Walk Through the Church Facility: The Rest Rooms
In similar fashion, our church facilities of that era provided nothing more than an outdoor toilet behind the church building. After a few years, indoor rest rooms were added. We saw progress in facilities to adequately address the changing community expectations. I still go into some church facilities that are nearly as primitive as the…
Read MoreRestrooms
In most PraiseBuildings, the construction of restrooms is as important as the construction of kitchen or audio/visual center and is nearly as expensive. On average, PraiseBuilding restrooms need to be replaced every twenty years, so it is important to spend some money here to get the most out of every fixture. Use the highest quality…
Read MoreChoose Your Seat Wisely: Stack Seating Content
There are generally two varieties within stack seating: one is fully upholstered and padded, the other is a molded plastic chair with a chrome frame and high-density stacking capability. The major benefit of this molded chair is its storage and stacking. The capacity varies with the particular chair but is usually about 38 to 45…
Read MoreWalk Through the Church Facility: The Baptistery
The immersion baptistery symbolizes the truly repentant believer’s identification with Christ his Savior in death, burial, and resurrection to walk in new life. This service is a wonderful time for testimony and evangelistic appeal. The physical process must be dignified to avoid distraction from this biblically prescribed public ordinance of the local church. During my…
Read MoreDeveloping a Scope of Work
Once the committee and construction professionals have agreed on the scope of work, it must be put it in writing. In drafting the scope of work, be as specific as possible. Keep in mind that three different construction estimators could address an issue differently. They could give three different prices and maybe not address the issue in the way the committee was expecting, unless they spell out the scope of work. If an architect is hired, part of his blueprint package should be a specification package. It is in this package that the architect spells out the details. If the congregation is not utilizing the services of an architect, then draft your own specification package. The main point here is to spell out what the group wants done, how they want the tasks to be completed, what building materials they expect, indicating the type, brand name, finish, color, quantity, quality, installation method, etc.
Read MoreWalk Through the Church Facility: The Worship Center
But auditoriums are for audiences observing a performance, rather than participating in worship through singing and reading of the Scriptures. The term sanctuary refers specifically to a holy place (and most specifically as the area around the altar), but has become commonly used to refer to the building set aside for worship. Some avoid this…
Read MoreSanctuary
Whether one calls it a sanctuary, worship space, celebration room, nave, assembly hall, or great room; this focal point of a structure is the single most important room in the Praise Building. Designing this space, (which for the purpose of this text, we will call the sanctuary) need not be complicated to design or expensive…
Read MoreWalk Through the Church Facility: The Main Foyer
Church architects often refer to it as the narthex. The common term among the church people is foyer or lobby. A contemporary concept is to make this area a central concourse or mall patterned after the shopping center with the enclosed mall and food court. One well known church has a Starbucks franchise in the…
Read MoreWalk Through the Church Facility: The Entrance
Healthy, groomed landscaping and ample light for night parking are primary signs of life. Parking should be conveniently distributed around the larger church facility for close access to various areas of the building serving different functions. It is especially important to have parking in front of the building—a primary way to show people and activity…
Read MoreFellowship Hall
There are five basic design principals behind good fellowship hall location and design: 1. Rooms that are rectangle in shape work best. The room should be at least half as wide as it is deep, and with a ceiling height of at least nine feet. Remember that when the room is filled with people all…
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