By RaeAnn Slaybaugh Senior Pastor Mark Allen’s path to starting a church in Athens, Texas, began in 2005 — though it certainly wasn’t his plan. “Athens doesn’t need another church,” he laughs. “It’s an exaggeration, but I’ve heard people say there are about 12,000 people who live here and, like, 1,500 churches.” But, God had […]
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By Matthew F. Manion As of this writing, masses are being celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome for the first time in 10 weeks. Throughout the United States, individual states and local jurisdictions are creating guidelines for religious gatherings as they begin to reopen their governments. As churches around the globe begin to open […]
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By RaeAnn Slaybaugh For Tulsa’s Memorial Drive Church of Christ, connecting as a church family was never a problem — but the facilities told a less inspiring story. Built in 1963, this mid-century modern church features a tent-like parabolic roof, with additions in 1973 and 1977. While the church design surely had its admirers from […]
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When a tornado destroyed their church, the father-daughter pastor team of Phil and Sarah Taylor enlisted a pastor’s son and second-generation church builder to help pick up the pieces. By RaeAnn Slaybaugh When a devastating tornado touched ground in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on May 3, 1999, Phil Taylor, his wife Paula, and their daughter Rebekah were […]
Read More >An exclusive roundtable produced in conjunction with the National Association of Church Design Builders. Roundtable participants are members of this non-profit organization that serves as a resource for the planning, design and construction of churches and church-related facilities. The goal of NACDB is to educate local churches on how to go about designing, building or […]
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MATT KAUTZKY / DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES / BLACKHAWK CHURCH / MIDDLETON, WI Spanning more than 130,000 square feet, Blackhawk Church transitioned from a (scraps of) paper-based facilities management system to an intuitive platform — all with zero downtime. The platform’s implementation has even fostered the pursuit of a guiding principle for the church: providing a […]
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Architects, pastors discuss what makes church design relevant & appealing to current expectations When we talk about “meeting current expectations” with church design, what are we saying? What are those expectations? Woody: Meeting current expectations means your building is consistently reflective of the culture you’ve developed at your church. When design is intentional, the more […]
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By Kerry Jones You spend hours working on sermons. You spend money, time and effort building outreach programs. You evaluate those programs and community involvement constantly in an effort to grow attendance at your church. But is your church facility prepared to handle that growth? If you’re not sure, here are 3 important keys that […]
Read More >Emerging trends, outdated ones, and ministry-specific design movements What’s especially appealing about working with churches? Trung Doan: Churches are the hands and feet of faith, and we consider it a privilege to equip churches to continue making a difference. Rodney C. James: Mentoring, leading and helping pastors. Most didn’t get a class in church design, […]
Read More >Expert advice — from the architects who envision these spaces and the church executives who recognized the need How does a church typically know to ask for a “family-friendly” feel on its campus? Bruce Woody: Often, this begins to be sensed internally. Something usually causes the church to analyze how it’s being perceived in […]
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