After recognizing the need for additional space and conducting extensive research, long-range planning committee members must recommend an expansion option to their church that will help it reach its ministry goals and fulfill its God-given purpose.
Whether a church should choose to remodel its existing facility, construct a new space or move to a completely different location varies from church to church depending on current needs and goals, according to Gary Swafford, director of new work and church building services of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. To guide the decision-making process, he advises church leaders to fully consider the pros and cons of each alternative before taking a step in either direction.
Commonly chosen by Alabama Baptists, remodeling allows churches to bring an older facility up to current safety codes while providing a better use of space for church ministries. As a result, an updated facility may make the facility more comfortable and convenient for both current and potential attenders through amenities like covered drive-through entrances and handicap accessible restrooms, Swafford noted.
He suggested that remodeling may also help a church meet changing program needs through more effective education and worship spaces.
“If remodeling is done to bring the lighting and decor up to date it does enhance worship and sets the tone for people when they walk in,” he said. “Also, a properly arranged children’s area is more conducive to learning. It’s the same in a worship center.”
Although remodeling has proven to be a great way for many churches to improve their facilities, one of its major disadvantages is high cost.
“Major remodeling often costs more than building new construction,” said Swafford. “If you build new and keep your old space, sometimes that old space can be used for another purpose with minimum remodeling.”
An added disadvantage of remodeling is transition time, he noted. Before choosing this option, churches need to be prepared to meet in a different area during the construction process, which can be difficult depending on the job size.
New Construction
Another alternative churches should consider in creating necessary space is adding a new facility to the church campus. This option usually gives churches an opportunity to build facilities that are safer, up to code, more effectively designed for today’s educational needs and more conducive to today’s worship, according to Swafford.
“Modern materials are designed to give you more efficiency in your utilities as well as your safety,” he said. “Generally, buildings that are more than 50 years old have materials in them that are not as efficient for utilities or safe for their design.”
In many cases, new construction sparks interest in the surrounding community by communicating concern and a positive image to society, Swafford said.
“New buildings indicate to society that the church is interested in providing safe and up-to-date guidance for our children, more accessible arrangements to our seniors and amenities that are appreciated by all,” he noted. “Well-kept facilities are more inviting. People may think, ‘If they are willing to grow, maybe they will have room for me there.’”
Another benefit of new construction is the ease of creating a technologically advanced facility. “It’s easy to design a building to use technology but it is sometimes difficult to modify an existing building to accommodate the technical presentations that are becoming more common in our worship services,” Swafford added.
On the other hand, churches should be careful not to incur debt that is beyond their ability to pay in new construction projects, Swafford advised.
“We should look for ways to accomplish our dreams one step at a time,” he said. “In a Baptist church, giving is based on trust and confidence in the church leaders. Debt beyond the rules of thumb (two to 2.5 times annual income) has a tendency to break that trust and cause the members to lose that confidence. If that happens then your finances are likely to decrease which will exacerbate the difficulty of paying the debt.”
Still another option is relocation.
Churches begin looking into relocation as an expansion option when it needs additional space and surrounding land is unavailable for purchase or when the community has changed and church members have moved away from the church, according to Swafford.
Even though only six to 10 Alabama Baptist churches choose to relocate every year, many have seen great success with this expansion option. One reason is that it gives them an opportunity to re-dream their dream.
“A transition into a new community gives the opportunity to set a new vision with new goals for growth,” Swafford stated. “For many churches that is important because more than 71 percent of churches are plateaued and declining.”
The primary reason many churches choose not to relocate is money, he added.
“It is very expensive to relocate and church facilities on the real estate market normally sell for less than their appraised value,” Swafford said.
Other negative aspects of moving to a new location include leaving an established identity and possibly some members who may not be able to commute to the new site.
“In these cases, churches should be sensitive to the needs of these members,” Swafford advised.
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