We’ve all heard about it in the news. Some organization puts together an ambitious plan, begins a major building project, and then it sits, half-finished and standing out like a sore thumb, because the project ran out of steam and was never finished. There are a number of reasons why this could happen to a church building project, including church funding and other issues—and any responsible church leadership team wants to avoid this scenario at all costs.
All Together Now!
One of the major issues that can stall your building project is weak buy-in. This happens when your leadership decides to act on its own, or isn’t clear and consistent in communicating the need. Everyone in the community must understand the reasons for your project, and the potential for the growth of your congregation as a result of its successful completion. Good communication is critical when undertaking a building project of any size because it will have an impact on everyone in your community.
Another problem that can stop momentum on your project is when your leadership is divided. Even if the division occurs “behind the scenes,” body language and casual comments will tell the members of your community that “something isn’t right.” This has the potential to divide the church as well as the leadership, so it’s critical to make sure that all church leaders are committed to a project before it is ever unveiled to the congregation as a whole.
Don’t Bite Off More than You can Chew
Having your church funding in place is also vital to keeping the momentum going on a building project. As we say in one of our free i3 webinars, it’s okay to say, “Where God guides, God will provide,” but only to a certain extent. Being both faith-filled and practical is important – God expects us to do our part! If you really believe in your vision but the money isn’t available, divide the project into two or three pieces, and only commit to doing one at a time. This way, you will be able to literally build on your success.
One Big Happy Family…
Finally, it’s also important to make sure that your church is healthy before you begin a major building project. This is because change of any sort will put stress on a church community, and a community that’s already under stress from other causes will not be able to sustain the pressure. This is one time where it’s important to make sure that your community really is one big happy family, because those family bonds will inevitably be tested, in one way or another, during the building process.
…and One Strong Healthy Vision
Ultimately it is your well-crafted, clearly-stated God-guided Vision that is the key foundation to a successful building project. With this critical component in hand, your leadership team can build both momentum and excitement for your building project, and you will be able to finish.
For additional information on avoiding momentum pitfalls and creating a strong vision for your building project, register for one of our upcoming, free i3 webinars.