In our last post, we talked about the benefits of keeping your church building budget in check by using a “design-build” rather than a “design-build-bid” construction approach. In this post, we’ll focus on the reasons why not all design-build companies are the same, and what that can mean for the successful completion of your church building project.
Do Church Architects and Building Contractors Really Work Together?
The first determination you should make is whether the design-build team you’re considering for your church building project really knows how to work together. We’ve seen a lot of church architects temporarily teaming up with general construction companies that don’t work on churches, or church building organizations that reach out to any old architect to do the church design work for them.
Just creating a working relationship doesn’t necessarily make for a good team. If your design-build architect and builder don’t have experience working together, there could be a lot of miscommunication, dropped balls, or mixed messages as the project struggles along. What you need instead is a team that knows how the other side functions—one that has worked together on a multitude of projects, where communication flows like a well-oiled machine.
Does Your Design-Build Team Really Understand Churches?
Communication is not the only consideration. There is much about churches that make them unique especially when it comes to the church building process. If you pick a team that doesn’t specialize in church work, but perhaps, for example, understands schools, they’ll likely get the children’s classrooms right, but they won’t have a clue about what you really need in your worship space.
Instead, you need a design-build team that has completed many church building projects too. One that is willing to be flexible and responsive to your specific ministry needs. The McKnight Group’s mission statement focus is: Enabling ministries with buildings that work. We understand that to grow your church it must reach the people God has called you to reach, the way he has called you to reach them. That vision God has placed in your mind for how you minister to people means that you’re going to have some very specific needs for your church building that the average architect simply could never understand.
The McKnight Group Design-Build Team
Selecting the right design-build team doesn’t have to be daunting. The McKnight Group has a proven process that can give you the help you need. Usually we begin with a meeting, either with your leadership team and/or your building committee. At this initial consultation, we learn about your vision and the kind of facilities you need. We begin to discuss the process of finding a solution to your facility need, whether it’s a new structure, or the remodeling of an existing site. We also share information with you on how we work.
Based on this initial meeting, there are a number of ways we can go—many of which we’ve outlined in our free i3 webinars. We can proceed with the full-blown design and build process or a simpler feasibility study. Perhaps you need a professional evaluation of a potential piece of land, or an assessment of the pros and cons for possibilities A and B. Or maybe you want some help envisioning what a church remodeling project might look like. Regardless of which direction you take, by using a well-established design-build team like The McKnight Group, that thoroughly understands churches and their needs, your mission and vision will be achieved and you will indeed end up with ministry buildings that work.