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church design
Photo Credit: Emmalee Rathsam
Lord of Hosts Church, located in Omaha, Nebraska, finished construction on their new 1400-seat Sanctuary, gathering areas, and support spaces. This project has been transformational as new life is reborn into an old retail building. Local Omaha, Nebraska contractor, Lund-Ross Constructors, served as the selected general contractor.
View photos of the dedication service here.
Lord of Hosts Church - located in Omaha, Nebraska, is making progress on their new 1500-seat Sanctuary, gathering areas, and support spaces. "This project has been transformational as new life is reborn into an old retail building.” commented Brian Rathsam, the Project Architect for the project. Local Omaha, Nebraska contractor, Lund-Ross Constructors, is serving as the selected general contractor.
TOP 5 THINGS EVERY CHURCH SHOULD KNOW
1. Understand the Budget – Know your limits! When you build new or renovate facilities, the building is only part of the total cost. The non-building or “soft” costs can add up to 20%-30% of your total costs. Know what your affordability and findability may be. This way you can plan a project that fits within your capabilities and becomes reality rather than lines on paper.
2. Start Your Financing Plan Now – Know your limits! Cash has been and always will be king. Cash flow is the new benchmark for lenders, so begin increasing your surplus or reserves now. Money is a great servant and a terrible master.
Rendering by 3Dream Studios
Photo by Emmalee Schaumburg
3. Choose the Right Partner – Find people who have done what you want to do and choose people that you would be proud to have on your staff team for a few years – that’s how long it takes and that’s what actually happens.
4. Prepare the People – Buildings are not strategies, they’re simply tools. Give your congregation pictures of the new spaces and cast vision of the life-change that will be the result. People give to vision they can trust. Always tie vision back to who you are and who God has called you to reach.
Rendering by 3Dream Studios
Photo by Emmalee Schaumburg
5. Don’t be a Copycat – See what others have done, but remember it’s based on their vision, not yours, and may not be relevant. Look for the transferrable principles that relate to your church and align with your God-given vision.
Wentzville Christian Church - located in Wentzville, Missouri, has recently selected Mantel Teter to lead a consulting and conceptual design process. The church will consider a new master site plan that will include a permanent worship space with a rebalance of existing building spaces. The firm recently completed their Checkpoint consulting tool to define the project scope & budget for the church.
Twelfth Avenue Baptist Church - located in Emporia, Kansas, has recently selected Mantel Teter to lead a consulting and conceptual design process. The church will consider a new master site plan that will include a permanent worship space with a rebalance of existing building spaces.
Legacy Christian Church - located in Overland Park, Kansas, with four campuses across the metro, has recently selected Mantel Teter to lead a consulting process using the firm’s Checkpoint tool to assess needs, space use, site & building balance, and financial affordability. The Checkpoint report will provide an assessment of each campus & potential scenarios to fulfil mission objectives. “This tool provides a church with a ton of knowledge upstream in the design process at a low cost, before drawing any lines, to define project needs and project affordability. Both critical steps before engaging in any design work. Every church needs this first step, it’s foundational!”, shares David Evans, the firm’s Director of Operations.
Shelbyville Mills Baptist Church - located in Shelbyville, Tennessee, recently selected the design-build team of Smyrna, Tennessee based contractor Dow Smith Company and Kansas City, Missouri based architect Mantel Teter to update their campus master plan and design renovations and additions to their current church facilities. “We’re excited to begin and get to know this church in order to create a custom ministry tool for them.” shares David Evans, Principal for the project.
New Creation Church - located in Longmont, Colorado, has begun interior renovation construction. Kansas City, Missouri based architect, Mantel Teter, has completed the design process to update the interior fit and finish of their existing facilities. Loveland, Colorado based contractor Elder Construction has been selected as the church’s construction partner.
Bible Christian Church - located in Garden City, Kansas, is one step closer to completing their design with the design-build team of Kansas City, Missouri based architect Mantel Teter and Garden City, Kansas based contractor Hutton Construction. Immediate facility needs include additional space for lobby & gathering, worship space for 500 seats and NextGen ministry spaces to balance with the new worship space seating capacity. "Our team is thrilled to partner with this great church to develop an updated master plan and design new and renovated facilities to help them impact the Kingdom." stated David Evans, Principal for the project.
CrossPoint Church - located in Watford City, North Dakota, is one step closer to completing their design with the design-build team of Kansas City, Missouri based architect Mantel Teter and Rapid City, South Dakota based contractor Scull Construction. The project is a relocation campus master plan and design for their first phase facility. "Our team is excited to partner with this great church to develop a campus master plan and design new facilities to help them impact the Kingdom." stated David Evans, Principal for the project.
3D rendering by 3Dream Studios
Bible Christian Church, located in Garden City, Kansas, is one step closer to completing their design with the design-build team of Kansas City, Missouri based architect Mantel Teter and Garden City, Kansas based contractor Hutton Construction. Providing visual support, 3Dream Studios, will help the church cast vision with 3D renderings. Immediate facility needs include additional space for lobby & gathering, worship space for 500 seats and NextGen ministry spaces to balance with the new worship space seating capacity. Our team is thrilled to partner with this great church to develop an updated master plan and design new and renovated facilities to help them impact the Kingdom.
Photo credit: Emmalee Schaumburg
Fellowship Greenwood, located in Greenwood, Missouri, finished construction of their new children’s ministry building and entry/atrium renovation. The 3,000 s.f. renovation includes an enlarged main entrance and accommodates a new member/guest connection point, a volunteer coordination area, café and fellowship space. The new 10,500 s.f. 1-story children’s building addition includes secure children’s check-in, a multi-purpose room for large group activities and break-out classrooms. The building addition supports nursery, preschool and K-5th grade age groups in classrooms of various sizes and is prominently visible conveying the importance of children’s ministry to the surrounding community. The exterior materials and architectural details used on the building addition blend seamlessly with the existing building’s architecture, offering a harmonious exterior appearance.
Bible Christian Church VR Online Experience 3Dreams Studios
Bible Christian Church, located in Garden City, Kansas, recently selected us to lead them through a metrics analysis, space use discovery and design charrette process to update their campus master plan and add facilities. Immediate facility needs include additional space for lobby & gathering, worship space for 500 seats and NextGen ministry spaces to balance with the new worship space seating capacity. Our team is thrilled to partner with this great church to develop an updated master plan and design new and renovated facilities to help them impact the Kingdom.
Click here for the virtual walk-through.
When the pandemic hit, churches were forced into prioritizing their digital presence. As we move through what will (hopefully) soon be the end of the COVID crisis, most houses of worship have adopted hybrid models. With an increasing number of worshippers returning to church in person, facilities are reevaluating the guest experience they are delivering. At the same time, they are continuing to evolve their production techniques to address those who still prefer to attend church online, from home.
“We’re creating even more of a flow between inside and outside, especially in places with climates that allow that to happen," says David Evans, AIA, president at Mantel Teter in Kansas City, Missouri. Shown here: Rev City, image by Emmalee Schaumburg.
David Evans, AIA, president at Mantel Teter, an architecture firm based in Kansas City, Missouri, notes that even before the pandemic, churches were exploring how to build a connection between their indoor facilities and their grounds outdoors, and now this has become a top priority. “We’re creating even more of a flow between inside and outside, especially in places with climates that allow that to happen a lot,” he says. This translates into the creation of outdoor patios and gathering spaces where people may commune before and after services. “Some churches are even exploring outdoor worship venues where they can, at least part of the year, do services outside and have that open-air experience.” Indoors, he says that churches are reconfiguring their lobby spaces so that people may gather in small groups, rather than being clumped together in one big crowd.
The outdoor community space for Shepherd Church in Northridge, California, was designed by Visioneering Studios of Santa Ana. Image by Dave Milam.
Evans also points out that improving indoor air quality is another priority for many churches, which has led to upgrades to HVAC and mechanical systems to achieve better filtration. Some facilities have even posted signage alerting guests of these updates. “Churches are really making sure that people know their buildings are being well cared for, and what’s being done,” he says.
Greg Atkinson is founder of the First Impressions Conference and Worship Impressions LLC, a church guest experience-focused consultancy based in Charlotte, N.C. He is also author of "Secrets of a Secret Shopper: Reaching and Keeping Church Guests" and "Hospitality Ministry Volunteer Handbook: Equipping You to Serve." While he does much of his work at physical churches, he also examines how the church guest experience translates digitally.
“You want to give a good online experience that is produced well and looks good for people who don’t feel comfortable coming in person,” Atkinson says. This means houses of worship that weren’t previously equipped to produce high-quality streamed services must outfit their facilities for broadcast production, instead of relying on, as he puts it, “your smartphone hooked up to a tripod in the back of the room.”
Instead, Atkinson favors online experiences that feature a pre-show before the service, and a wrap-up session afterwards. “They have emcees and hosts and people talking to the camera, and they come on five to 10 minutes before the service starts and speak to the people at home, and give them announcements of what’s going on,” he describes. After the service, the same team will discuss key points of the sermon.
Atkinson also believes churches that record entirely different experiences for their online audiences are delivering a better guest experience for remote worshippers. Oftentimes, these services will feature the pastor delivering his message outside of the sanctuary, either from his office, or outside, maybe even from his car. “They are doing creative shoots where it’s storytelling, which is always compelling,” he says. “That really connects and communicates well.”
Producing specifically for online guests requires churches to make an investment in technology, and perhaps even remodel their facilities to accommodate it. Atkinson argues this is wise––if not necessary. “We’ll always have an online audience,” he says. “There are some people that are going to want to come in person, and they’re not going to miss [the service] no matter what. And then there are the people that are going to be more cautious and stay home, and we want to have experiences for both of them and reach people where they’re at.”
Well before the pandemic, Dave Milam, vice president of strategic design at Visioneering Studios Inc., an architecture, design, construction, and property development firm headquartered in Santa Ana, California, was coaching churches on what a guest’s length of stay said about their overall experience. If, for example, guests were leaving five minutes after the service was over, one could argue that the church could stand to improve guest experience.
As more people return to worship in person, he continues to work with churches to develop strategies for encouraging them to linger. Once again, this often involves creating spaces outdoors where congregants may socialize over coffee and snacks while their children play in the nearby kid’s area.
Mill Creek Church, Shawnee, Kansas by Mantel Teter. Image by Emmalee Schaumburg.
Milam notes that Visioneering Studios’ property development arm works with churches seeking to leverage land they may not be using. He argues that those houses of worship that are able to transform unused land into a commercial mixed use development often see an increased length of stay among guests, because things like restaurant services, shopping, and even hair salons are literally right on church property. “Well-designed, on-site commercial development is a fantastic way to lengthen the guests’ stay. Plus, it activates the church property seven days a week and also provides an additional revenue stream for the church, as either a lump-sum sale or a land lease, where the church actually continues to own the property and lease the grounds to Visioneering’s development team while still maintaining design influence,” he explains.
While many houses of worship are doing everything possible to encourage people to come back on premises, Evans acknowledges that people have to want to come back to experience church as part of a live congregation––and feel comfortable doing so. This, he believes, will not be immediate, but he remains optimistic. “People want to return to what they know, to that normalcy,” he says. “It’s just going to take some time for their confidence to come back so that they feel safe in doing so. It’ll happen. It’s just going to have to take some time.”
First Impressions Conference
https://firstimpressionsconference.com
Mantel Teter
Visioneering Studios Inc.
Worship Impressions LLC
Bible Christian Church - located in Garden City, Kansas, recently selected Kansas City, Missouri based architect Mantel Teter to lead them through a metrics analysis, space use discovery and design charrette process to update their campus master plan and add facilities. Immediate facility needs include additional space for lobby and gathering, worship space for 500 seats and NextGen ministry spaces to balance with the new worship space seating capacity. We are thrilled to partner with this great church to develop an updated master plan and design new and renovated facilities to help them impact the Kingdom.
Christ Community Church’s Downtown Campus serves the Crossroads District, the center of the arts community, in Downtown Kansas City. The church is an intergenerational collection of individuals and families from different communities purposed for the flourishing of Downtown KC.
Over the last several years, the church has accomplished its ministry out of a leased facility. As the church outgrew this space, they began searching for a facility that they could own and that would better accommodate their immediate and future needs. After researching several different options, the church identified a 2-story 20,000 square foot building located at 208 West 19th Street in Kansas City, Missouri as a potential new home.
Rev City Church is a non-denominational Christian church in Lawrence, KS. The church selected Mantel Teter to serve ministry and space need redevelopment, and to help renovate the exterior of their facility.
The existing facility was lacking in community space, and the look and feel of the interior did not reflect the current DNA of Rev City Church. Through creative interior renovations, and modifications to the dated exterior, Mantel Teter helped provide exciting renovations to their children’s ministry classrooms, and expanded their existing lobby to provide much needed community and connection space. The exterior now boasts a drop-off canopy, and exterior café seating that connects directly to the expanded lobby. New glass walls along the lobby renovation provide connection and visibility from the exterior, allowing people to see the exciting things happening at Rev City Church.
Living Faith Church - located in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, recently acquired an existing church facility and property. They have selected Kansas City, Missouri based architect Mantel Teter to lead them through a metrics analysis, discovery of space use, and design process to update their campus master plan and add facilities. Immediate facility needs include parking, additional space for lobby & gathering and NextGen ministry spaces to balance with the new future Sanctuary seating capacity. Homoly Construction was selected to serve as the general contractor. "This church has unique strategies for reaching their community in southern Lee’s Summit and it’s impacting their building needs in a very positive way. We’re excited to partner with this church & help them develop and design new and renovated facilities." shared Brian Rathsam, Project Architect for the project.
Living Hope Church - located in Olathe, Kansas, recently selected Kansas City, Missouri based architect Mantel Teter to lead them through a metrics analysis, discovery of space use, and design process to update their campus master plan and add facilities. Immediate facility needs include a new Sanctuary, additional space for lobby & gathering, and NextGen ministry spaces to balance with the new Sanctuary seating capacity. Universal Construction was selected to serve as the general contractor. "Our team is honored to partner with this church & help them develop and design new facilities that will create impact for the Kingdom." shared Brian Rathsam, Project Architect for the project.
Grace Baptist Church - located in Manhattan, Kansas, recently selected Kansas City, Missouri based architect Mantel Teter to lead them through a metrics analysis, space use discovery and design process to update their campus master plan and add facilities. Immediate facility needs include additional space for lobby & gathering and NextGen ministry spaces to balance with the Sanctuary seating capacity. "Our team is excited to partner with this great church & develop an updated master plan and design new and renovated facilities to help them impact the Kingdom." stated David Evans, Principal for the project.
