Building for the future
How the construction of a Family Life Center drove cost savings — without sacrificing aesthetics
Read More >Recreation Centers Archives - Page 9 of 12 - Church Executive
Alternative facility options — spotlight on: happy campers!
For an 18,000-square-foot worship center for the new Oklahoma Assembly of God State Youth Camp in Sparks, OK, a metal building system made the most sense. Here’s why.
Read More >Science Behind the Seat: the care & keeping of your big investment
The facility manager is the shepherd of the church grounds, which might include a range of duties — from landscaping, to building maintenance, to basic maintenance of the seating. It’s important for this individual to have thorough knowledge of how to properly clean upholstery and how often to tighten bolts on the seating.
Read More >Do you really need to build? When divvying up your existing space makes more sense
As your church finds itself in need of more ministry space, a new building might seem like a logical solution. But, in the interest of stewardship, it pays to consider whether or not an existing space can be reimagined instead.
Read More >New-build? Renovation? How to know what kind of project makes sense
Some would argue we shouldn’t evaluate the church’s ministries. Even if a church doesn’t invite critique, it takes place every Sunday on an informal level. We know guests make a decision about a church within the first seven minutes of arriving on the campus.
Knowing this, your church (and every church) needs a partner to design its facilities — one who understands your ministry. Having the right team to first guide in an effective evaluation, and then begin to create and design a facility that functions for your ministry, helps your church be more effective.
Read More >Eyes on the future: how metal buildings have changed the way we think about lasting church design
Which building material lasts longest? Which will build fastest? For churches with hectic event calendars and limited budgets, metal buildings provide an alternate solution to expensive and time-consuming construction involving wood, stone or brick.
Read More >An effective worship space for kids is no small feat
Preschool and children’s spaces are the most unique of all worship spaces, in my opinion. They must capture these special worshippers and hold their attention while also supporting the worship leaders. Even with younger ages in attendance and shorter “sermons,” these services are no less significant.
Read More >An introduction to church facility stewardship
I’m a firm believer that everything on earth belongs to God. Our money. Our houses. Our cars. The word of God. Our families. The people we encounter — and the facilities in which we worship. God has entrusted us with the stewarding of all these items.
For me, stewardship is less about what we give and more about taking care of what we have been given — of all that’s entrusted to us.
So, how do we define “entrusted”?
Read More >Effective student spaces: 3 tried-and-true design elements
Many student worship spaces use design elements that promote ministry and embody many of the same elements we find in all worship spaces. However, student worship spaces typically take it to a different level. While the ultimate goal is to worship Jesus, there’s also a practical goal: to maintain a connection with the student, who’s bombarded with all the trappings of today’s culture and crowd. To be successful on both fronts, the architecture and the design of the space must uniquely “speak” to the student population.
Read More >Safety Strategies: Playing it safe
Accidents and injuries were almost a given, accepted as an inevitable part of life. Even during a span of eight years of the 21st century, more than 200,000 children were treated in emergency rooms each year for playground-related injuries.
But these times, they are a changin’ — and passively accepting that kids are destined to get hurt on a playground no longer should be the case. The jungle gyms and merry-go-rounds from yesteryear have been replaced with equipment that has been built with safety in mind.
And while injuries and accidents cannot be completely prevented, there is much one can do to help keep playgrounds as safe as possible.
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