Plan for the total stewardship of all of your property and remember the tool rule, Gary Nicholson said. Nicholson, an architect and consultant in LifeWay Christian Resources Church Architecture department, said to keep Ecclesiastes 10:10 in mind when planning to build. It states, “A dull axe requires great strength; be wise and sharpen the blade.”
He said buildings are the tools that help accomplish a church’s purposes, and a good tool makes the job easier. “A tool doesn’t do anything until you take it in hand and put it to use,” Nicholson said. “You still have to do the work of evangelism. If we think, ‘If we build it they will come,’ we will be sadly mistaken and disappointed.”
Therefore, before beginning a construction project, church leaders should evaluate their buildings to see if they are sharp or dull. “We don’t worship the same way we worshiped in the 1940s, but some of our buildings have not changed since the 1940s,” Nicholson said.
“You only have one chance to make a first impression. There are many people who have never been in a church and it can be just as scary as going in a nightclub or masonic lodge is to us.”
After determining the church needs including its capacities, aesthetics, practicality and functionality, leaders should develop a good master plan, Nicholson added. He said a well-designed master plan will provide:
–Plan of stewardship for the property.
–Growth-driven strategy for facilities.
–Investment in the future of the church.
–Means of avoiding costly mistakes.
–Representation of the long-range vision.
–Anticipation of the facilities that the church’s growth will demand.
“A good master plan will save you more than it costs to get the plan done,” Nicholson said. “The key is to develop a good master plan, not just placing buildings on a piece of property.”
In the book, “Church Property/Building Guidebook,” T. Lee Anderton gives churches a guide to assembling a master plan.
Gather before the master plan:
–Accurate survey of the property including topography, locations of easements, rights of way, restrictions, existing improvements and significant vegetation.
–Zoning ordinances and building codes.
–Neighborhood map showing uses of adjacent properties and locations of traffic arteries.
–Information on geology and climate.
–Program of proposed use of property (desired first-unit capacity and ultimate capacity needed).
Include on the master plot plan:
–All building locations, ultimate and intermediate uses and sizes or capacities (it may be desirable to establish floor elevation relationships, especially where slopes are involved).
–Individual parking spaces and driveways.
–Schedule of capacities for seating, parking spaces and building areas.
–General landscaping scheme, locating trees, planting beds, planting screens, gardens.
–Major circulation scheme including identification of building entrances.
Complete the master plan:
–Provide appropriate seating during all stages of the building program for educational space and auditorium attendance.
–Arrange for successive units to be located near units already completed.
–Arrange parking to be distributed well around the buildings. Some should be conveniently located to the earlier units constructed.
–As units are added, design them so that the church will have an appearance of completion following each addition.
–Set priorities. What must be done as a minimum? What can be postponed with the least sacrifice in appearance or total cost?
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