A Grand Plan:
Multi-purpose Facilities Provide For Varied Ministries

by Scott Hoover

One of the most difficult aspects many large congregations face as their churches grow is finding accommodations to house multiple ministries. Today, churches not only hold traditional worship services, but they are entrusted to provide outreach to the community through children, pre-teen, teenage and single ministries; Bible classes for all ages; and, sporting and various other activities for the entire congregation. In an effort to provide accommodations for most, if not all of the various ministries and outreach programs, many large churches have turned to multi-purpose facilities.

In Louisville, Southeast Christian Church not only built a more than 9,000-seat worship center, but also a separate 125,000-square-foot multi-purpose complex that houses youth activities, as well as a gymnasium, exercise, craft and other multi-purpose rooms. Likewise, Harvest Bible Chapel in Rolling Meadows, Ill., initiated a $4.5 million building project to create a multi-purpose facility/gymnasium that will host a multitude of sporting and fellowship events as well as support an extensive sports ministry that will keep the building active five to six days a week. In many instances, a church's rationale for creating these facilities is the need to support young people and their communities. Harvest Bible Chapel's versatile youth center, with its arena seating, video projection, pool tables and ice cream parlor, is no exception.

"The church wanted to provide the young people in the church and community with an alternative place to gather and be safe," says Harvest's Business Pastor James Jodrey.

Instant Structures

While Southeast Christian Church and Harvest Bible Chapel have made tangible commitments to reaching their respective communities, there are many churches that, although just as committed, lack the necessary funding to initiate such an enterprise. Also, there are many houses of worship that, while they may be expanding in membership, do not want to take on the intense responsibility of financing a permanent building project. For those churches, the Canadian-based Sprung Instant Structures can be a viable alternative.

"What seems to be happening is churches are expanding," says Jim Avery, Sprung's vice president of sales and marketing. "They all want to grow, and they want multi-functional space. Sprung structures meet the needs of a transitional facility because they can be as temporary or permanent as the church wants. They really fit a need because the structures can be supplied quickly for up to half the cost of conventional construction, and it is a multi-functional building."

While the name, 'instant structure' might seem to denote the building would be ill-equipped to handle the stresses of daily or long-term use, Sprung's structures feature large, free span aluminum I-beams combined with a membrane exterior and, typically, 8-inch fiberglass insulation with a fully tingent inner liner. According to Avery, the durability of their construction makes the Sprung structures perfect for every facet of the growinh church.

"The structures present two advantages," he says. "No. 1, the acoustics in Sprung structures are excellent. The company has done studies to prove it. Secondly, because the inner liner comes with the structure, there is no need to construct a 'building within a building' as you would with a conventional steel-frame and drywall structure. Everything already is included in the Sprung structure. The fact that Sprung structures are completely relocateable adds some long-range benefits. If the church is leasing land, it is ideal."

For some churches, Sprung structures offer a way to continue to expand their facilities while they build their membership to a point that makes a more permanent building an attractive option. As Avery notes, one church in California currently is into its third year of using an 88-foot by 120-foot structure that has the capacity for 700 people as part of a 10-year expansion plan.

"At some churches where Sprung has presented the product, they have noted it wasn't what they were looking for," he points out. "However, they often will realize later it is exactly what they need because permanent construction is so expensive and doesn't always meet the multi-functional aspect. Churches often come back to Sprung with a plan to use the structure for five or 10 years since they can afford it, and it gives them time to increase the membership."

Although their appearance is not typical by most standards, the versatility and functionality of the structures tends to be a key point amongst churches looking to grow beyond their current building boundaries. Sprung structures start at 30-feet wide up to a maximum of 160-feet with the option of being as long as the church feels is necessary for its purposes. As the church expands, it can add 10-foot modular sections or install a fully insulated corridor system to connect additional structures, including a foyer, classrooms or a gymnasium. Since every structure is subject to the rules and zoning regulations deemed necessary for building in a particular area, Sprung offers a fully-engineered permit package to help them over the potential hurdles involved with construction in their state and location.

Because Sprung keeps ample stock on hand, churches can have their structures ordered and shipped within a matter of days. On average, workers can complete almost 2,000 square feet of construction per day, usually with labor pooled from the church itself.

"Sprung supplies a supervisor, and, generally, it is church labor that helps erect the structure," Avery adds. "The good part is that churches can use this as an almost barn-raising approach. They canvas the membership looking for electrical, plumbing, concrete pourers and general labor to erect the Sprung structure, and everybody gets to work hand-in-hand to put the project together. Pastors and church leaders really like it because there is group effort and there is trust."

Getting To The Bottom

One of the busiest resources in any multi-purpose facility is the floor. At Harvest Bible Chapel, the multi-purpose building was outfitted with rubberized flooring to withstand walking, running, sitting, jumping and basically any number of other activities in the facility. As Wally Fretag, sales representative for Southwest Recreational Industries in Leander, Texas notes, the times of wooden flooring are changing, and many churches are using new synthetic methods to preserve their floor investment.

"One of the critical aspects in this day and age is multi-purpose use," he says. "Most churches will use their facilities for various activities where the floor surface has to be resilient and safe. That is where synthetic surfacing comes in."

In churches where multi-purpose facilities double as gymnasium, synthetic surfacing can consist of a two-component polyurethane poured over a level, dry concrete slab to a 3.8-inch standard thickness. To get the smooth floor effect, more polyurethane is applied after the resins have cured. Then, lettering, border accents and court lines for basketball or volleyball are added as part of the final surface with a finish coat to maintain its integrity. Despite its glossy appearance, the floors are designed with safety and high activity in mind.

"Although the floor is smooth, the finish is designed to provide durability and traction," says Guy Thomas, Southwest's vice president, flooring. "Unlike wooden floors, which can be restrictive, the playing surface is open for many uses in addition to sports."

Existing floors with some damage also can get a synthetic face-lift. Initially, contractors determine if the floor, beyond its damaged area, is level and sound. They then locate the section of damaged floor, remove it and prepare the section for the two-compound polyurethane treatment.

Thomas further suggests that church leaders watch for signs of wear and keep a consistent maintenance cycle for their multi-purpose facilities.

"Churches need to check the integrity of the finish coat or final wearing surface to ensure there are no breaks in the surface," he explains. "They need to note if there is cracking through the floor systems or if the lamination is peeling, which could indicate moisture underneath the surface. In addition, the upkeep can be fairly simple. Churches should place floor mats at doorways to cut down on debris entering the building as well as set up restrictions on the types of shoes that can be worn. Daily dry or damp mopping will keep the floor clean. If the multi-purpose facility sees heavy activity, periodic scrubbing will keep the floor from suffering from wear or damage."

With the need to utilize these types of facilities for other activities, Covermaster Inc. in Rexdale, Ontario, Canada, offers a complete selection of floor coverings designed to protect the floor's surface from damage caused by street shoes, chairs, table legs and stains.

Covermaster's line of Master Series floor covers includes the UniversalPlus™, Classic 2000™ and Spartan 1000™ that feature an equal thickness of vinyl wear coating on both sides that enables churches to use them either side up and helps to prevent tearing caused by wear and abuse. Churches even can choose how to coordinate colors.

"The top-of-line Universal Plus is designed for heavy use, says Bob Curry, president of Covermaster. "The Classic 2000 model is a medium weight cover that combines strength with economy, and the Spartan 1000 is lightweight, reversible and provides good protection for any type of floor at an economical price."

Curry adds that floor covers should come in multiple sections because systems that feature one or two large pieces can weigh as much as 450 pounds, making them difficult to maneuver. One way Covermaster remedies the need to fold covers during storage or the difficulty associated with laying them out during installation is with the Covermate™ handling system.

"Covermate eliminates any manual lifting by automatically retracting the floor covering, making it easy to roll out," says Curry. "In addition, the machine helps reduce the risk of back strain for the installers."

Covermaster also has developed a unique system called Coverclean™ to sweep the cover before it is stored on the Covermate.

"Coverclean is a system of brushes that fit into steel holders that run the length of the roller," says Curry. "The system pivots to either side of Covermate and can be locked in four positions that line it up with either the bottom or top rollers. To use the system all you have to do is feed the cover through the brushes before you attach it to its roller. Then, when the cover is wound up, any debris is swept off the cover."

While the ministries and outreach events may be different for each facility, it is imperative that churches outline all the potential uses they have in mind for their buildings. By using that as a starting point, a church can more properly gauge exactly how it should approach its next permanent, semi-permanent or multi-purpose building project.