One of the core beliefs we have developed in our forty-seven years of church building is that no two churches’ needs are alike. Every situation is different and every church vision is unique. In this post, we continue our renovation series with the story of two churches that wanted to attract specific groups: Trevecca Community Church of the Nazarene and Grove City Church of the Nazarene. Read on to learn how we executed purposeful church remodels that allowed each church to attract and sustain new members to their respective congregations.
Trevecca Community Church of the Nazarene
Trevecca Community Church is situated on a college campus in Nashville, so naturally, their church vision includes connecting with college students and faculty. They had an old sanctuary attached to a warehouse building that they had remodeled, and it was not meeting their needs on a number of levels. First, the platform was cluttered because they were squeezing an entire orchestra into a very small space. Second, the foyer was tiny, and third, the restrooms were far too small for the size of the worship center.
Trevecca Community Church did not have any excess land on which to expand, so we tore down the old warehouse and built an updated addition. As you can see here, we included an orchestra “pit” (which is actually at ground level) and made the raised platform in front of it portable, so the pit could be expanded or even eliminated as needed. We built new, larger restrooms and a bright, airy, welcoming foyer—four times larger than their previous one. We also added a café that is designed to attract students and give guests and members a place to gather and get to know each other.
By building a new multi-ministry room, we enabled the nearby college to use the space as a students’ chapel, as well as a venue for student concerts and other college functions. The new façade allowed for a larger, drive-under canopy, and we also installed a full-service kitchen and an entirely new children’s area.
This church renovation and addition really opened up a world of possibilities for Trevecca Community Church.
Grove City Church of the Nazarene
Not all church building transformations need to be on such a massive scale. For Grove City Church of the Nazarene, located in Grove City, Ohio—part of their vision was to draw in more children and youth. We helped them do this in several ways that really made a difference. First, as you can see on this floor plan, we built a youth building with two different platforms, one on each side. One was for children, the other for youth. This meant that the two ministries didn’t have to take down their sets every week in order for the other group to gather, let alone have to reassemble the sets without losing pieces or missing steps in the reconstruction.
Not only was that good stewardship of time, it gave the pastors and volunteers more opportunity to focus on the kids and less on tearing down and setting up.
Grove City Church also added an arcade to one side of the youth building. This was perfect because of their location: situated right across from a public high school. Opening this arcade after school gives students a safe space to play and hang out, grab something to eat from the café—and most importantly, get to know the church. Church leaders and youth group members can now more effectively build relationships with other young people at the school and help fulfill Grove City Church’s vision of bringing youth to Christ.
Over the years, the facility was remodeled several times. First, the platforms and arcade changed to appeal to the evolving preferences of teens. The children’s platform changed as new programs were developed. Later, as the church grew and built more space, the Christian school took over this room and added a wood floor. As the children moved to a new building, their platform was ripped out and bleachers for the sporting events were installed.
Helping Your Church Building Remodel Target Your Audience
As you can see from these examples, a church remodel can be designed with a specific purpose or audience in mind. One reason we share our free i3 webinar series is so church leaders like you can get a sense of the many ways that a facility can be designed to support a church’s vision. To learn more, sign up today or give us a call at 614-875-1689 to discuss your unique needs.