and connecting spaces. Though new, these spaces would integrate as a natural continuation of the existing campus. For Bishop Burton, this consistency was key.
Start with the ministry need When Burton assumed leadership at COTI in 2008, the congregation wasn’ t afraid of change. On the contrary, they were enthusiastic about it.“ There was a great deal of goodwill and cooperation,” Burton recalls.“ People were actually asking for a capital campaign.” This excitement was critical since the need for additional space was growing increasingly apparent. Three years before Burton’ s arrival, COTI launched a contemporary service. As attendance grew, the congregation moved that service from one small location to another— a memorial chapel, a rented Seventh-day Adventist church, and the parish hall, to name a few. Meanwhile, the church’ s traditional services had an established home in the larger existing sanctuary. By all accounts, the campus was functioning— it just wasn’ t ideal. To make it so would mean adding a dedicated contemporary worship environment, as well as more space for children’ s ministries, plus a distinct welcome and reception area.“ Those are our bread and butter,” Burton shares.“ We just needed space for all the growth.”
Church of the Incarnation( COTI):
Year established: 1878 Staff— full- and part-time: 100 Average attendance: 1,300( estimated)
Further, he points out, it was important to recognize that the building project would do more than create a more impressive facility; it would accommodate the most pressing ministry needs.“ Part of what we were thinking was that we needed to project growth into the future and build to accommodate it— not simply to manage the short-term need,” Burton explains“ That involved a lot of research and support.” In this respect, COTI’ s chosen architecture firm, HH Architects, proved key and critical.“ The committees were examining and researching the best architectural firms in Dallas, and HH came up at the top of the list,” Burton recalls.“ I think [ our project ] was a different approach for them, having studied the projects they’ d done before. So, they were interested in this challenge and all-in.” Although reputation was one crucial factor, Burton says the firm’ s commitment to designing COTI-authentic spaces was just as important. True to form, the new buildings don’ t immediately announce themselves as new. In fact, it can be difficult to separate the existing spaces from the added ones. To start, the project was deliberately organized along
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