Services

STRATEGIC MASTER PLANNING

STRATEGIC MASTER PLANNING – RICK THURMAN

The Strategic Master Planning process is a comprehensive, team-oriented approach to clarifying the church’s vision, designing site and facilities to meet current and future needs and insuring that the project fits within the resources available to the church.

The team is made up of the church’s building team, a church planner, a church architect and a church builder. This team is lead / coordinated by an individual with experience in both ministry and construction called a Navigator. The Navigator is the church’s representative throughout the planning, design and building stages of the church’s project. The Navigator facilitates all of the duties and responsibilities spelled out below, although there is a team of people providing the services. The Strategic Master Plan provides the foundation for the design and construction of the project. The Navigator works with the church to insure that the comprehensive plan that is developed in this process is carried out in the execution of the project. This approach gives the church a consistent and comprehensive representation from beginning to end.

VISION CLARIFICATION:

Leadership Team Consultation – After the completion of a preliminary questionnaire, the key leaders and influencers of the church are brought together to have an in depth discussion of the vision and mission that God has given to this specific church body. The result should be all of leadership in agreement with the long term vision of the church and the priorities that must be carried out to accomplish this vision.

Ministry and Mission Analysis – As the vision is clarified, an analysis of the current state of the church and how effectively the ministry and mission of the church is being carried out can be looked at to determine if adjustments need to be made that might affect future facilities.

Identification of Future Opportunities and Challenges – An in depth discussion of the setting and culture of the community as well as the setting and culture of the church is utilized to identify what can be realistically achieved as the church moves forward.

NEEDS ANALYSIS:

Feasibility Study – After initial discussions to insure the church has realistic expectations as to what can be accomplished, a more in depth feasibility study is done during the master planning process to arrive at specific conclusions.

Property Evaluation – The site is evaluated to determine capacity for growth as well as features and conditions that need to be taken into consideration. (It is strongly recommended that a property survey is obtained, if not already done. In many cases, it is also advisable that a civil engineer is hired to deal with site issues, especially on a new site.)

Site and Facility Master Planning – Both the site and the facilities are planned out either to the capacity of the property or as far into the future as the church leadership is able to foresee.

Phased Site and Facility Design – Color coded site and floor plans as well as elevation drawings are developed for each phase of the master plan, along with agreed upon color rendering(s).

Detailed Construction Budget – A detailed budget for phase one is developed, including any and all details that the church chooses such as design and engineering fees, permitting and approvals, furnishings and equipment, etc. along with the normal costs associated with the construction of the facility and the development of the site.

RESOURCE PLANNING:

Financial Master Plan – A financial plan including all sources of funds such as cash, loans, capital campaign, etc. along with all uses of funds is developed to show quantity and timing of resources needed.

Capital Campaign Coordination – The church is assisted in evaluation of capital campaign options and decision of direction and method to be utilized. If capital campaign consultant is deemed to be best option, assistance will be provided in the determination as to best consultant to utilize. If self led campaign is deemed to be best option, assistance will be provided in determination of best resources for program, materials, etc. If additional assistance is needed in the actual execution of the self led campaign, the assistance will be provided for an additional nominal fee.

Volunteer Team Planning (when utilized) – If the church decides to utilize volunteer groups to perform part of the work, guidance will be provided in identifying specific work that can be performed, along with potential groups identified to perform the work.

Determination of Appropriate Builder/Building Process – As the overall game plan is developed, the church is assisted in determining the best construction process and the best builder option for performing the work. The options for builder can range from a qualified local builder to a national builder to a qualified project manager on site working under consultant’s license.

Financing/Funding Coordination – Financing and funding options are fully evaluated through the submittal of the Financial Master Plan to various institutions and agencies. These financing sources could range from denominational agencies; local and regional banks; national banks and credit unions and national church lenders. The church is then assisted in determining the option(s) that best meets their needs.

The above description of services applies to the normal process that Trinity Design Group leads the church through. These services may be adjusted to address specific issues related to a particular church.

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