What A Church Building Can And Cannot Do For You

By David McKnight

A Building Can…

1) Be a lid to growth if not addressed

a) People will put up with discomfort if they

see hope to change the situation in the

future.

b) If the lid is ignored the people will go away.

A Building Can…

2) Provide room for numeric growth

a) Worship - 80% rule

b) Foyer: People need their personal space in

public

i. Crowded = uninviting

A Building Can…

c) Youth and Children’s Space

i. Safety

ii. Emphasis on age relevance

A Building Cannot…

1) Sustain long term growth.

a) People will come to see what you built.

A Building Can…

1) Provide a reason to visit your church

a) People will come to see what is going on

inside.

b) People will come for a ministry that touches

them.

A Building Can…

2) Provide a good first impression before any

personal contact.

a) Adaptive Unconscious is the part of the

brain that unconsciously:

i. Processes information

ii. Establishes objectives

A Building Can…

iii. Judges people

iv. Detects dangers

v. Formulates stereotypes

vi. Infers causes

A Building Can…

b) Exterior - neat, clean, landscaped, and

painted

c) Interior - warm, inviting, relationship space,

and smell.

A Building Can…

3) Provide a tool for relevant ministry

a) Relevant Ministry

b) Dedicated Youth and Children’s Space

allows your staff to concentrate on what

they can do and the relationship with kids

instead of how they can do ministry.

i. Provides more time for creativity

A Building Can…

c) Flexibility creates opportunity

i. Let’s you change how you do things.

A Building Can…

d) Specific tools:

i. Daycare

ii. Food Pantry

iii. Hair Salon

iv. Café

v. Job Education

vi. Car Repair

A Building Cannot…

1) Perform ministry

a) The building provides opportunity, not

action.

i. Make sure you have money for staff for your new

building.

ii. Make sure you have equipment for your new

building.

iii. Make sure you have the willingness to use the

building as a tool.

A Building Can…

1) Provide tangible substance to the vision.

a) Design around the commitment to the

vision.

b) Lets people see the commitment of leaders.

c) Gives people a chance to get on board.

d) Stimulates new ministry ideas.

A Building Cannot…

1) Remain unchanged forever

a) The first churches

b) Steeple

c) Stained Glass

d) Pews

A Building Cannot…

e) The Classic American Church

f) Vestibule or Narthex

g) Video and Café’s

h) What will change tomorrow?

A Building Can…

1) Bring issues of a church to the forefront

a) Battle Grounds

i. Ministry vs. congregational comfort

ii. Kids vs. adults

iii. Traditions vs. new vision

A Building Can…

2) Bring an opportunity for leadership to

succeed

a) Must start reality check - Plan for what you

can afford.

b) What requires more faith? Pay as you go

vs. committing to a loan.

A Building Can…

c) God Provides … … what we need.

d) What God provides … … is enough.

Reality Check: What should the building do

for us?

West Culture: double standard?

The Western World: Why does the church

only have one use?

The Mission Field: The church building is

everything. It is the center of the

community. The building is a tool for

ministry.