Steps You Can Take Now for Your Future Church Build [New Guide]

If you know your church will need a bigger building in the future, but you aren’t quite ready to begin the building process, it can feel like a weird season of waiting — full of anticipation, unknowns, as well as excitement. But even as you wait now, a bit of preparation can be done to help the building and transition process go smoother later.

Establish a Clear Vision

Talk to God as a Family

Before and during all preparation, invite your staff, volunteers, and church family to begin praying about the direction and details of your future building process. As you or others think of specific things to bring to the Lord in prayer, come together as a family and ask God to give you clarity and vision — and that this process will strengthen relationships and increase your ministry effectiveness and reach! God loves when we seek Him — even about the smallest of details. So nurture an atmosphere of prayer and unity in the preparation process, giving your church family strength and security during the more challenging stages of transitioning to a new building. 

If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves;

But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed. 

- Proverbs 29:18 MSG

Identify Needs and Pain-points

Understanding your church’s growing needs is vital to find solutions in your future building. This also includes understanding the pain points and frustrations within every department. 

It may be a natural reaction to want to get the opinions of all your staff and church attendants in the preparation process. Some churches have found success in giving everyone questionnaires to share their views and ideas. However, many other churches have also experienced a lot of frustration with questionnaires.

While having a thorough understanding of the mindset and needs of your church family is extremely important, many people may feel a sense of rejection when their ideas or desires aren’t fulfilled. 

Instead of asking every person in the church, it may be more beneficial to ask detailed questions about every department to key contacts such as the staff and ministry leads. Since they are the ones “in the thick of it” every week, they will have insight into what people are enjoying or disliking and what the pain points and needs are within their own department. 

Listen with openness to their perspectives about their specific department functions. Discuss honestly what they’ve experienced — the good, the bad, and everything in between. All information is valuable, and you’re all on the same team!

Although not every little thing mentioned will be resolved entirely, having insight into each department’s ins and outs will give you valuable knowledge of where your church needs change, growth, or refocus. Keep all this information written down so you can incorporate it in the planning and design stages.

Create a Financial Plan

Once you have a clear vision established, you will have a better idea of where your future building needs to be located, what areas need to be improved or expanded, and how large the new structure needs to be. All of these factors will aid in creating a financial plan. Hiring a financial consultant is a strong idea to get an accurate understanding of financial standing and a realistic game plan set in place. The more you can prepare financially, the better.

Find a Church Architect

Many churches create committees such as building, financial, and design committees. But to avoid the whole “too many cooks in the kitchen” scenario, consider finding a full-service architect with already established teams and expertise in those areas.

A specialized church architect can guide you through every step — from acquiring land, and facility planning, to the actual construction process and final interior design steps. A capable church architect knows how ministry functions and will ensure your vision is incorporated into a safe, functional, and welcoming building. 

Before construction even begins, a church architect should be able to offer you services that will help you in your vision casting and planning process. As you search for a church architect, ask them if they offer “preparation services” such as:

Phone-Based Consulting

Phone-based consulting or coaching can be very beneficial for discussing your needs and plans in more detail with an expert. You can utilize the church architect’s experience and knowledge by asking some questions and getting guidance through your church’s preparation stage.

Programming Meeting

A programming or vision meeting can help your architect understand the very core identity of your church and then assists you in creating and developing a clear growth vision plan.

Leadership and Organization Development

Developing a strong and dynamic team takes intentionality, wisdom, and time. Leadership and organization guidance will help you make wise decisions in creating your key team during the development and for long-term team needs. Having a unified and well-rounded team will ensure your church’s success now and in the future.

Designs and Visuals 

As you establish your vision and next steps, it is vital that your church family can also “see” it. Having plans and renderings of what your new church building and other areas will look like helps your church family get excited about their future home! These documents are also ideal when you begin fundraising because they make the building and transition more “real,” even during preparation.

Ways to Involve Your Church Family

Prayer

Just like prayer is a foundational step in building your church’s vision, prayer is also a huge part of including your church family in the preparation process of your new church building. As needs, concerns, or victories arise, ensure you share them with your church so that an entire army will join you in praying and thanks to our God!

Periodic Updates

Holding periodic meetings to share updates and news about your new church building will help your church family feel included in the transition process and get them excited about the upcoming season. Remember to celebrate, celebrate, celebrate, all along the way throughout the process!

Fundraising

Don’t underestimate the giving potential of your church. In most instances, the fundraising campaign’s success is directly related to the strength in communicating the vision. Most times, large amounts of money must be raised. As you set your ultimate goal, break it into bite-sized pieces to celebrate.

Giving your church an active role in the fundraising process will provide them with a sense of ownership in their new church home and show them that they are crucial and valued as a part of your church family!

Taking consistent, small steps now will add up to significant progress later! Establishing a clear vision, preparing financially, finding a church architect, and involving your church family are all powerful preparations that will build a strong foundation as you and your church prepare for and transition into your new church building!