Planning each stage helps building project move smoothly

Are you running short on space in your sanctuary? Do you need to remodel your outdated church facility? Chances are, you may be thinking of taking on a construction project in the near future. But, before hiring experts or buying building supplies, advisers suggest church leaders do extensive planning for each stage of the process.
   
Gary Swafford, director of the office of associational missions and church planting with the State Board of Missions (SBOM), tells Alabama Baptists to look at least 30 to 50 years into the future before beginning any building project.
   
“Dream beyond your immediate construction needs,” he said. “The facility that you are going to construct must be designed in a way that fits in with what you are going to build in the future.”
   
Likewise, Gary Nicholson, an architect with LifeWay Church Architecture, said, “To successfully plan for the … best use of all of your church’s property and buildings is to plan to succeed, to reach your church’s full potential to minister and reach people for Christ.”
   
Accomplishing this goal first requires a building committee. Experts say that church leaders should organize a group of six to 15 people — depending on the size of the church — who will be able to make decisions and identify the church’s needs. In “Planning and Building Church Facilities,” Gwenn McCormick recommends that this group be formed early on to avoid potential problems.
   
“Too often, in the midst of the process, leaders find themselves bogged down or stymied because they unwittingly set up a flawed organization,” he wrote.
   
Tommy Haralson, a church consultant with the SBOM, recommends that churches select a committee that represents the church’s membership including men and women, young and old and various backgrounds and personalities.
   
“From my nearly 40 years of experience, if you don’t have a good cross-section, the committee has a sort of tunnel vision,” Haralson said. “The broader the representation of the church the less danger of (constructing) a building that doesn’t meet the needs of the entire church family. Unfortunately, many churches discover this after the building is built.”
   
Swafford added that once the committee is formed, each member of the group should have a clear definition of what is expected of him or her as well as a clear outline of the church’s expectations for each committee in order to avoid conflict.
   
Once the committee is selected, the church can begin long-range planning and master site planning.
   
Steve Cloues, who works with long-range planning in the associational missions and church planting office of the SBOM, describes long-range planning as a formal, rational process. He believes this phase not only helps church members remember their purpose and become proactive rather than reactive but also stimulates motivation, hope, unity of purpose, direction for the church and commonality of purpose for clergy and laity.
   
Because developing a long-range plan can be difficult, the SBOM offers training, consultants and planning manuals to Alabama Baptist churches upon request at a low- or no-cost service. Other services include a map showing the lifestyle distribution of people around a church, assistance in preparing and compiling surveys and preparation of a 10-year church or associational statistics printout.
   
Once the long-range plan is complete and the church discovers its vision, leaders should know if they need to relocate, expand or renovate. Then comes master site planning, which presents the church’s complete vision in attainable phases.
   
As church congregations and ministries grow and the need for larger facilities becomes greater, many church leaders are pressured to make hasty decisions about building projects. Oftentimes, churches that complete construction projects without the proper planning are only satisfied temporarily if they are satisfied at all, according to Swafford.
   
“The purpose of a master site plan is to avoid this problem and project beyond the church’s immediate building needs,” he added. “It starts with an outline of how much property you own and will continue with two to three steps beyond your present situation and what you are presently building.“
   
According to Swafford, once a master site plan is complete, it should be evaluated and updated regularly especially before any additional building or capital development is considered.
   
Another decision that should be made early in the process is the selection of an architect. Building experts advise church leaders to look for a professional who is well suited to work with its building committee and skilled in constructing the type of facility the church needs.
   
Churches should also develop a sound financial plan before beginning a construction project. McCormick urges churches to look at their available cash, church budget allocations, anticipated income from a capital fund-raising campaign and estimate borrowing potential to determine their financial potential.
   
“Financial plans are good servants but terrible masters,” he wrote. “Careful evaluation and wise financial planning can transform the financial monster in a building program into a friend and helper.”
   
Swafford even advises church leaders to plan the details of a new construction project after they have reviewed the church’s financial potential. “There is no need for a church to spend money designing a building that is far beyond their ability to pay,” he said.
   
Finally, the building committee should select a contractor to complete the construction project. McCormick advises churches not to choose a contractor based solely on price, but to concentrate on integrity, competence and reputation.