Experiencing Growing Pains?
Making An Informed Expansion Decision is Easy When You Know All Your Options

If you’re thinking about expanding your church facilities, there’s good news and bad news.

The bad news is, if you’re already out of space and just now planning to add capacity, you’re way behind schedule. Typically, two to three years pass between the time a church leader starts thinking about building and the day his or her members walk through their new front door.

The good news is that a number of options remain, including:

Change Things Up a Bit

The simplest option is to move some programs off campus or to off-peak hours. For example, many youth ministry events can be rescheduled from prime time (Sunday mornings) to Sunday afternoons, Sunday nights or Wednesday evenings. This enables these groups to use many more of the church’s facilities, and the ministry itself enjoys unlimited room for growth.

Leasing additional square footage near your church in empty retail or office space makes a lot of sense if you want to decorate in theme for young people. Plus, activities can be held there during church hours.

For adult education programs, some churches have formed small groups that meet in members’ homes or at the church during off-peak hours.

Another option is to take what now are dedicated spaces and make them multi-functional. At different hours, many other age groups can use the same space currently reserved for junior-high school students.

Check Out Video Venues

Video venues are innovative solutions to rapidly disappearing church space. Instead of having just one or two worship options, adding a video venue creates four or more, each with its own theme and environment. These facilities might be located on campus, in a neighboring building, in multiple dedicated locations or in leased spaces in other facilities.

The common denominators in video venues are a casual, relaxed atmosphere and interactive sermons, which are broadcast by video from the main sanctuary.

The emerging video venue movement has been driven less by worshipper demographics (who’s attending services) than by volume. Sheer numbers of worshippers at large churches have motivated leaders to try a multiple-venue or multi-site approach. Video venues are intriguing strategic maneuvers that are proving effective on a number of levels: as solutions to capacity crowds, answers to the realization that one size does not fit all, and as means to forge stronger spiritual connections.

An Affordable Option Just “Sprung Up”

Nevertheless, you might find none of these nonconstruction options fit the bill, leading you to contemplate renovation or a brand new building. Again, there is good news.

For a near-instant addition, a Sprung structure might be the ideal solution. Named for its inventor, Philip Davis Sprung Sr., this high-tech “tent” is made with extruded aluminum arches integrally connected to an allweather outer architectural membrane. The Sprung structure’s specialized architectural membrane is certified flame-retardant; its rustproof extruded aluminum substructure provides a high strengthto- weight ratio while being virtually seamless; and best of all, it is cost-effective, lightweight and easy to assemble in just days.

Insulation is placed between the outer and inner membranes, creating an insulation factor of R-28; the structure is engineered to withstand high wind loads; and its design naturally lets the building shed snow. Inside, a Sprung structure can be finished any way you want. Some churches install drywall to create traditional rooms; others use the structure as is, moving in furniture only.

While the total cost to erect a Sprung structure depends on how it is finished and equipped, it usually averages between $50 and $60 per square foot. Compare this with metal buildings, which generally range from $75 and $85, and traditional construction at up to $150.

Domes Have You Covered

Bearing in mind that Sprung structures are not intended to be permanent, a monolithic dome — a pre-engineered structure made with steel or conventional construction materials — might emerge as a better option.

Monolithic domes are insulated thin-shell concrete structures built by spraying the insides of inflated air-form skins with three inches of polyurethane, then completing the process with rebar and sprayed-on concrete. Even in adverse weather conditions, dome construction is fast and easy. As an added bonus, they are “green” buildings, using only modest amounts of the world’s resources in their construction and less for heating, cooling and maintenance. Used as churches, domes are versatile, cost-effective, aesthetically pleasing and comfortable.

These domes also are virtually permanent, built to withstand some of nature’s harshest elements, including tornadoes and hurricanes. Also, they are invulnerable to mold, mildew, termites, damage from nuclear blasts, and especially fire.

The national Uniform Building Code categorizes structures based on their ability to resist fire. Types I and II are built primarily of noncombustible materials, such as concrete, steel, metal and masonry, and are the most fire-resistant. Domes are classified as Type II or better.

Better yet, building a monolithic dome usually costs less than conventional construction, and its dramatic savings in energy use can add up to $100,000 or more a year.

Steel Sounds Logical

Pre-engineered steel structures rely on steel alloys to produce a rafter- and column-free design that allows complete use of interior space and provides protection against fire, wind, rain, snow, ice, hail, termites and even earthquakes. Steel will not shrink or swell over time from humidity, which contributes to better drywall and exterior appearance and better fit of doors and windows.

Steel buildings that are either left unpainted or light in color reflect heat in warm climates, lowering cooling costs. Steel does not require pesticides, resin adhesives or other chemicals typically used to treat wood framing products. And because steel buildings are pre-engineered, sometimes even church members can assemble them.

Good Old Bricks and Mortar

Now that you’ve considered your alternatives, if none sound as appealing as conventional construction, remember these tips:

• Know your purpose. Why are you building or expanding? Determine how much you can afford using your current balance sheet, projecting economic growth, establishing probable fund-raising targets and setting a reasonable debt limit.
• Hire a team of experienced professionals.
• Conduct a feasibility analysis for the entire project. Look at realistic construction costs, land development costs and the costs of utility and road improvements.
• Develop a master plan that reflects your church’s mission.
• Craft a compelling message that includes the reasons for your building campaign. Resolve to do an outstanding job communicating this message and the specifics of your building campaign to your congregation.

As you can see, depending on how critical overcrowding is at your church, you might or might not have a lot of time on your side to address the problem — but you certainly have lots of choices.

Ken Dean is a managing principal of Rowland Companies (www.rowlandcompanies.com) in Scottsdale, Ariz. Rowland Companies is a founding member of the Cornerstone Alliance, which provides construction-related research and education to churches.