In 1982, several college-age Bible study groups in the Columbus , Ohio , area joined together to form Christ Community Church . In the late 80s, the church became part of The Vineyard, USA , a fast-growing denomination, eventually becoming Vineyard Church of Columbus (VCC).

Since 1987, the church has grown from a congregation of about 250 people to about 6,500 today. In addition, VCC has planted several other churches, each with as many as 400 to 500 members. The church currently offers three weekend services and averages more than 3,000 people in attendance.

The growth has come faster than even the church had envisioned. In the early 90s, the McKnight Group, which specializes in the design and construction of churches, began working with VCC in the first phase of its building project at 6000 Cooper Road in Westerville , a suburb of Columbus . Four additional phases have since been built, making the entire facility about 230,000 square feet.

An original master plan would have allowed the church to grow at a fairly rapid pace. However, that plan had to be scrapped, as space for ministries was needed much more quickly than expected. The most recent phase of the church's building project was a four-story, $4.2-million office building, which has allowed much of the church's 200 paid and volunteer staff to move out of the main church area, providing more space for small-group Bible study and other ministries.

Building up, as in a four-story building, has been one way to add to the church's floor space without compromising much-needed parking areas on the church's 19-acre complex. In fact, one of the biggest challenges McKnight faced was finding ways to allow the church to expand and still find places for everyone to park.

Just before work began on the office building, the church completed a $10-million, 75,000-square-foot, multi-ministry facility, including a 2,900-seat worship center, multi-functional foyer, café, bookstore and additional classrooms.

"The next step is to tear down part of the original facility to make room for a community recreation center, with a gymnasium and playland," says David McKnight, president of The McKnight Group.

The church, he says, is always looking for ways to bring in people from the community, and the recreation center is another way to do that.

It was also this attention to outreach that heavily influenced the design of the church's most recent building phases. Church leaders wanted to appeal especially to young people who might shy away from traditional churches. The McKnight Group worked with them to design an entranceway and foyer that has a "mall" feel. It's very open, with skylights, lots of natural lighting and large, artificial trees and benches and tables placed throughout. During the day, it isn't uncommon to see people reading or talking in small groups all around the foyer. The area has what McKnight describes as a corporate feel.

"Everything was designed to be moved," says Dale Turner, project coordinator with the McKnight Group, noting that the foyer area often is used for rehearsal dinners and even small weddings. An attractive criss-cross staircase, with a portable stage that can be placed in between, has been popular with brides and grooms.

A bookstore and café, which spill out into the foyer, are open to the public and have separate, outside entrances. The café serves a variety of foods, including pizza, and also specializes in flavored coffees. Stone accents and a two-sided fireplace give the area a warm and inviting feel. Local Christian musicians often come in to play and entertain.

"The idea was to create a space where you could bring an unsaved friend to hang out in a non-threatening environment," Turner says.

The café also does catering for other area churches.

The nursery wing is located on a secured hallway, with a welcome/information/sign-in center at the head. Classrooms down the hallway are provided for infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers. A nice feature for parents is baby changing stations located in alcoves in the hallway. This means parents don't have to go in and disturb classrooms of children to change a diaper. A mix of tile and carpet within the rooms allows for quiet areas for reading or Bible study and other areas where crafts and projects can be completed and the area easily cleaned.

The worship center itself was designed as a multi-functional area. All 2,900 chairs can be moved out to make room for conferences or seminars that are sometimes held. It isn't uncommon, Turner says, for the church to have a worship service in the morning and a dinner, complete with white tablecloths and candles, in the same area in the evening.

"They have total flexibility as to how they want to use the space," says McKnight.

A platform staging area includes several large video screens. A state-of-the-art sound system adds to the worship experience. Just behind the staging area is a storage and preparation area connected to a corridor leading to an outside loading dock. This allows tractor trailers to pull up and easily load and unload large items needed for presentations or performances.

The open design of the worship center was enhanced with high, arched windows, which let in lots of natural light. When the video screens are in use, motorized blinds cover the windows so everyone can see the screens.

"The motorized blinds are a unique feature which works very well," says Turner.

The office building includes work areas for all church staff, from groundskeepers to the senior pastor. Included is a spacious volunteer room, an assembly room and a print shop. On the first floor is a Christian counseling center, and currently the church's youth occupy the second floor, though plans are to put the youth area in the recreation center once it is completed. A training center for future pastors and church leaders, called the Vineyard Leadership Institute, will have offices in the building as well.

The McKnight Group, www.mcknightgroup.com , specializes in design, architecture, construction and church health consulting. For 36 years, The McKnight Group has partnered with churches to provide tools that help facilitate local church ministries.