I ’ ve heard the same from several other colleagues in the construction realm : “ It was good through the first
Rodney C . James part of 2020 , but we ’ re struggling as projects come to an end . Not much new is starting .” All have come to the same general conclusion , due to the virus of 2020 : the economy in their world is bleak . BUT GOD ... that ’ s where The Kingdom of God separates itself from the economy of the world !
Look back with me through history In the middle of the desert , wandering without homes , jobs , or even a parcel of land to call their own , God gave His children a vision to build ! In exile in a foreign land , displaced from their country , having lost their businesses , their vineyards , their houses , and their property , God put in the heart of Nehemiah and a host of God ’ s remnant to build ! Their economy was devastated , and they were exhausted from all that had happened . Sound familiar ? Their future as a nation looked bleak ... BUT GOD ! I ’ ve seen a similar heart , a similar passion , a similar faith , and undaunting courage as I walked with more than 60 pastors this past year in one way or another . While many have only half of their people back in attendance on Sunday , others haven ’ t yet had an in-person service . Even so , more than half of these 60-plus pastors are talking about building , renovating , expanding their facilities , or even adding a new campus ! As I write this article , I ’ m sitting in a hotel room preparing to meet with another church leader who wants to renovate an entire five-building campus and start vision planning for a third new location . God ’ s Kingdom and God ’ s economy don ’ t ebb and flow with the world . Like all of Jesus ’ teaching , when God moves , it is , most often , the exact opposite of what the world would expect .
The outlook our team has seen in the last half of 2020 confirms this fact once again We ’ ve experienced increased interest from pastors and churches considering renovating , expanding and preparing their facilities for the future . It has been amazing to sit with , and hear the vision of , pastors whose churches are buying land , purchasing buildings , and preparing for growth — despite what ’ s going on in the world around them . There ’ s vision , passion and expectancy of what God will do next . Many have used this time to make long-overdue changes while their buildings have been empty . Just as God gave vision so long ago , He continues to give insight and vision today to build for tomorrow . In light of this past year , design changes for ministry facilities are a topic of discussion with many church leaders . While most have acknowledged the need to provide adequate space for post-production tasks , in-house recording venues and improved broadcast quality systems , many aren ’ t making sweeping measures and radically changing the landscape of ministry facility design . We ’ re created for connection with our Heavenly Father and with one another . Because of this , adequately designed spaces must continue to facilitate that need . With modern technology , the church must have a strong online presence to reach people who haven ’ t yet stepped through the doors . All the while , the mission of making disciples — especially the way Jesus did it — requires opportunity to be with people , and not just on weekends , but through the entire journey of life . Ministry facilities must provide more than a weekend meeting place ; they should be used to safely empower and enable people to connect , do life , ministry , grow and worship , all while being together .
With an economic outlook that might seem uncertain ( or even bleak to some ), and with construction and material costs on the rise , many churches and pastors aren ’ t focusing on the circumstances , but on the vision God has placed in their hearts to advance the message of the Gospel , to expand their ministry reach , and to grow the Kingdom . They ’ re planning , designing and building in the midst of these unique times , believing in their heart … BUT GOD !
Living Water Bible Fellowship ( Alamost , Colo .)
14 CHURCH EXECUTIVE | JAN / FEB 2021