and dad to grab coffee. There
aren’t as many places where
they and their kids can do life
together — to gather, play, and
enjoy community with others.
St. Cyr: At Bay Area, our
student space is used throughout
the week for various student
ministry events, including
midweek activities, discipleship,
and training. The facility is used
for community events. Students
also use it for personal social
events and celebrations.
Davis & Nowling: We have
a space here at Inspire Church
that’s very multifunctional and
open all week long. We’ve had
Bay Area Community Church
(Annapolis, Md.)
women's vision and board castings in the space. It was very inspirational
to create your own board in the space because of the intentional
messaging on the walls.
Waldon: Today’s churches really are multifunctional spaces. To
that end, many have open lobby areas with access to coffee and
gathering spaces.
Increasingly, we’re designing flexible rooms that are useable mid-week
for home school groups, other community activities as approved by the
church, recreation leagues, tutoring and teleworking.
If churches of earlier generations were the heart of the community,
so too contemporary churches can be open to the regular activities of
its community.
Obviously, designing for engagement will depend a lot on a
church's culture, or DNA. But are there also some universally
successful principles?
Waldon: Whether a church is liturgical or contemporary, some
aspects of design are universally appealing. These involve comfortable
design that enhances fellowship; views that engage the surrounding
natural environment; a harmony in design between the landscape,
the building exterior and interior; and a consideration of the building
context creating a sense of place.
Buildings need to feel safe — and really be safe — without a heavyhanded
sense of security presence.
Timeless buildings will outlive faddishness, and the best buildings are
in one sense a palette upon which the church can adorn and decorate for
various seasons of ministry.
Cravens: One universally successful principle is inclusion. That word
gets used a lot, and it’s begging for substance. For us, its meaning is
encapsulated in our passion statement: ‘creating more playful worlds
for all.’
Children’s spaces and play areas should engage the whole child and
every child. Some families with disabilities will require a sensory wind-up
or wind-down space. But our goal is still to look at the whole environment
and make sure that kids of every ability can do life together.
Many people hear ‘disabilities’ and think of the physical application.
Really, though, kids are dealing with all kinds of challenges — physical,
cognitive, emotional and societal.
For example, if a child has cognitive disabilities, showing up in a
space that’s crazy-busy and a little chaotic can be a real challenge. Or, if
a child has to navigate a long hallway and hunt for a specific room, for
example — that, too, can be a pain point. Instead, maybe colored stripes
to act as a visual cue on the floor of the
space can begin in the check-in area;
that lets you say, “Hey, just follow
the green stripe.” For some kids, that
makes life a whole lot easier and allows
them to be a little more present.
Is engaging church design feasible on
a budget?
Cravens: Sure. For churches
building in phases, the big thing is
to do a master plan. For Phase One,
decide the critical areas with the
biggest impact.
Too often, churches choose
quantity over quality. A lot of them
still do a little bit, everywhere.
Ultimately, that creates an
underwhelming space.
For kids’ spaces, we usually begin with the check-in area and
hallway. We can also address the rest of the spaces with finishes and
paint colors, but really focusing those budget dollars in a few key
spots is the way to go. If anything, it builds excitement.
Waldon: Most churches build in phases, which speaks to the need for
a master plan before any facility is constructed.
A master plan considers the long-term maximum use of the site with
‘blue sky thinking’ that imagines all future activities a church might
choose to engage in.
Does the ministry envision a daycare? A school? A senior center?
All the ‘wish list’ items should show up on a master site plan, and the
conceptual building plan needs to consider how the building will
grow so that there’s systematic growth without destruction of built
infrastructure. This requires prioritization of ministry and a ministry
plan which the facility plan then follows.
Many churches have their home church, plus multiple locations. Are
there ways to make multi-site church spaces more engaging?
St. Cyr: At Bay Area, we have multiple locations. Our other two
campuses are rental spaces. We use excellent marketing pieces such
as signs and banners. Great care goes into making the spaces both
functional and attractive.
Having said that, when we acquire permanent spaces, we’ll be able
to take these environments to a new level.
Waldon: Right. For multi-site churches, having a common graphics
theme (as well as a common web presence) is essential in conveying a
unity of message and brand for the ministry.
In addition, elements of design can help tie together multi-site
churches. These will include similar color, carpet, and material choices.
Cravens: With regards to kids’ areas in multi-site churches, we
find that consistency is huge. One approach is to build a story, theme
or idea across every campus. That ensures a level of consistency;
families aren't getting lost or confused about where to go if they visit
a new location.
It also makes sense, from a budget standpoint, to carry the same
theme elements across campuses — obviously modified to fit the
specifics of the building. Sometimes this translates to variations on
an overarching story, which allows each campus to bring its own
unique vision to its children’s space.
— Reporting by RaeAnn Slaybaugh
12 CHURCH EXECUTIVE | MAY / JUNE 2020