Youth center brings the ‘wow’ factor
A former injection molding plant is turned into a unique gathering place for young people.
Read More >A former injection molding plant is turned into a unique gathering place for young people.
Read More >Standing in the middle of a movie theater lobby is usually no big deal (and certainly not a spiritual moment), unless it is the first Sunday morning of Promiseland, a new ministry to children in the early days of Willow Creek Community Church. Launching a ministry to kids in an out-of-the-box, rapidly-growing, already-influential congregation was a big deal; even bigger than I realized at the time, Willow Creek church in South Barrington, IL, about to surpass the 2,000 milestone in its third year, presented a brand new approach to “church” with fresh thinking from top to bottom – except when it came to children.
Read More >Adaptive reuse of existing buildings for churches is an environmentally responsible solution as well as being financially effective. If done well it can also be inspiring — bringing churchgoers together in an appropriate, comfortable and stimulating worship space.
Read More >In reaction to the loss of historically significant buildings within larger metropolitan areas in the 1950s, communities throughout the nation adopted historic preservation zoning codes to provide for the legal authority to designate and prevent the demolition or destruction of buildings considered valuable to the community as a whole.
Read More >Day care or child care facilities are a mainstay of many churches and church-supported schools. The benefits of these facilities to parents are innumerable, including the assurance that their children are in a safe, nurturing environment under the care of supportive, qualified adults.
Read More >How important is youth programming for teens in today’s churches? The youth are the church of tomorrow, right? Having a successful youth program will add excitement to any church. Unfortunately, often funding for students is not a high enough priority in a building project or the overall church budget.
Read More >Among the most important things that church leaders can do for their congregations is keeping their children safe. In the past, many people didn’t worry about security issues at churches. However, times have changed and so have churches. Gone are the days when we simply relied on “good faith” to preserve the security of our children in the church nursery, Sunday school or youth rooms.
Read More >When Crossroads Christian Church in Corona, CA, accumulated $500,000 in debt — in addition to falling behind on their mortgage payments — financial ruin and foreclosure seemed imminent.
Read More >In this modern era, many churches are offering more and more services to its congregants to attract new members, retain established members and create revenue to operate the church or fund its programs. Common examples may include a bookstore or coffee bar. As a general rule, a church is not taxed on its income or revenues from an activity that is substantially related to the religious or charitable purposes of the organization.
Read More >Taking on a building project of any kind just now, in this recession, be it new construction, expansion or refurbishment of an existing space, brings added scrutiny from all parties involved — pastors and staff, volunteer leadership and congregations at large.
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