Government, Business and Ministry Leaders from around the Nation Attend Special Worship Services

DALLAS/PRNewswire/ — Recently, First Baptist Church of Dallas, led by nationally known pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress, dedicated its new $130 million campus with the help of government, business and ministry leaders from around the nation, including Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Dr. David Jeremiah , senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church and host of Turning Point radio and television ministries.

Following the Grand Opening on Easter Sunday , March 31, services further celebrated God’s provision in helping First Baptist complete the largest Protestant church building campaign in modern history during one of the worst economic recessions since the Great Depression. Honoring the Church’s past heritage and commitment to Dallas, the service began with an archival video of former First Baptist Pastor Dr. W.A. Criswell in 1974 saying, “It is our desire, under God and the presence of the Lord, to build in the heart of Dallas the most beautiful lighthouse for Christ on this earth.”

Mark Lovvorn , chair of the new campus Planning & Development Committee, publicly thanked Dr. Jeffress, for his original God-given vision to create a spiritual oasis in the heart of Dallas, announcing for the first time that the Committee unanimously voted, unbeknownst to the First Baptist leadership, that the Fountain Plaza, a focal feature in the middle of the campus, will now officially be known as the “Jeffress Fountain Plaza.”

“Thank you so much for this undeserved but greatly appreciated recognition,” Dr. Jeffress said upon hearing the news. “I can’t think of a greater honor than to have my name associated with a church I’ve loved my whole life.”

Gov. Perry expressed his appreciation for the church’s faithfulness while marveling at the physical and spiritual aspects of the campus that will serve the city of Dallas for years to come. “Let me add my profound, ‘Wow!’” he exclaimed. “This is quite a place, and the way we do it in Texas. It is a beacon — a place where our salt and our light can truly be seen.

“Dr. Jeffress, the fountain that will appropriately have your name on it in downtown Dallas is a beautiful place that will draw men and women who need Christ,” Gov. Perry added. “People who will come for its beauty, but discover much more. Thank you for sending a powerful message, not just to this city, state or nation — but to the world. First Baptist Church of Dallas is truly reaching the world with God’s love.

“I think of the woman [in the Bible] who met Jesus at the well,” Gov. Perry reflected. “It is not our job to judge souls, but to point people to the One who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. We as fellow sinners will never condemn someone to salvation, but God can use us to show them grace and love them to it.”

Visiting pastor Dr. Jeremiah shared a dedicatory message on the relevancy of the Church.

“If the church is being ignored because we preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified, that’s one thing; but if we are deemed irrelevant because we aren’t playing the world’s game nearly as well as the world does, then that’s a tragedy,” Dr. Jeremiah said. “If we’re going to be attacked or ignored by the world, let it be for turning the world upside down like the early apostles did. Not for trying to become so much like the world that you can’t tell the difference between the two.”

Dr. Jeremiah reminded the congregation the work is not over just because the building is complete. “When we have finished building the church, we must continue being the Church,” he said. “The temptation with finishing the building is to take a deep breath, relax and say, ‘Finally, we did it.’ But some of the most challenging days you have will be before you.

“Today biblical Christianity is no longer being preached from the majority of pulpits of this land. As a result, America is losing her way, and it’s due in no small part because the Church has lost her way,” he continued. “How thankful you ought to be that in the very center of this city is a church that knows what its mission is and a pastor who knows how to proclaim it.”

Dr. Jeremiah challenged the First Baptist congregation to remember three priorities as it continues its ministry: the purpose of the Church, which is to bring glory to God; the program of the Church, which is the commandment of God to be light in a dark world; and the priority of the Church, which is the Great Commission to tell as many people as possible about Jesus.

“This is the commencement of this ministry – the beginning of the new phase of this ministry,” Dr. Jeremiah concluded. “God has given you some great new tools and he’s blessed you with a man of God as your pastor. You’re located in one of the most strategic cities of the world and you’re in heart of that city. I hope you are ready to begin the greatest days of First Baptist Dallas.”

Located in the heart of downtown Dallas since 1868, First Baptist Dallas opened its state-of-the-art, $130 million campus last weekend, changing the Dallas skyline and adding three-quarters of an acre of green space to downtown. It includes the latest features and technological advances for any church, providing a unique worship experience and ministry opportunities.

The 122-year-old historic sanctuary is integrated with a 3,000-seat Worship Center connected by a glass sky bridge to the five-story Horner Family Center and Parking Garage. A high-impact cross-tower and fountain, featuring a stainless steel cross atop a pedestal rising 68 feet high and choreographed fountain jets accompanied by an original score of Christian hymns, sits in the center of the campus. For more information about First Baptist, visit the church website.

When Dr. Robert Jeffress became the senior pastor of First Baptist Dallas in Dallas, TX, one of the things he set out to do was reinvent the 145-year-old downtown church.

First Baptist had amassed a hodgepodge of buildings that didn’t fit with one another, or with the aggressive revitalization of downtown Dallas. Jeffress says he knew immediately what needed to be done: Rebuild the church architecturally, as well as spiritually.

So, in November 2009 — in the midst of the country’s worst economic recession since the Great Depression — Jeffress announced a grand vision for what would become the largest church building program in modern history: a $130-million new campus in the heart of Dallas. The new 500,000-square-foot facility opened its doors to the public last Easter Sunday.

Jeffress is quick to admit that the mammoth undertaking wouldn’t have been possible without the “supernatural working of God.” Still, he says he can’t emphasize enough the importance of planning and leadership in the success of any building project.

In an interview with Church Executive, Jeffress shares some of the lessons he learned leading a church makeover.

Just do it. When people asked Jeffress if he prayed about whether or not to reconstruct the campus, his answer was a resounding “No.” Jeffress says he looked at the Old Testament book of Nehemiah and found that Nehemiah never prayed to God about whether or not he ought to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls of the city.

Jeffress reminds church leaders that there are some things they don’t need to pray about because God already put those things in their hearts to do. “What you need to pray for,” he says, “is that you do it in God’s way and on God’s timing.”

Be fully involved in fundraising. Jeffress maintains that only God can stir the hearts of people to give, but that as a leader he needed to be totally dedicated to the task of asking people to give. Jeffress says one of the things he realized early on was that if he was to successfully raise $130 million, he must give 100 percent of himself to the fundraising aspect of the building project. And that’s what he did. Jeffress gave one year of his time to raising funds — no book writing, no outside speaking engagements. The only other thing he did was preach at his church.

Secure the investment of those who can give the most. As soon as the church committee approved the possibility of building a new campus, Jeffress picked 100 church members who he felt had the ability to give the largest amount of money and personally met with each one of them. In total, those 100 people made a commitment to give $65 million — one-half of the cost of the project.

Jeffress then made an announcement to the congregation: “I said, ‘Here’s what we propose to do; here’s what it’s going to look like — and, by the way, half the money has already been raised.’” People were ecstatic, he says, and voted unanimously to proceed in a public fundraising campaign.

Help your people visualize the project. Jeffress cites the example of the 12 Israelite leaders who were sent out by Moses to explore the Promised Land and came back with a visual picture: a cluster of grapes so large that it had to be put on a pole and took two men to carry.

In the case of First Baptist Dallas, Jeffress says the church used social media, technology and the “printed page” to give the people a picture of what the future could look like. “We spent a significant amount of money creating an animation [film],” he says. “I would also say not to spare any expense in the production of printed materials — make them full-color, on beautiful paper. Don’t use flimsy paper for commitment cards. People aren’t going to make a million-dollar commitment on a flimsy piece of paper. I really think attention to details like that help make for a successful project.”

Lead through the pulpit. “Use your preaching to carry the church to where you believe God wants it to go,” advises Jeffress, adding that it’s a principle he learned from Willow Creek Community Church pastor Bill Hybels. “There are a lot of pastors — and I used to be one of them — who believed they should never use the pulpit to try to get the church to do something; they ought to do that outside of their sermon,” explains Jeffress. But, Jeffress says he learned that if a leader’s vision is God-honoring and is in keeping with God’s will, he or she should use the Scripture to communicate to the people where and how God is leading the church to go.

Don’t underestimate the financially challenged. Knowing that many people at his church were struggling financially, Jeffress says he softened his appeal by excusing those who did not have jobs from giving to the building project. “I tried to show sensitivity,” he reasons. But, he says, a couple approached him — the husband had been out of work for a year — and said, “Pastor, don’t rob us of the joy of being able to participate in this undertaking.” The couple handed Jeffress a check for $5,000 — the last money they had in the bank.

“God has since blessed the husband with a wonderful job,” says Jeffress. “But I learned that, as pastors, we’re to put the challenge out there and let God speak to the hearts of those who need to give.”

Operate in your area of strength. Leading the team for the building project of First Baptist Church was executive pastor Walter A. Guillaume, Jr., who worked alongside a 12-member committee and a full-time construction supervisor. “They spared me from so many details,” says Jeffress, who admits he doesn’t know a thing about construction, electrical outlets and building materials. “One thing I learned during this project — and I learned it from talking to other pastors — was that the pastor needs to concentrate on doing what he and only he can do, and let the committee build the building,” says Jeffress. He says what God has called and gifted him to do is to encourage the people to give and provide the overall vision for what the project ought to look like and its role in fulfilling the vision of the church.

You have to spend money to make money. When Jeffress came to First Baptist Dallas as senior pastor, the church was already $15.5 million in debt from a previous project. Imagine the shock of the deacons when, one evening, Jeffress told them they needed to borrow $5 million to get the architectural plans drawn up and to do all that was needed to be done to raise the funds. Some people left the church because of it, recalls Jeffress; but the deacons, by and large, stood by him. “It cost us $5 million to raise $130 million,” he says.

Six weeks is all you need. It takes a lot of time to sow the seeds, but, according to Jeffress, the actual campaign shouldn’t last more than six weeks. Otherwise, the people at large will grow weary of it, he says.

Don’t build any more than what people are willing to give. Jeffress says one thing that gave the members of First Baptist Dallas the confidence to give was the leadership’s commitment: “We’re only going to spend what you commit.” In other words, if the project was going to cost $130 million, and the church only raised $115 million, it wasn’t going to borrow the other $15 million. “It made people give generously — and, of course, it’s going to keep us out of debt,” says Jeffress.

Bathe everything in prayer. “We had in our church 300 men, called the Pastor’s Prayer Partners, who regularly prayed throughout this project that God would guide us and bless our efforts,” says Jeffress.

Cast the vision beyond the project’s completion. Jeffress believes the new campus is not an end unto itself, but simply a tool to use in ministering to the city of Dallas even more effectively. “This is a new beginning for us — to reach more diverse groups of people,” says Jeffress.

First Baptist is also getting ready to enter into mainland China with its broadcast, with the potential of reaching 1 billion people. “We always have a new goal — but, hopefully, no new buildings for a while,” Jeffress concludes.

Gateway Church, Southlake, TX

Gateway Church, one of the fastest growing churches in America, celebrated the opening of its newest campus in Southlake, TX in late 2010. From a humble beginning 10 years earlier, the church has exploded to a weekly attendance approaching 20,000, including the main campus in Southlake and three other campuses in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.

The Southlake campus was developed on a 180-acre site, with a Phase One of 212,000 square feet, including a 4,000-seat sanctuary, children’s ministry spaces, community commons and some 2,000 parking spaces. Centered around several natural ponds on the site, Phase One is part of a master plan concept which will allow the church to eventually expand up to 1.2 million square feet.

Gateway’s ministry vision of “we are all about people” was not only expressed in the design of the campus, but in the process of design and construction. The church encouraged and modeled a spirit of collaboration within the entire building team. Monthly the church hosted breakfasts for the architectural and construction teams to allow for relationship building. Church members were also provided a place on the construction site where they could come, see and pray over the project on a 24/7 basis.

That collaborative attitude become a key part of the project delivery process. Examples of this included the architects (Beck Group) making their BIM model freely accessible to the contractor (Balfour Beatty) for coordination and construction of the complex building. A digital “paperless” process was also implemented during construction, which created quicker delivery, less waste and reduced cost.

Gateway Church’s encouragement of an atmosphere of collaboration, rather than confrontation, between all the design and construction team members, created a hugely successful project for everyone involved, and provided a great example of Christians living out their faith.

[Source:Tom Greenwood, AIA, Beck Group, Dallas, TX]

Family carries on

Word of Life, Flowood, MS

The land for the new building of nondenominational Word of Life was purchased more than 10 years ago during the tenure of founding pastor Ronnie Sims. With his passing, his son Joel was just a senior in high school. The church was shaken and the family was devastated by the loss. For a season Joel’s mother led the church, but eventually Joel became senior pastor.

Under Pastor Joel’s leadership the church has had enormous growth.

The grand opening for the new building was held 10 years to the day after his father’s passing. More than 2,400 attended the first Sunday service, more than 450 of them were first-time visitors! Word of Life has experienced growth and an increased attendance of 40 percent within the first two months at the new facility. They now hold three Sunday morning services and one on Wednesday evening.

With numerous entrances to the 876-seat sanctuary, guests are sure to find their favorite seat. State-of-the-art sound and lighting greets each guest, with worship songs providing a great atmosphere. From the special lighting to the various props on stage and the wide screen that covers the width of the sanctuary, one gets a sense of being in concert venue.

Nestled by huge trees on three sides and visible to the main highway only, this building, with its earth tone colors and beautiful landscaping, invites the passer-by to come take a closer look.

[Source:Connie Fahler, ChurchesByDaniels.com]

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More Good Stewards

CONSTRUCTION

• First Baptist Church, Lyons, GA (new children’s wing)

The Catholic Community of St. Thomas More, Chapel Hill, NC

When St. Thomas More expanded with new construction of a gymnasium, arts and music building, and a 29,000-square-foot parish center housing a social hall, meeting rooms and offices, the congregation’s skillful and detailed analysis, weighing overall costs versus benefits, ultimately led to the implementation of sensible and effective sustainable construction options.

The most substantial measures involved the overall approach to storm water management and water usage, specifically where savings were achieved in both systems. Installed to service the new parish center is a 15,000-gallon rain-harvesting cistern system. Harvested storm water is treated and re-used within the building for non-potable applications, namely the restroom fixtures. While the cost of the system is substantial when viewed alone, including additional piping required to deliver the non-potable water to restrooms, its implementation was extremely cost-effective.

Other water reduction measures included water-efficient fixtures in all new buildings and plant selections requiring no irrigation. The only irrigation required was for the new athletic field; however, the sustainable feature of tapping the Chapel Hill’s reclaimed water service was implemented for this irrigation, benefitting the environment while incurring less cost over the life of the field through reduced reclaim water rates.

Another notable sustainable analysis took place with respect to LED lighting. Energy calculations and potential cost savings in future years were weighed against the initial premium cost of the implementation of LED lighting. Detailed reviews by St. Thomas More reached a responsible and effective conclusion. Life-cycle savings for exterior wall pack light fixtures (at egress paths, for example) would be realized quickly enough to warrant their incorporation.

Unfortunately, costs to incorporate LED fixtures throughout interior applications simply proved to be prohibitive when evaluated in the same manner.

These initiatives exhibit St. Thomas More’s pragmatic approach and stewardship of church funds while striving to implement innovative sustainable and cost-saving features.

[Source: Emily Choate, Choate Construction Co.]

Idlewild Baptist Church, Lutz, FL

Energy efficiency was key in the planning of the new campus of Idlewild Baptist Church that opened in 2005. In the design phase and selection of equipment of the 440,000-square-feet facility, energy-influenced decisions were made in such matters as tinted windows and a light-colored roof to reduce solar heat load. Energy Star-qualified appliances were chosen, including washers, dryers, refrigerators and dishwashers. Money was spent on the better and higher-efficiency water fixtures, chillers and lighting fixtures. A complete building automation system enables control of the HVAC, and occupancy sensors were installed in most rooms to control the electrical loads. Further investment was made to permit and drill a well to use for both landscape irrigation and a chiller water tower.

Since they were first installed, chiller flows and data from the automated system were monitored and analyzed, and systems were reprogrammed in pursuit of continuous improvement based on observed data. The church began an ongoing maintenance program with Siemens Building Technologies to maintain and optimize the automation system, which controls lighting and HVAC devices throughout the facility.

Idlewild’s technology investments include the capability for remote, wireless laptop monitoring and operator control of HVAC system adjustments in real time during high usage events such as Sunday services. This gives building managers the ability to check remotely on building status or verify reported conditions. Entering into a long-term gas purchase agreement has reduced the volatility risk and stabilized future monthly and annual natural gas costs.

Portfolio Manager, a free online tool from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program, has become Idlewild’s formal benchmarking tool and a way to explore new opportunities for efficiency. Three Southern Baptist churches have received the Energy Star Award: Prestonwood Baptist, Plano, TX; First Baptist Church, Springdale, AR; and Idlewild.

The church reports that it is maintaining its costs, which means the energy management steps taken are effective. Management is considering for future savings replacing fluorescent lights with LED lights. The savings in utility costs is not great enough to offset the conversion costs. The conversion cost on utilities is still too high compared to the savings; yet the costs to convert are coming down.

At the same time the church is considering additional utility savings through a patented Siemens program called Demand Flow. The upfront cost/investment is holding up this decision and the need for Siemens to be more demonstrative of the actual savings/reduction in utility costs.

[Source: Ken Smith, minister of administration, and facilities manager Robert Wilson]

Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano, TX

Consider the possibility of saving enough dollars in energy and utility costs over the course of a year that would enable your church to start a second campus. That’s what Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano, TX, did with an energy conservation program they initiated in 2007.

The congregation started its North Campus in Prosper, TX, with the monies it saved in energy costs. The church was able to fund all of the new campus operation with the energy savings from the Plano campus. The church has more than 15,000 people in attendance each week and 1.3 million square feet under roof and has realized cost savings of approximately $6.4 million since it began the program in 2007.  Prestonwood worked with Energy Education Inc. of Dallas Cenergistic and hired an energy manager who works with training staff and communicating the conservation plan and monitoring results.

[Source: Mike Buster, executive pastor]

Solar: Responsible stewardship

Cornerstone Fellowship, Livermore, CA

The energy conservation at Cornerstone Fellowship began with recycling, recognizing that as a small church in its early years, resource-consumption was of little consequence. But as the church’s number grew so did its sense of responsibility to lead in the Livermore community. Recycling of waste materials led to collecting and filtering run-off water and that led to the installation of solar panels on the church’s roof. The church teamed with Solar City, a leading installer of rooftop solar panels. With the panels the church began producing 43 percent of the electrical power being used on the main campus. Since installing the 1,232-panel system in 2008, the church has produced nearly $240,000 worth of electricity and offset 2,085,260 pounds of CO2. The church has been able to redirect the money it would have spent on energy and put it towards ministry in the community.

[Source: Steve Madsen, senior pastor]

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More Good Stewards

• Green Lakewood Church, Houston, TX
• First Methodist Church, Orlando, FL
• Piñon Hills Community Church, Farmington, NM
• Cross Church, Springdale, AR
• Saddleback Church (youth center), Lake Forest, CA

Solar

• First Presbyterian Church, Elko, NV
• Central Baptist Church, Wayne, PA

America is a land of wide open spaces, vast expanses with enough room for buffalo to roam. The frontier ethos of our country evokes an individual, self-made spirit that pervades many aspects of our culture.

Most people in America, however, do not live where the deer and the antelope play. They live in cities. In the book Megapolitan America, authors Arthur C. Nelson and Robert E. Lang reveal that two-thirds of the U.S. population lives on less than 20 percent of the privately owned land in this country. While our country’s average population density remains relatively sparse, the average is misleading.

Fewer people are moving into rural areas, and more people are moving into urban areas. The open ranges are becoming less populated, and the cities are becoming more populated. This trend is expected to accelerate through 2040 as current metropolises converge and become megapolitan communities.

The United States is becoming more urban. As a result, several key demographic trends are emerging. Cities are becoming denser at faster rates. In 1900, 60 percent of U.S. residents lived in rural areas. Today it’s only 16 percent. Within three decades, most of the population will live on a land mass comparable in density to Western Europe.

Additionally, cities are becoming more ethnically diverse. Over the next few decades, minorities will account for 90 percent of the population growth. By 2042, the United States will be minority white. Cities are also aging, as many megapolitan communities will see substantial increases in the senior population.

These emerging megapolitan communities will need megapolitan churches. Let me share the presuppositions of these coming mammoth urban areas and how the new megapolitan church might respond.

Scale
The megapolitan community will encompass major cities and counties, sharing a common culture, geographic features and transportation networks. The extensive size of these communities will necessitate larger churches. Most churches are small.

The median church size is about 75 people. However, most people attend larger congregations. The largest 10 percent of churches have half the people and resources in the United States. Bigger churches are getting bigger at faster rates than other congregations, and this congregational trend is accelerating in every community and in every denomination.

The demographics of more people moving into fewer urban areas also apply to churches. Larger churches will continue to get larger as more and more people migrate to the biggest congregations.

While I struggle with making a qualitative judgment about this trend (I believe small churches can be effective), the reality is large-scale megapolitan communities will need large-scale megapolitan churches. Cultural relevance in these communities will apply to size as much as any other factor, as it already does in many areas.

Regionalism
Globalization will force U.S. regions to merge in order to stay competitive. Economic and population growth will continue to occur unevenly (in favor of urban areas), which means more collaborative regional planning across multiple communities in the future.

As a result, more people will identify with a large region as opposed to a specific, local community. These megapolitan communities will attract the bulk of visionary leaders with the capability of managing complex systems.

The megapolitan church will be led by visionary pastors with the ability to interact and partner with megapolitan community leaders. This church-community partnership will become more vital in these regional areas. Smaller churches in these regions will find it difficult to be the hub of the local community that they once were. And the most successful megapolitan churches will be seen as part of the collective, regional whole as opposed to a separate entity with a separate mission.

Diversity
As megapolitan communities become minority white (some already are), individual neighborhoods will become more distinguished. While regionalism will create a common cultural system, increasing diversity will create neighborhood subcultures within each region. However, this diversity will be based less upon ethnicity and more upon socioeconomics.

These neighborhoods will look more diverse ethnically but will become homogenous based upon income level.
The megapolitan church will continue to grow in ethnic diversity but will struggle to become a place for all income levels.

These churches will have to work hard to be a place not only for all ethnicities but also for people of differing economic classes.

Pace
Megapolitan communities will create more jobs as urbanization accelerates. People will be more mobile, moving to different places at greater rates. Megapolitan churches will be large but also flexible. Due to the transient nature of megapolitan communities, megapolitan churches will have to adapt quickly to the inflow and outflow of people in their region. The megapolitan church that can change quickly will also grow quickly. The churn of people in the community will mean these churches will have to reinvent themselves often.

Many churches are already transitioning to become a megapolitan congregation. More of these churches are needed. These megapolitan churches will take on many structural forms. Some will be multisite, enabling them to reach into new communities. Some will be massive, one-site churches with a self-generating gravitational pull. Others will discover how to be big by being small, reaching multiple niche communities while creating a common, unifying vision for everyone.

The landscape of America is changing. The frontier once summoned people to “Go West.” Today the new frontier is a large-scale emerging urban society. The individual spirit that settled the West is being replaced with a collective mentality congregating in urban cores. As the frontier church reached the early settlers, I have no doubt the American church will respond with new megapolitan congregations for an urban society.

Sam S. Rainer III is president of Rainer Research and senior pastor of Stevens Street Baptist Church, Cookeville, TN. [www.rainerresearch.com, www.stevensstreet.org]

Some things don’t change much when it comes to choosing carpet for the church. The color of the sanctuary’s stage carpet and the runner up the middle aisle more often might be determined by the pastor’s wife or the favorite football team, says Bear Goolsby of Powers Goolsby Architects, Universal City, TX, which has a number of church clients in 48 states.

Still, other things are changing. “Eco-friendly carpets have really come to the front,” Goolsby says. “Not only are many carpet fibers and backings made from recycled materials, but they are designed to be readily recycled at the end of their lifespan. Stain resistance in carpet has greatly improved due to the dying process and you can even find some carpet with a polarity charged fiber that is designed to resist coffee stains.”

The people at the well-known Milliken floor covering division pride themselves on offering unlimited customization options. “Through a unique blend of science and design, our floor covering collections help the architecture and design industry achieve inspiring design solutions,” says Milliken’s Bob Baird, general manager of global commercial carpet.

Baird says that floor coverings are chosen on the basis of function, aesthetics and performance and “no one floor covering will fulfill all requirements.”

“Churches want carpet solutions that are architecturally consistent with their surrounding space. They want floor covering that will perform well over time and stand up to heavy traffic. They want a solution that can be easily maintained with a welcoming aesthetic and quality finish,” says Baird. “And they want a provider they can trust to meet their diverse floor covering needs in a timely, hassle-free manner with a seamless installation.”

Bear Goolsby says that more churches are looking at other floor coverings than carpet, such as:

• “Stained concrete has been around for a while and is very popular due to the visual appeal, durability and easy maintenance, but care must be taken to ensure proper staining and polishing.”
• “Wood look, ceramic tiles are very popular for high traffic areas. These tiles give the look of a wood floor and the durability of tile.”
• “Bamboo flooring options have also become very popular to their durability and style options. Being sustainable, many manufacturers have created several bamboo products and made it an affordable option.”

And when it comes to color, there is much beyond the usual beige from which to choose.

Says Goolsby: “We’ve moved from reds to browns and blues to green and warm greys. If you are using a multi-colored carpet, you have so many options available, from just one swatch, to pull several paint schemes.”

“Churches are asking for colors that complement the intended purpose and aesthetic for each space,” Baird agrees. “Sanctuaries should be inviting, so there is certainly a trend toward rich colors, such as dark reds and deep blues and greens. If they choose a neutral color, warm beige tones are very popular as they portray a welcoming aesthetic.

“Patterns that tend to work well in these spaces are small in design and feature motifs specifically chosen to accentuate and enhance the building’s existing architecture,” Baird says.

Goolsby says that he has clients determined to use a solid color carpet. “As great as today’s carpets are, the traffic generated by a congregation over a few years will wear down a solid color carpet. We do our best to show people how using a patterned, multi-colored carpet will not show traffic patterns as fast, plus the patterned carpets help to hide dirt and trouble spots that creep up in church facilities,” he says.

Building committees should decide in their selections on how well the carpet holds its color, how well it will hold up to traffic, and the availability of coordinating carpets, says Goolsby. Milliken’s Baird says that durability and the intended use of the space determine the specific type of carpet necessary. “Sanctuaries are best suited for broadloom applications, while modular carpet is more appropriate for areas where congregations gather to share food and refreshments, as it’s easier to maintain and replace.”

When it comes to coffee and food, Goolsby says “some manufacturers recommend using vinegar to help remove coffee stains, while you can find a carpet that has looked at the molecular structure, but they have fixed the polarity of the fiber to aid in the repelling of acidic stains.”

But the best advice, he says: “We recommend asking people to leave the coffee in the lobby and preferably where the tile is.”

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Carpeting can cover over a hardwood flooring

Churches use their gymnasiums for more than just sports. More often, these multi-purpose facilities are the worship centers on Sundays. To make that possible, the gym floor is protected by a covering that has a normal carpet-top layer and a PVC base to prevent the carpet tiles form sliding. Everything from plays to meetings to special events take place in such rooms, where the hardwood or synthetic flooring needs protection.

Seth Gordon of Signature Systems Flooring, New York, NY, says their CarpetDeck 2 product will not move even under rolling loads and heavy foot traffic. “They are comfortable under foot and provide the feel of being on any permanent carpet,” he says.

The product tiles are 21 square feet and weight 14 pounds each, allowing them to be easily handled by one person — and with a transportation cart speeding up the installation process and later storage. Two people laying down the tiles can cover a standard basketball court in one hour.

The CarpetDeck 2 tiles slide next to each other without a connection system or adhesive underlayment. Another product, GymDeck, is made of a harder plastic material and does use an interlocking system.

Gordon says the company has installed the product at Lake Country Christian School in Fort Worth, TX, and Kingsland Baptist Church in Katy, TX. He says that the product comes in colors of charcoal, blue and gray, and a dynamite look is achieved when there is an alternating color pattern. — RK

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Dealing with coffee stains

Vacuuming is the most critical component in maintaining carpet. Supplement this with spot cleaning, and use a professional cleaner on a routine basis to maintain the life and beauty of your church’s flooring.

So says Stephen Lewis, technical director for MilliCare, the textile and carpet care unit of Milliken Flooring. And for high traffic areas, Lewis says the answer is “vacuum, vacuum and vacuum.” “Dry soil damages carpet fibers and is the reason carpet develops wear patterns,” he says. “By removing this soil frequently, especially after a service or event, you will dramatically extend your carpet’s appearance.”

And those coffee stains? “General purpose spot cleaners can usually remove the typical coffee stain completely,” he says.

“However, decaffeinated coffee can actually ‘dye’ nylon carpet fibers, making it difficult to remove. These stains can be eliminated with spot cleaning products called reducing agents. They remove oxygen from the stain to bleach it clear and require activation with heat — often with a steam iron.”

But Lewis advises that only a trained professional should attempt this, as there is the potential to damage the carpet due to the use of heat. Oxidizing agents with hydrogen peroxide may also bleach the stain clear.

As for food stains, Lewis says that “while many products claim to be all-purpose stain removers, the truth is there is no perfect solution. Most water-soluble cleaners will remove food related stains, but fail to eliminate grease and oily soils,” he advises. “The key is to have two or three different kinds of carpet cleaning solutions on hand to deal with a variety of stain types.”

What’s the “green” movement’s implications for carpets? “The most environmentally-friendly products have third-party green certifications. Choose carpet cleaning systems that use less water and energy – but are still effective at removing soil,” Lewis says. “While these processes are considered ‘green,’ the most important thing you can do from an environmental standpoint is keep your carpet installed as long as possible. When properly maintained, commercial carpet can last for many years before having to be disposed of.”

Finally, what vacuum product works best? Lewis says to choose a commercial upright vacuum with a beater brush. (Example shown above.) These machines are the best at removing dry soil in any home or facility.

Featured photos: Photos courtesy of Melissa Hettie from Hello Misha Studios.

Parents and kids are hearing the same teaching at the same time.

The approach to children’s ministry at Palm Valley Church in Goodyear, AZ, in the west valley of Phoenix, is like many other churches in one respect. They use their weekend services to structure an environment for kids who are geared to their age and development level.

But what is different, and likely a growing movement in children’s ministries, is using the worship services to reach out to families by providing their kids a safe and loving environment, says Darius Sanders, family life pastor.

“Our approach is to not just grow children into spiritual champions, but to grow families. Our lessons are prepared beforehand and use age-appropriate levels of repetition to help reinforce the lesson being taught,” Sanders says. “Different styles of learning – verbal and auditory – are incorporated so that children with different learning styles get the opportunity to receive what is being taught in the way that reaches them best.”

Special for kids
“Just like the main service their parents attend, we want them to experience worship, a message and a creative element that’s been prepared for them,” says Sanders.

Ministry leaders write their own curriculum and focus the lessons and the adult services on the same theme so that the entire church is learning the same thing at the same time.

“Whenever possible,” says Sanders, “we try to match the series or theme that is being taught in the main service so that parents can easily connect what their kids are learning to what they also are learning. The teaching is tailored to the learning level of each age group.”

“Our goal is to help the kids we are entrusted with to learn what we are teaching regardless of what style of learning suits them best. We do teaching, singing, hands-on activities, and body movement we call dance parties, to provide multiple avenues for learning,” he adds.

Comprehension levels
Each age or grade has a different comprehension level. Younger kids enjoy lots of activities and presentations while those in kindergarten through third grade like some discussion. Fourth- and fifth-graders are engaged primarily through discussion and some activity. “As the kids age they are better able to express how they feel, ask questions and engage in conversation,” Sanders says.

Palm Valley teachers have created what they call the “Pin Packet” for kindergartners through fifth-graders. It is a reward system that encourages kids to read their Bibles daily with their parents, furthering the family approach. Over the course of a series, which could run several weeks, children need to read, memorize and share what they are learning. For their active participation, they receive a pin at the end of the series. As an incentive, those who earn multiple pins get to attend a party. The reading matches the reading plan the parents are doing.

Sanders says that as a church, families are encouraged to reach together and journal on what they are learning using the acrostic SOAP, which stands for Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer.

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Serving children with special needs

Melinda Campbell-Weber says that with about one out of every 88 children being diagnosed with autism or a special needs disorder in America, families are being affected by special needs now more than ever. “The need for programs for these families in churches has now hit epidemic levels. Churches can no longer ignore the need,” she says.

Campbell-Weber is the “Buddy” coordinator at Palm Valley Church and has two special needs children of her own.

“In my conversations with churches around the country, I have found that these families are becoming a priority to churches. They are finding that they not only need to service the needs that they did years ago (the sick, the homeless and those struggling financially) but are now needing to expand programs to help with families of special needs children.”

She responded to questions about their program:
What is the need in your church’s area? Every church, regardless of size, will likely have a least one family with a special needs child in it. Many times, families can’t go to church together because someone has to stay at home with the child; they feel they have no other alternative. When I started volunteering last April, the Buddy program had already been in place for some time and there were about five children in the program. Today we have about 15 children in the program and are continuing to grow.

How do you serve special needs kids at church? We pair each child with an adult volunteer. The child and volunteer attend the child’s service that best fits the child’s cognitive level rather than age level. At Palm Valley Church, we want all of our children to be exposed to God’s word at the level that they can understand it most effectively. Therefore, each special needs child is placed in an environment where they can understand the lesson and also develop relationships with their peers. So in most cases, we place our special needs children in classrooms with other children to get the most out of their church experience.

How do Buddies serve the kids and the parents, and what is a “Forever Buddy”? Buddies serve as a support system for our special needs families. They often keep in touch throughout the week with each other, check in on their Buddy child (especially if there’s been an illness or surgery) and make plans for the coming weekend to make sure each of them will be there. A Forever Buddy means that the volunteer will be permanently paired up with the child as long as they attend Palm Valley Church and are in need of a Buddy volunteer.

Are there a variety of needs among the kids? We have children with a vast array of special needs, from autistic, non-verbal and ADHD to more severe issues, such as brain damage, cerebral palsy, and children born suffering the effects of drugs from their birth mothers.

Are you advocating for the kids beyond what you do in the church? There have been times when our volunteers have attended meetings at schools with our families and provided more of an “advocate” role when the children were not receiving appropriate services. We have also had volunteers spend time with families on a more social level, having lunch together or offering to babysit on special occasions.

What is done to give a breather to the parents/siblings at church or during the week? By having a volunteer available for our special needs children, our parents are able to get a breather by attending worship services knowing their children are being cared for by a caring, specially equipped volunteer who knows their children and their special abilities. We also offer a “parents night out” event every quarter, where our special needs children and their siblings come to the church for a night of pizza, a movie, craft and story time. This also provides parents time for a date night, errands, etc., for a few hours.

What are the benefits of a special needs program provided by a church? With the divorce rate of special needs parents at around 90 percent, the financial and emotional strain can be overwhelming without the support of their local church. The benefits of a special needs program in churches provides that support system that these families are so desperate to find on a more intimate, spiritual level.

Why a retail center could be a good investment for your congregation.

Around the country there are areas where retail shopping centers were aggressively built during the past decade. Many of these centers are in extremely good locations and today can be purchased at prices that are significantly below their current values and the costs it would take to build the same structures today.

With the bust of the housing bubble in 2008, a commensurate effect was the slowing of the retail economy. Food chains that are usually the anchor tenants of these centers quickly reigned in their expansion plans. In some cases where chains had built too many stores during the boom, Chapter 11 bankruptcy was declared. Subsequently, in the reorganization steps, many stores were closed.

These events left vacancies in many locations and have created an important opportunity for investors to purchase excellent centers for a small portion of their original value or cost.  As an example, a 67,000-square-foot center that originally cost $6 million in development costs, and had $3.5 million of additional equity funds invested by the original buyer, was recently purchased from the bank for $3.6 million, including some improvement costs required.

Centers like this were typically built on the basis of a return of 7 percent to 9 percent to the original buyer, with rents that allowed for this return after operating expenses. In the industry, this is referred to as the capitalization rate of return.

What’s an ideal investment?
The key to a good purchase in a suppressed market is to buy at a price with severely reduced occupancy, which offers in-place 7 percent to 9 percent return. If this type of purchase has 60 percent occupancy, with the vacancy filled over a two- to three-year period at market rates, the gain in return on original investment can be substantial.

A retail center may be an ideal investment when a church has two fundamental qualities:

1. The church has “patient money” funds to invest. The money will not be required for the conduct of the church and can be demonstrated to the congregation as funds well used.  A good purchase often requires an all-cash buy from the bank or the troubled owner in order to command the lowest prices. Depending on the size of the retail center to be purchased, can your church tie up $1 million to $10 million for a period of three to five years?
2. The church knows how to use this particular asset to meet the needs of their community. Examples are many, but among them are: (a) a clothing and household merchandize outlet for the needy; (b) a meeting place for gatherings that are not easily made available on the church campus; (c) a recreational outlet for teens and tweens; and (d) a Christian bookstore.

Most shopping centers are considered to be triple-net investments, meaning the tenants pay a base rent and, in addition, contribute a proportionate share to the shopping center’s operating expenses, such as taxes, insurance and common area maintenance.
A great value of a retail center is that it can be either self-managed or managed by a professional real estate firm. Also, the parking allotment is usually five or more cars per thousand square feet of useable space. This is ideal for any church that can see the value of space, with adequate parking, for many of its long-term needs.

Benefits to smaller churches
A possibility may work for smaller or start-up churches in locations previously held by pharmacy stores or smaller businesses. Parking in these locations are too limited for a large church, but can be ideal for a smaller congregation that is favorably capitalized.

Often, a church member may step forward to assist the church in buying a property in a commercial location that will improve in value over a longer-term hold.  An agreement can often be worked out between the church and the provider of the funds that can protect each party and cover any risk.

Most churches have members or attenders who are licensed real estate agents. However, a word of caution: If you want to invest in a retail center, look for a real estate professional who not only understands commercial investment, but can also relate to the investment goals contained in your church mission.

Lastly, this article is not intended to discuss the issue of tax consequences. It is believed that a church would have to recognize the non-church usage as ordinary income, while any other usage by the church would qualify for its nonprofit status. This should be carefully discussed with church leadership and accounting or financial advisors.

Rob Baird of Robert R. Baird Enterprises, Chandler, AZ, has 37 years of experience in commercial real estate.  www.capratecommercial.com

With phase one completed, Cape Christian continues to raise funds to finish the project.

Cape Christian is a large contemporary congregation in a city ranked as one of the top in the nation for foreclosures and unemployment rates. This reality prompted the church to shift its focus – from building a $15 million worship auditorium to building a 100,000-square-foot park for its city. After assessing how loss of jobs and homes was impacting families, Cape Christian launched a campaign to build Fellowship Park.

Open to the public, Fellowship Park will include the city’s first amphitheater, a splash pad, four children’s playgrounds, sports and multipurpose fields, common areas, a zip line, a jogging trail, pavilion and café. It will be funded, built and maintained by the church. In addition, Cape Christian launched the community-wide campaign, “Not in My City,” providing comprehensive resources for children, married couples and people in crisis.

“It’s alarming that 350 children are homeless in our city. Assessing the community’s needs was sobering and led us to turn our attention outside the walls of our church,” says Cape Christian lead pastor Wes Furlong. “Even though we’ve outgrown our facility, we cancelled our plans for a new worship center. Instead, we’re building a park where families can gather, play, attend concerts and community events. We’re also providing resources to help families who’ve lost homes or jobs. We are a church that exists for our city.”

Phase one completed
Phase one of Fellowship Park was completed in only 10 days thanks to an army of nearly 400 volunteers and cooperation from city leaders.

Phase one includes a large sunken fountain, beautifully paved courtyard, a huge seating area underneath crepe myrtle trees, and hundreds of plants, palm trees and other lush vegetation.

“The idea was to create a space where anyone could come and just enjoy the beautiful, natural paradise we live in,” comments founding pastor Dennis Gingerich. He and his wife, Linda, founded the church 25 years ago with a dream of reaching families who wouldn’t normally join a local church. “We’ve always had a heart for the families of Cape Coral; this park is just the latest expression of that passion. We can’t wait until we finish the other two phases and this place is filled with the sounds of young families every day.”

The park will eventually become the city’s premier venue for events, but more than that it will serve as a visible sign of Cape Christian’s commitment to meet the needs of its neighbors as seriously as it meets the needs of its members. “So many people are skeptical of the church’s true motives; we want to do everything we can to demonstrate God’s love in a practical way, not just in the words we speak during sermons and personal conversation,” adds pastor Gingerich.

Externally focused
The largest Mennonite church in the U.S., Cape Christian has doubled its attendance in five years and created more than 20 ministries for the city, including a mentoring program for young mothers and a state-approved character curriculum in public schools. Its “Feeding Cape Coral” program has stocked food pantries with more than 23,000 items. In addition, the church is recruiting volunteers with the goal of logging 1 million volunteer hours within public schools. Cape Christian also plans to launch the Center for Family Life to create resources for parents, married couples, and people with addictions and other life-controlling issues.

Now that phase one has been completed, the church will continue to raise funds to start phase two.  The park will also feature Cape Coral’s first interactive play area that incorporates electronic gaming elements with physical exercise.

Chad Woolf is director of Not In My City, a ministry of Cape Christian Church in Cape Coral, FL. www.capechristian.com

More about Not In My City at www.notinmycity.org.

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Safe, easy online sports registration

When it comes to the tedious task of registering hundreds and sometimes thousands of youth sports league participants, churches can count on SportsSignup to make the process easier. The company specializes in online registrations for youth sports, online fundraising and background checks of volunteers and coaches.

Benefits of putting the registration process online include: fewer man-hours in processing handwritten forms via elimination of data entry; reduced cost of postage paper, ink and postage; increased productivity; reduction of errors; increased responses, attendance and revenues; and an e-mail database that allows easy participant notification.

The process of registering just one child for a sports team or event takes an average of eight sheets of paper, including the registration form itself, a parental/guardian consent form, medical waiver, league information form, special notices, and flyers to advertise the event. Think about how many children are playing recreation sports. According to childstats.gov, there are about 50 million children in the U.S. between the ages of 6 and 17. That’s a lot of paper.

Every aspect of an online registration is paperless and handled electronically. The company estimates it has already saved more than 500 tons of paper since the company’s inception in 2003, and says it will save 100 tons of paper alone in 2012.

Included in that savings are more than 100 parishes and organizations who participate in the Catholic Youth Council (CYC) of St. Louis, MO, which named SportsSignup as its official registration program in February. “We are confident that the process will help move our entire sports program forward by allowing all of our parishes, districts and our main office to share information and streamline the registration process,” says Paul Scovill, CYC St. Louis sports director. “It solves real problems and eases the burden on volunteer administrators.”

— Rich Thomaselli   wwww.sportssignup.com

Gyms and fitness classes are great perks, but make sure proper safeguards are in place.

Many churches are providing their members with more than a building in which to worship on Sundays. Some have coffee shops or offer business classes. Some have gymnasiums, fitness centers and on-site fitness classes.

While these are great perks in today’s age of wellness awareness, they also bring liabilities and require extra precautions.

Establish guidelines
No matter what type of fitness opportunity you offer at your church, it is important that the participants are physically capable of taking part in the activity. Post a statement urging all participants to be evaluated by a physician prior to beginning any exercise program.

Establish rules of conduct and have all members sign a form acknowledging they are aware of these rules. Post these rules at your facility to remind the participants what you expect of them while they are on the property. Include rules on attire, conduct, sanitation, hygiene, food and drink, valuables, and reporting of problems.

Facility procedures also should be established, including facility hours and emergency response procedures.

Having the proper staff is important in keeping your members safe. This means having an adequate number and keeping them appropriately trained, including training on CPR and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) if your facility has one.  A church representative should be present at each activity in the gymnasium. He is responsible for implementing rules and responding to emergency situations. She also should be trained to respond to and report injuries.

For fitness classes, only hire certified instructors. If you are hiring an outside instructor, have a written facility-usage agreement with hold harmless language. Also, require a certificate of insurance, with the church added as an additional insured.

The exercise equipment in your fitness center is prone to wear and tear over time. Perform regular inspections of the machines, as well develop a plan to remove malfunctioning equipment from service.  After the fitness classes, equipment should be properly cleaned and stored.

Decide who will be allowed to use your facilities. There are certain liabilities that come with opening your doors to minors and outside groups.

By putting extra safeguards into place, the potential for an incident can be reduced.

Get release forms
If minors are allowed, establish a minimum age limit. Require the minor’s parent or guardian to sign a parental consent/release form and a parental consent to treatment.  When outside groups are allowed to use the facilities, put together a facility usage agreement with hold harmless language. Require a certificate of insurance from the outside group naming the church as an additional insured.

Offering fitness facilities to your congregation can be a great benefit, but it comes with additional liabilities for your church. Establishing guidelines, posting expectations and taking precautions can help reduce your chance of an incident.

Eric Spacek is senior risk manager at GuideOne Insurance, West Des Moines, IA, and a former liability litigation trial attorney in Washington, D.C. www.GuideOne.com