Church facilities have long been a vastly underused ministry tool, with most spaces left vacant during the week besides an occasional bible study or evening meeting. What would happen to our ministries if we used our buildings seven days a week and reduced overhead expenses by two-thirds or more? By stewarding these unused spaces more effectively, […]
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By Mark R Ashcraft with Bruce Woody, AIA Youth face many challenges in our current culture, where feelings often trump facts and reality is the latest tweet gone viral. Even so, they’re still fundamentally on a formative journey of discovery; they’re still seeking their places in the world. We need to reach out and […]
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How transparency, ministry experience, integrity — and a lot of patience! — delivered a $7.2-million church construction project under budget By RaeAnn Slaybaugh Church growth of 142% over eight years. Four (soon-to-be five) campuses. A children’s ministry that sees 120% growth. When Lead Pastor Rick Lorimer of Christ Place Church (CP) in Lincoln, Neb., […]
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By Mike Bacile There are many tangible elements that go into the making of a successful church café. You need the right look. Proper layout and flow are a must. The wrong equipment, menu or products can spell disaster. But, even if you can achieve all these elements (as needed for a smooth-running, efficient […]
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By Donovan Loomis Being intentional in managing your facilities has very little impact on how effectively the church can carry out the mission, right? Wrong. While the church’s primary mission is spreading the gospel, we have to take care of our most expensive assets if we want to have the resources, long term, to help […]
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Cost-effective strategies for managing infrastructure By Matthew Swain, RS New buildings are a lot like new cars — they don’t usually require a lot of upkeep, at first, to keep them operating. The problem with new buildings, however, lies in the myth that I hear year after year from clients: It’s new, so it doesn’t […]
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By Mike Bonem “And all other duties as may be assigned.” This is commonly the last line in a job description. But, the practical reality for many second chair leaders is that this is their first responsibility. This simple truth can be frustrating and confusing. It’s confusing when you’re not sure what your priorities should […]
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By Rodney James Remodeling church facilities can be a painful process — but it doesn’t have to be that way. If the church takes the right steps (in the right order, with the right partner), a renovation project can flow smoothly, stay on budget, and have a positive effect on the ministries of the church […]
Read More >By Donovan Loomis Between Sunday worship, youth activities, and all the groups that meet throughout the week, your church is a hub of activity. Your congregation relies on the facilities to not only be a place of worship, but also a launching pad for ministry. Church leaders are expected to be intentional in how they […]
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By Mike Bacile The most frequent question I get from churches is, “How do we know if our church should build a café / coffee bar?” A café has so many positive possibilities to offer a church community. However, it should meet three important criteria in order to really produce the fellowship and revenue most […]
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