By Rodney C. James While many spaces in existing churches are no longer used for their original purpose, it opens doors for reimagining how to recapture that square footage for new ministry opportunities. Such was the case at Central Baptist Church in Owasso, Okla. Church leaders engaged Master’s Plan Church Design and Construction to help […]
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By Jonathan Fallin, AIA When your church is located down the street from Walt Disney World and Universal Studios Florida, your children’s spaces really need to be next-level cool. At Orlando First Baptist, a pair of three-story kids’ buildings — now connected by a colorful, glassed-in atrium — definitely rises to the challenge. Prior to […]
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A lending veteran’s perspective WatersEdge began lending to churches in 1953 and has since partnered with more than 1,600 congregations looking to grow or refinance. During that nearly 70-year span, we’ve seen it all: boom years, recessions, and everything in between. So, as churches ride the waves of yet another tumultuous period in our nation’s […]
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Many things have changed in ministry over the last 2 years, leading to some new and exciting opportunities. Construction activity slowed during the pandemic and now appears to be on the rebound. Lending requests for new projects, renovation and expansion have increased and churches are primarily investing in three different types of venues: #1: Retrofitting […]
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5 church design trends I’ve observed — and what’s driving them #1: Hospitality / gathering One of the key discussion points our team has with house-of-worship clients is focused on hospitality and gathering spaces. This conversation is taking place because so many churches don’t have enough of this type of space. While the main purposes […]
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3 strategies that will take you from start to success By Jeremy Moore Your church has not only survived a pandemic, but it’s actually growing — how amazing! As a church family, you’ve emerged from an incredibly disruptive and uncertain season and now find yourselves needing to build or expand. If this scenario resonates, you’re […]
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A seasoned church builder shares the most engaging designs in his portfolio Engaging gathering spaces Pastor Joel Sims at Word of Life Church in Flowood, Miss., has the best gathering space of any church I’ve ever built. This space features a full kitchen, so the church is serving full meals before and after church […]
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That was so special! That was the best thing ever… Moments. Do you look back over your life and find that a moment, just a fleeting second, stands out profoundly? The few moments of sitting on the park bench as a family at the top of Logan Pass at Glacier National Park on our […]
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By RaeAnn Slaybaugh No pastor can — or should — undergo a major building project without the right bench strength Rod MacIlvaine is no stranger to ‘quarterbacking’ a church building project. What he didn’t want to do with the new, 16,000-square-foot facility at Grace Community Church in Bartlesville, Okla., however, was navigate a third such […]
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By RaeAnn Slaybaugh Back in 2017, Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church in Phoenix had already contemplated adding covered parking, in the form of solar structures, to its campus for some time. It was (and still is) a forward-thinking move not only for a house of worship, but for the area-at-large: when finished, it would be […]
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