Do it yourself TV shows are very popular, and one reason is that they break down complex projects into a series of simple steps. While church building is never a DIY project, breaking the process down into smaller steps does make it easier to understand what’s involved.

In one of our recent free i3 webinars, we discussed each of the various steps involved in undertaking a successful new church building project. Over this, and the next several blog posts, we will cover that step-by-step information so that you get a clearer sense of how any church building project can be managed.

Have a Catalyst

If you’re going to embark on a church building project, you need to be certain that you’re building for the right reasons. Therefore, the first step is to have a clear understanding of the catalyst for your project. There are three parts to a good church building catalyst:

1. A Clear Vision for Ministry

From the beginning, you need to understand exactly what you’re doing and why. We’ve mentioned before about having this clear vision for your church’s ministry. When your vision is clear and compelling, it’s much easier for the next two parts to fall into place.

2. Unified Leadership

Another critical catalyst element is unity of purpose at the leadership level of your church. All members of your leadership team need to be on board with the focus of the vision for ministry. That way you can truthfully say, “This isn’t just the pastor’s vision. It isn’t just leader X’s idea. This is something that the entire church leadership considers very important. We believe this is the direction God is leading us in ministry for our community.”

3. Identified Ministry Needs that are Hindered by Your Church Building

The final catalyst element is having clearly defined ministry needs. This clarity will help you see where your current church building is hampering each ministry and whether the solution is a new church building or a major remodeling project.

Sometimes the best way to figure this out is to ask questions about each ministry:

  • How does our church building support the ministry?
  • How does our church building hinder the ministry?
  • What changes in our church building would make the ministry easier?
  • If the sky was the limit, how much space would you need for the ministry and what would that part of our church building look like?

While it may not be possible to solve everything at once, you will be able to envision the bigger picture. Then, when you sit down to brainstorm with church design professionals—which is the next step—you will have your dreams and desires in place.

As you can see, our free i3 webinar series is a very practical and useful way to understand the church building process. We are finalizing our 2019 i3 webinar series right now, so if there’s something you would like covered, please contact us at request@mcknightgroup.com today!