A Biblically-Based Process of Design and Construction
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We all know that biblical principles can be used in a wide variety of situations. Many times a single biblical principle can have multiple applications. Part of becoming a mature disciple of Jesus Christ is being able to apply scripture to all areas of our lives. For a church it is just as important to be able to apply scripture to all the various activities and undertakings that are necessary for the church to fulfill its God-given mission. Planning, designing and building a facility is an area that many churches fail to recognize the need and/or applicability of biblical principles to help them to be successful in this challenging endeavor.
As the statistics on our home page show, too many projects either never make it to completion or create so much trouble for the church that they wish they had never done it. Almost all of these issues could have been avoided, if the church had only recognized the biblical principles that they should have followed in the process of planning, designing and building their facilities. The following biblical principles are some of the most important when it comes to church facilities. You will quickly recognize that these same principles apply to all areas of the ministry of the church and would be well worth following as you lead your church into the future. With just a little thought, you could probably come up with several more biblical principles that would be applicable. But, for efficiency sake, we will only focus on a few.
Scriptural Principle #1: Where there is no vision, the people perish. Proverbs 29:18
When it comes to anything related to the ministry of the church, the church’s God-given vision should be the driving force. This is extremely vital when it comes to the church’s facilities. Buildings are simply tools to be used in the pursuit of the church’s vision, just as tables, chairs and equipment are tools. However, it is important to make sure you have the right tool for the job and it is the vision that dictates the right tool. There are usually multiple options available to the church when they start to evaluate their need for a facility. How do they determine the one best option for meeting both their short and long term needs? The answer is their vision. The church should never build a facility without first evaluating what is needed to make their vision a reality, both today and tomorrow.
The scriptural principle of vision is also the best way to build consensus and support for your endeavor. Vision is all about ministry and mission and pursuing God’s call for your local body of believers. Casting vision is the most effective way to get people excited and committed to the ministry of the church. As they catch the vision and get excited about what God has called them to, they commit themselves to doing their part to make the vision a reality. Casting vision also minimizes dissension. Without vision people have a tendency to do what they did in Judges 17:6 “Every man did what was right in his own eyes.” But when they have a God-given vision, they are more likely to follow the example we have in Jesus Christ when he said “I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent me.” John 5:30
Scriptural Principle #2: “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him saying, “This man began to build and was not able to finish.” Luke 14:28-30
Violating the first biblical principle opens the church up to dissension and building the wrong facility and hindering the future growth of the church. Violating the second biblical principle can be devastating and immediate. Very few things hurt a church as much as not being able to complete a project or not being able to carry the financial burden of a building they can’t afford. Scripture tells us to count the cost up front to make sure we can afford what we set out to do. However, few churches or architects or builders know how to thoroughly analyze the church’s financial capacity, facility needs and project budget parameters at the beginning of the process. Most churches are already deep into the process and have spent a significant amount of money before they know what the project is going to cost and how it compares to their financial capacity. And too often it is far too late for them to do anything to correct the situation. This situation can be avoided, but it requires the next biblical principle to do so.
Scriptural Principle #3: “Plans fail for lack of council, but with many advisors they succeed. Proverbs 15:22
The mistake that most churches make is hiring one person or company to help them pursue their project. The problem with this approach is that there is no one person or specialization that can adequately answer all the questions that should be answered prior to moving forward with design and construction. It takes a team of people, each with specific knowledge related to the various areas of the project that must be studied, analyzed, defined and resolved. Only then can a church move forward with confidence that they have all their questions answered and they have a game plan that will succeed.
For a church design and construction project, that team must consist of someone with expertise in helping the church translate their vision into an actionable game plan; someone with the expertise to analyze the church’s finances and to develop a financial game plan including financing, stewardship campaigns, foundations, etc.; someone with expertise in church design and architecture that can translate ministry needs into facility design; someone with expertise in site analysis and design; someone with church construction expertise that can work with the rest of the team in planning for and designing a project that fits within the budgetary constraints of the church; along with several other team members with expertise in the specific areas related to a particular project. This team can work together to develop a game plan that insures success for the church, without costing any more money than the traditional approaches to construction that get the church in trouble.
Trinity Design Group serves the church by pulling together this team of experts and facilitating the Plan / Design / Build process. The result is a successful project that enables the church’s vision to thrive, that maximizes the church’s resources and meets the church’s most urgent facilities needs; all within the context of the church’s long term vision.
Find details regarding Trinity’s Plan / Design / Build process.
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