Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - May/84

Contributor - Rev. Murray Moerman

Title - Building for Church Growth

Topic - Church Growth

The church of Jesus Christ is people, not buildings. Should we then think about buildings when we think about church growth?

In our experience, the church grew to a certain numerical plateau while we met in the school where the fellowship began. That plateau was about one hundred persons. Try as we might, the number of people in the congregation grew by only a very few percent per year while we stayed in the school once that plateau had been reached. Once we moved into the building we presently occupy, numerical growth again began increasing in spite of the fact that I worked, prayed, and visited no more after we moved into the building than before.

Why is this? Buildings are like clothes. They are not essential, but useful to the comfort and functioning of the body.

Most congregations build buildings only a few times in their life; therefore, it is important that when we do build we do so in ways most conducive to encouraging church growth.

Some items to consider are these:

1. Congregations tend to occupy only eighty percent of available seating space. After that the building "feels" full. Committed congregational members will still squeeze in where there is space or sit on a chair in the aisle, but new comers will feel there is no room for them and not return. Therefore, consider eighty percent of your seating to be your seating capacity and build accordingly. Almost without exception a congregation will grow to fill the space available and then stop growing.

2. The same is true for parking. If you have or are planning a building with three hundred seats (in which your congregation will plateau at about three hundred times eighty percent, equaling two hundred and forty worshipping persons), parking must be ample to support that number of persons or your congregation will plateau prematurely. Visitors will feel like there is room for them and that they are welcome if they find twenty percent empty parking spaces available when they come on Sunday morning. Cars bring an average of three persons each. Therefore, in the above example, you need to plan for one hundred parking spaces to ensure adequate available parking for visitors to feel welcome and for your church to grow.

3. People enjoy informal conversation and because this fellowship is so essential to incorporating new comers into new relationships so that they will grow personal roots into the fellowship and stay, fellowship needs to be encouraged even in the building design. A spacious covered lobby area should be a high priority. A lobby is useful for book tables, display areas, and overflow seating space for special events, but is especially important for fellowship. Encourage fellowship by serving coffee and/or other refreshments every Sunday morning after worship. New comers gain initial experiences of fellowship and relationship building there. Worship takes place in the sanctuary; fellowship takes place in the lobby. Build adequately for both priorities.

4. Nursery space is another vital area for a growing church. Because their children are their most precious earthly possessions, parents will make a decision on whether they will return to a church they are visiting depending upon whether they feel the nursery is designed, equipped and staff ed with their child's best interest in mind. Nursery space should be spacious and well lit. It should be equipped so that children enjoy coming. If the children are not happy, the parents will not be happy. Churches usually grow through the entrance of young families. If you plan to build for growth, build it nursery facilities young families will appreciate.

Your architect will have many more helpful suggestions, but these are four points to keep in mind.

Remember, most churches will grow to fill their buildings, (or at least eighty percent of their capacity; after that growth slows down). Most buildings are filled to eighty percent within a year after the congregation moves in. So build for the future. Build what you can, even if you cannot afford to finish the interior when you move in.

Plan several stages. As you grow to fill eighty percent of what you have, plan to offer double morning services. When double services begin, prepare to implement your next building stage. Always have at least the next building stage on paper, and preferably a full master site plan looking fifty years ahead. You can only grow to your building capacity. Plan ahead. Far ahead. Dare to dream. You will grow into your dream.

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