In our prior post, we shared the story of a church that was forced into a renovation project by the circumstances surrounding their aging church building. Fortunately, not all church renovation projects are quite as unexpected. In some cases, you can plan ahead, and create a long-term plan for a facility that will meet your needs for many years to come.
Beavercreek Church of the Nazarene
First, we’ll take a look at the smartly planned transformation we executed at Beavercreek Church of the Nazarene in Beavercreek, Ohio. This church had a worship attendance of 400 people when we first began talking with them, but they had a strong church vision and imagined a future where they would need a worship center that could seat 1000 members.
The problem with making that great a leap all at once is that 400 people in a thousand-seat space makes the worship area look empty and uninviting. The diminutive appearance of a 400-person congregation gathered in such a large space might make guests feel unwelcome—or worse—lead them to wonder why there were so many empty seats.
Our solution was to build a sanctuary large enough for Beavercreek Nazarene’s final vision while keeping the space practically-sized for their current congregation. We built classrooms and office spaces behind temporary walls in the back of the sanctuary, as you can see in the first photo. The classrooms and offices were mostly used during the week, and the sanctuary was used on Sunday.
Then, about 15 years after the initial build, their congregation had grown enough that it was time for us to begin the second stage of their church renovation. We expanded the sanctuary by removing the temporary walls, adding additional seating, and relocating the office and classroom spaces.
As you can see here, the final result is a large worship space that looks completely natural—like it was always intended to be this way.
Heritage Wesleyan Church
Another church that thought long-term with their renovation plans is Heritage Wesleyan Church in Bettendorf, Iowa. They purchased an existing building with the intention of conducting a renovation all along. In this case, the footprint and square footage of the facility remained the same. The focus of this church renovation was centered (literally) around raising the roof by ten feet. The outdated building is pictured here with small windows and a low roof. The second photo shows the updated exterior, and if you look closely, you can even see the original roofline on the right-hand side of the building.
The raising of the roof allowed Heritage Wesleyan to put the worship center on the upper floor and created a great lower-level space that could be used as a designated children’s area.
We also expanded the foyer, and the addition of huge glass windows allows for tons of natural light to flood into the building. The finished project is almost unrecognizable from the original building. With a little bit of planning, we modernized Heritage Wesleyan’s building and met their worship needs at the same time.
Embracing Flexibility with Your Church Renovation
We hope these two church renovation examples give you hope for your own church building and circumstances. As these projects illustrate, we know how to take a church vision to prayer and help guide church leaders in creating a plan that will work for their ministry’s unique situation.
If you’re in a situation where you have time to think ahead about your plans for changing your facility, you’ll find that there are many possibilities for improvement! When you need built-in flexibility, we can help you craft a creative solution that can meet your needs as they evolve. To get the conversation started, reach out to us today, either by phone (800-625-6448) or by email (request@mcknightgroup.com). And if you want further inspiration, sign up today for our free i3 webinar series.