by Don Emmitte, DMin

I am always amused at the varied approaches by churches and church members to the necessity to expand their facilities. Most of the time the expansion is necessitated by either actual growth or the anticipation of growth. As is true with any decision we make as an individual or a church we ought to base these decisions on Scriptural principles to insure success. In the next few paragraphs I will outline and touch upon five passages of Scripture that I believe will give you A Biblical Approach to Designing and Building Churches.

The Importance of Vision

I have read the story of an early settlement on the northeast coast. It was about 350 years ago that the shipload of travelers landed on the coast of America. The first year they established a town site. The next year they elected a town government. The third year the town government planned to build a road five miles westward into the wilderness. In the fourth year the people tried to impeach their town government because they thought it was a waste of public funds to build a road five miles westward into a wilderness. There reasoning: “Who needed to go there anyway?”

It is an altogether familiar sequence of events, especially for the church. Here were people who had the vision to see three thousand miles across an ocean and overcome great hardships to get there. But in just a few years they were not able to see even five miles out of town. They had lost their pioneering vision. With a clear vision of what we can become in Christ, no ocean of difficulty is too great. Without it, we rarely move beyond our current boundaries. The Wisdom of Solomon undergirds this principle:

Where there is no vision, the people perish [are unrestrained] (Proverbs 29:18 KJV).

Bob Logan said it this way: “Vision is the capacity to create a compelling picture of the desired state of affairs that inspires people to respond; that which is desirable, which could be, should be; that which is attainable.  A godly vision is right for the times, right for the church, and right for the people. A godly vision promotes faith rather than fear. A godly vision motivates people to action. A godly vision requires risk-taking. A godly vision glorifies God, not people.” Vision is essential to the success of a church. (For more information see “The Strategic Master Planning Process – Clarity in the Process of Growth”).

A Story of Destruction

Vision must also be communicated clearly. There is a wonderfully descriptive verse tucked into the book of Judges during the time soon after the death of Joshua that is helpful:

In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes. (Judges 17:6 KJV).

The background of this verse and the rest of the chapters to the end of this book was the spiral of sin and idolatry that led to the destruction of Israel. It is clear that while the nation was happy under the Judges’ leadership, they were certainly unhappy when there was no Judge. The love of money made Micah so undutiful to his mother as to rob her, and made her so unkind to her son, as to curse him. Outward losses drive good people to their prayers, but bad people to their curses. This woman’s silver was her god, before it was made into a graven or a molten image. Micah and his mother agreed to turn their money into a god, and set up idol worship in their family. It was one small step and soon they did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.

As a church we can fall into the same trap. When we fail to clearly define and communicate the vision, it leaves a void that will be filled by the aimless insistence of individuals. Often this causes misunderstanding, and at other times the destruction of relationships and communities of faith.

We’ve all heard the story of the church trying to decide how to spend a recently received endowment. They all agreed the church was in desperate need of a lighting upgrade. Of course, being an independent church, a conference was called to make the decision. The pastor had done his due diligence and presented the cost of several options for new chandeliers. After the discourse and presentation, an elderly gentleman, long a member of the small rural congregation stood to his feet in protest. He began his eloquent plea to the congregation before the vote was taken. He praised the work of the pastor in gathering the information. He praised the deceased donor and his remaining family for the generous gift. And then the other shoe fell! He said, “We all know that we are a simple church. We need simple things in our church. While the pastor’s call for new chandeliers may be good for some of those wealthy city churches, we don’t need no new chandeliers. What we need in our church is some new lights!” It is an amusing story, but illustrative of how failing to understand, develop, and communicate the vision of the church can be destructive.

The Source of the Vision

The vision of a church should be born out of the will of God. Jesus is our best example of this truth. In talking with his disciples even he said:

I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. (John 5:30b KJV).

I have heard it said and seen it proven that the will of God never will lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you. Of course this does not mean that you should rush headlong into the future without using every resource or determine and understand the will of God. In fact the opposite is true. EVERY means should be used. However, I find more churches paralyzed into inaction because of their fear of the future and over analysis than not. Often if we will simply take the first step, praying and listening, God will do the rest. We are required to take the steps though.

Like the golfer on a bright Saturday afternoon teeing up to the most difficult hole on the course, nearly 180 yards of carry over a water hazard. He debated if he should use his new golf ball. Deciding that the hole was too treacherous, he pulled out an old ball and placed it on the tee. Just then he heard a voice from above say loudly: “Use the new ball!” Frightened, he replaced the old ball with the new one and approached the tee.

Now the voice from above shouted: “Take a practice swing!“  With this, the golfer stepped backward and took a swing.  Feeling more confident, he approached the tee when the voice again rang out:  “Use the old ball!” It must be the will of God, nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else.

Counting the Cost

Inevitably I find that many churches who determine God’s vision and commit themselves to going forward often fail because they do not count the cost. In the midst of a discussion about discipleship and the cost of following Jesus, the Lord uses a pointed illustration:

Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, “This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” (Luke 14:28-30 NIV).

I have dealt with many churches that have made this mistake. The scenario usually plays out with at least disappointment and often with disillusionment. The church clearly hears the will of God to develop space to accommodate their ministry growth. Typically their next step is to engage an architect to draw some plans and then place them for bid. It is always amazing how often the bids come in at double or triple what the church can legitimately afford to do at that time. They have moved from back to front.

This does not discount the absolute truth that God has unlimited resources. However, it does cut across the truth that we are to plan within the will of God differently than that. Within the framework of Strategic Master Planning the tasks of vision clarification, feasibility studies, phased facility design, open construction budgeting, financial planning and sourcing, and capital campaign coordination should be broached before anything is committed to paper and bids. It’s simply wise. It is more work, but it WORKS!

Good Planning Requires Good Teamwork

You have a vision; you have clarity and communication; you’ve reached consensus – what’s next? Everyone who is necessary to be involved in the successful completion of the project needs to be at the table doing the planning. That means the church leadership, the architect, and the builder. Once again I turn to the Wisdom of Solomon:

Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. (Proverbs 15:22 NIV).

Canada Geese are amazing creatures. When they fly either south on their way to a warmer climate or north back to their breeding grounds, they often cover thousands of miles before reaching their destination. They always fly in a “V-formation.” Have you ever studied why they fly as they do? It is fascinating to read what has been discovered about their flight pattern as well as their in-flight habits. Four have been proposed. First, those in front rotate their leadership. When one lead goose gets tired, it changes places with one in the wing of the V-formation and another flies point. Second, by flying as they do, the members of the flock create an upward air current for one another. Each flap of the wings literally creates uplift for the bird immediately following. One author states that by flying in a V-formation, the whole flock gets 71 percent greater flying range than if each goose flew on its own. Third, when one goose gets sick or wounded, two fall out of formation with it and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with the struggler until it’s able to fly again. Fourth, the geese in the rear of the formation are the ones who do the honking. I suppose it’s their way of announcing that they’re following and that all is well. For sure, the repeated honks encourage those in front to stay at it.

As I think about all this, one lesson stands out above all others: it is the natural instinct for geese to work together. Whether it’s rotating, flapping, helping, or simply honking, the flock is in it together, which enables them to accomplish what they set out to do. Following the principles of Scripture will always bring success!

A Note about the Author: Don Emmitte, Church Navigator with Trinity Design Group, is a new “old hand” in church growth, facility design, and management. After serving for over thirty years as a pastor of churches with over two thousand resident members, founder of Grace Restoration Ministries, and author of Morning Devotionals, he joined the team at TDG in 2009 to expand his passion: helping churches reach their God-given goals by making the most of their resources. For more information, contact Don at demmitte@trinitydesigngroup.com, or visit the web site at www.GraceRestoration.org.

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One of the most common mistakes that churches make is designing facilities that they cannot afford.  This typically happens because the church hires an architect and counts on the architect to design a facility that matches their budget.  Unfortunately, architects do not have the expertise to accurately determine what a project will cost.  Very often the result is a project that is well above what the church can afford.  The church can avoid this issue if they have a team, rather than just the architect, working for them.  The team should first develop a plan that takes into consideration the church’s vision, needs and resources, insuring that the design will fit into their long-term plans; that it will meet both current and future needs; and it fits within the resources they have available to pay for the project.

Another common reason that construction projects go over budget is the approach that churches take to getting their facilities built.  The traditional approaches used for residential or commercial construction are usually not the best approach for churches.  There are unique factors (church personality; structure; etc.), challenges (decision by committee; multiple sources of funding; etc.) and opportunities (tax exemption; volunteer labor; etc.) with church projects and the traditional approaches to construction do not adequately address them.  As different factors and challenges arise, frustration can set in due to the lack of appropriate systems and procedures to address them.  These issues almost always result in additional costs to the church.  The lack of appropriate systems and procedures also prevent the church from taking advantage of opportunities to save money and reduce costs.  The result is that nearly 80% of construction projects go over budget by an average of nearly 30%.

This experience can be devastating to a church.  The typical church has raised all the money they can raise and borrowed all the money they can borrow to meet the construction budget.  For the construction costs to increase by 30% during the execution of the project is beyond what the church is capable of doing. The project is either put on hold and goes unfinished or the church gets over committed financially and puts the church in a very risky position.  The fallout over this experience can be very difficult for the church to overcome.  This experience is why many pastors who led their church into a construction project end up leaving shortly after the project is completed.

So how do you keep a project from going over budget?  First, follow the design process recommended earlier.  Secondly, work with a builder that has the systems in place to deal with the unique characteristics of a church construction project.  The most effective way to do this is an open book approach that allows the church to sit at the table and be involved in the evaluation and decision making process.  This should include the church and the builder in the design process where many of the critical decisions are made.  It should also include the church in monthly meetings throughout the project where the budget, quality and schedule issues can be evaluated and monitored each step of the way.

Ideally, the builder agrees to a set fee and allows all of the savings that are accumulated during the process to go back to the church.  With this team approach, with everyone working together to achieve a common goal, significant savings can be accomplished throughout the project.  The result should be a project that is completed at or below budget, with a level of quality that meets or surpasses the church’s expectations, and is completed on schedule.  If these three factors, budget, quality and schedule, are addressed successfully, the church will be well served and the vision of the church will be moved forward.

A church construction project should be an exciting time where another step in the vision of the church is being realized.  It should be a time where everyone gets a renewed focus and a renewed excitement about what God is doing in and through the church.  However, too many times the result is just the opposite.  Disappointment, frustration, second guessing and placing blame for failure take the place of excitement and commitment.  But, it doesn’t have to be that way.  If the church will take the right approach and team with the right people, it can be the beginning or the next step in the fulfillment of God’s calling on the church.

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When the phrase “Master Plan” is used there is a significant diversity of meanings and understandings associated with the term.  For some, it is a simple straightforward process of laying out the site and identifying future buildings.  For others, it is a long process of multiple interviews, extensive investigation and recommendations that culminate into a master plan. This process may be carried out by an architect/engineer or a consultant/ planner.  There is also a significant variation in costs associated with this process, ranging from a few thousand dollars to tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

So how do you determine the appropriate approach to take? What process is worth the time and money that will be invested? There are some scriptural principles that we can use to help make that determination.  As church leaders, we are very familiar with what scripture says about the importance of vision.  One of the most quoted verses is “Without a vision, the people perish.” The vision that God has given to the local church is foundational to making good plans and decisions.  All churches have a common purpose and mission, but the vision should be unique to a particular church with a particular personality and gifting, in a particular location with a particular culture that has particular needs.  Any master planning process that does not take this into consideration will fail to serve the church’s needs.

It is important to understand that buildings are simply tools to be used by the church to carry out the vision that God has given them.  This is why a master planning process led by an architect/engineer falls short.  The focus is on buildings with only a cursory understanding of the vision of the church. It becomes a mechanical process of the architect creating a plan based upon codes requirements, site features, common practices, etc. These are all important issues that must be an integral part of a comprehensive master plan but it fails to give proper attention to the unique vision of the church.  The best building design that money can buy that does not fit the church’s vision is worthless.

Another important scriptural principle is “counting the cost” up front.  One of the most common mistakes that a church makes is hiring an architect or consultant; telling him everything they want in their building; spending tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in design fees; only to find out that they couldn’t afford the building if they had to.  It is an exercise in futility to invest time and money into planning facilities that they could never afford to build. Scripture says that “there is a way that seems right to a man but in the end it leads to death”.  This happens to many churches in the master planning process. They move forward with what seems to be a common sense approach, but run into all kinds of issues that create huge problems that can devastate the ministry and witness of the church.

So how do you avoid these dangers? How do you develop a game plan that does focus on the church’s vision; that does match the resources the church has available and still meets the church’s practical needs, both current and future?  One more scriptural principle helps to answer this question.  “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed.” The key word in this principle is MANY.  There is no one person who can adequately address all the needs and issues that should be addressed in a good comprehensive master plan. It requires a team of professionals, bringing their particular perspectives and expertise to the process.  This is the only way to develop a comprehensive master plan that takes all issues into proper consideration.

An effective master planning process requires an experienced church planner that can help the church clarify and articulate their vision and an experienced church architect that can design facilities that effectively meet the needs dictated by the vision and an experienced church builder that can insure that what is being designed fits within the resources the church has available.  This three member team, working with the church, can develop an effective, comprehensive master plan that fully reflects the church’s vision; that provides for effective and efficient facilities and fits within the budgetary constraints of the church.

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Church structure and practice have a great deal to do with who is involved in the process.  Sometimes denominational guidelines dictate the participants.  The ideal is to have approximately eight to twelve people who represent the diversity of the congregation, along with the specific areas of ministry that are core to the church.  The participants may be staff members, influencers in the church, people who have the vision and a passion to see the vision carried out.  The participants do not necessarily need any type of design, building or finance experience, although it can sometimes be helpful, as long as their experience has not created a narrow view that prevents them from looking at things from a fresh perspective.  Sometimes, participants who have some type of exposure to the industry can be a major road block.

Sometimes a church may want to conduct separate interviews for differing ministries of the church and possibly interview multiple church members.  This can be helpful, especially if the leadership does not have a good feel for where their people are and what they are thinking or if they are not well represented by one of the team members.  However, these separate interviews should never take the place of the collaborative process that takes place as the team discusses all areas of the church within the context of the overall vision of the church.  This collaborative process helps to get everyone on the same page with a common vision and common priorities, rather than competing priorities and hurt feelings.

A church is rarely able to address all the facility issues and ministry needs at one time.  Priorities must be established and some needs must be delayed until later phases of growth.  If the team works together to establish those priorities and the church is well represented within the team, the church has a team of advocates that can promote unity and support within the various ministries and segments of people.  This is absolutely crucial to the success and support of both current and future projects.  If this unified vision is not established, winners and losers are created and turf battles ensue.  A wonderful opportunity to create unity and excitement and a common vision is lost.

If the team does a good job of considering all aspects of the church’s ministry and develops a comprehensive game plan that addresses all needs and issues in either current or future phases,  people will buy into the vision and get excited about seeing the vision carried out over time.  When properly handled, the master planning process can be one of the single most important events in the life of the church.  The leadership can become committed to carrying out a common vision and have the tools to communicate and to lead the congregation toward that same vision.

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The master planning process can take as little as a few days or as long as a year or more depending on the approach that a church takes.  If the process is not given an adequate amount of time, the master plan can be too general or too dependent on the architect or consultant’s vision rather than the church’s vision.  If the process is stretched out over a long period of time, it can become a very disconnected process that can become very frustrating and tiring and end with a very esoteric plan.

So, what is an adequate amount of time?  What steps are necessary to develop a comprehensive master plan? The process should progress at a fast enough pace that the participants remain engaged and “up to speed” on all that is going on.  It does not need to be so accelerated that decisions are being made for the church rather than with the church. A professional should never come in thinking they already know more about how you should carry out your vision than you do.  The professional should be a strategic outsider that comes along side the church and helps them to develop a plan that is an accurate reflection of who they are and what God has called them to do.

There are too many organizations, especially denominational, that have the attitude that they know more than you and they can make better decisions than you.  They simply want to gather enough information from you that they can develop a plan for you and tell you what you need to do.  Because of their superior knowledge and intellect, they simply need a few days to glean the information that they need from you and then they can come back to you with their plan for your future.  A church should never hand over the responsibility for working through their God-given vision to someone else.  They should seek help from someone who can lead them through the process but they should never delegate the responsibility.

The process should also not be turned into a series of monthly meetings that go on for an indefinite amount of time.  The more time that goes on between meetings the more time has to be spent getting everybody back on the same page.  And the greater the distance from the first meeting to the last, the less coordinated the overall plan.  The plan can become very segmented and compartmentalized and lack the clear and compelling vision that motivates and inspires the leadership and the body.

So, how long should it take?  The process should be measured in weeks rather than days or months.  Ideally, once the first meeting is kicked off, the team meets at least every two weeks until the process is completed. Typically, it should be a six to eight week process, unless issues are uncovered that require additional attention.  The process should simultaneously deal with vision clarification, resource allocation and feasibility, and site and facility planning.  They all go hand in hand.  A plan that does not include vision, needs and resources is an incomplete and inadequate plan.  The church has no assurance that their master plan will bring about the fulfillment of their vision without this comprehensive approach.

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There are a wide variety of processes used to develop master plans.  Some processes may be carried out in a matter of days, while others can take a year or more.  Some processes are structured and analytical, while others are much more intuitive and free flowing.  Some processes involve large numbers of church members while others utilize the input of only a hand full of people.  The type of professional that is selected to carryout the master planning process usually determines what the focus and mechanics of the process will be.  So, it is very important for the church to understand the differences and make an educated decision as to what process works best for them.

Most master planning processes are led by architects.  An architect is absolutely essential in developing an effective master plan.  Their knowledge and expertise related to construction methods, aesthetics, building function, codes, etc is necessary in order to develop a master plan that can be successfully carried out.  However, architects do not have the breadth of knowledge and expertise to address all the issues that should be addressed in a comprehensive master plan.  The church’s vision and resources, along with the actual costs associated with the construction of the facilities is not something an architect is qualified to address.

Many churches have recognized that architects are not capable of helping them with their vision clarification and implementation.  So, they turn to church planners/consultants to lead them in their master planning process.  They now have a greater focus on their vision which is absolutely essential in developing an effective master plan, but they are now missing the critical input that an architect brings to the process.  The result can be a master plan that may be impractical and never gets carried out or gets significantly reworked in the process of architectural design.

Both of these approaches lack one other very important ingredient.  Neither approach adequately addresses the issue of construction costs.  Neither professional is qualified to thoroughly analyze the factors that effect construction costs and make recommendations that help keep project budgets in line with the church’s resources.  A master plan that does not first accurately determine the resources that the church has available and then accurately determines that the plan fits within those budget restrictions, is virtually useless.

There is only one approach that effectively addresses the issues of vision, needs and resources in one comprehensive master plan.  That approach is for the church to engage a team made up of an experienced church planner, an experienced church architect and an experienced church builder that can together, along with the church, address every issue that needs to be addressed in developing a comprehensive master plan.  This integrated approach that allows the church to sit at the table and engage in the dialogue and be part of the process results in a master plan that is an accurate reflection of the church’s vision; that meets the practical needs of the church and fits within the resources available to the church.

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