Sustainable Church Design Based in Logic, Scripture

As church leaders weigh the arguments surrounding sustainable, or green, church design, they might consider the roots of their mission. Most of them would say that their primary goal is to help bring individuals into a full relationship with Christ. Many churches, however, have differing views on what exactly that means, how best to accomplish it and what the church’s role is in the believer’s life once that relationship has caught fire.

Over the past 2,000 years, the Christian Church has transformed into a series of variously organized groups professing belief in Jesus as Savior while holding onto differences in their methods of worship, means to salvation and roles within society. Certainly, the conventional political catch-all descriptors of “liberal” and “conservative” are also often used as ways of trying to describe particular churches, pastors, congregations or even complete denominations. To be sure, we all have differing opinions on how we are to live out our spiritual lives, and for each of us, there is a particular church home that provides an environment for our spiritual growth better than another might. But sustainable design is something that can transcend the differences between churches and individuals. It’s a way of thinking about construction independent of denominations, worship styles, or faith traditions. It’s a way to think compassionately about not only the world around us but also the individual next to us. Also, it’s hard to make the argument that God would not look upon the principals of sustainability and proclaim, “It is good.”

Regardless of ideology, most churches understand the need to be good stewards of their resources – financial, spiritual or facility-related. Understanding and employing sustainable ideas within the design solutions for our expansion needs is a fundamental extension of that same stewardship principle. As we take care in distributing our money wisely and use our God-given spiritual talents appropriately, we need to also be thoughtful about the natural resources found within the planet and its supportive environment. Scripture lays out in numerous places that God loves and takes care of “the birds in the air and the lilies of the fields” because they, too, are His creation. Intelligent use of what the earth gives us is simply another way of loving the entire creation of God. In fact, it could be argued that in the construction of well-functioning and fundamentally sound buildings, churches and the religious community ought to be leading the way for the rest of us, not merely catching up.

There is a very practical consideration to sustainability, as well. Green design is no longer simply something we should do out of the desire to be good people. Employing sustainable principals to building mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems can save a church significantly when it comes to operational costs. Capturing rain water to use for landscape irrigation, sizing mechanical equipment for typical uses rather than worst-case scenarios that virtually never happen and selecting energy-conserving light fixtures or sensor-activated lighting schemes can all save churches thousands of dollars in annual budgets.

Correct building orientation, the proper location of windows or other wall openings and strategically placed shading devices help buildings from overheating or overcooling in the first place, thereby reducing the drain on building systems. All of these fundamental techniques ultimately allow churches greater flexibility in designating their resources towards outreach and ministry desires rather than operational needs, while helping to create more inviting and user-friendly spaces. What could be better than that, or easier to explain to a congregation?

During the gas and energy shortages of the 1970s, environmental design and construction as seen through the eyes of a nation was more of a knee-jerk reaction to an immediate problem. Today, sustainable design makes too much sense on too many levels to ignore. The more one investigates the fundamental principles that make up this movement, the more easy it is to conclude that sustainable design is just good design.

Ken Anderson is a registered architect and senior associate with RNL, specializing in a variety of sustainable design and building types including religious architecture. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Architectural History from the University of Virginia and a Master of Architecture degree from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute. He is also a LEED Accredited Professional and most recently lead the design of the largest LEED Gold level transportation facility in the country. Anderson has established himself as a leader in sustainable architecture actively pursuing Resource Stewardship with churches and other clients at the design level and throughout the construction process. He believes that this type of stewardship is a natural extension of Christian principals, as well as a tool in creating flexible, functional and spiritual spaces. His presentations on ‘green’ architecture focus on the theme that sustainable design is just good design. He and his wife, Tiffany, live in Phoenix.