Multi-Purpose, Fundamentally
By: Buddy Siebenlist

Do you remember when you first began to hear the term "multi-purpose" used in discussions about your church? Do you remember when multi-purpose sounded like a high-tech buzz word used by savvy professionals, or experienced pastors and church leaders? Do you remember when the concept of multi-purpose space and/or buildings was so exciting because of all the potential it represented for your church?

If so, if you can hearken back that far in time, you may not want to admit it, because it dates us both. 

I remember when the mere notion of multi-purpose use for churches seemed like it would revolutionize the way church sites and campuses are developed. While I'm not sure how long ago that was, I do remember when the concept of multi-purpose use was at the vanguard of church design and operation…because it still is.

While it is not a new term anymore, incorporating multi-purpose space is simply how church buildings are used today. It is who we are, as churches, and it is not necessarily exclusive to region or denomination. Whether or not the idea was first conceived for a church, the most diverse and prolific use of multi-purpose commercial building types is by churches.

Of course, the typical benefits of a multi-purpose building are quite familiar, as well as the reasons why it has been so successful with churches. Virtually every master plan for a new or relocated church campus seems to begin with a multi-purpose building as its first phase. I have even heard them commonly referred to as "Phase 1 buildings." 

But, even as the first buildings onsite, the hierarchy of a skillfully done master plan will indicate a supporting role for multi-purpose buildings, relative to future campus structures. It is in this supporting role, and because of it, that multi-purpose buildings are defined as less architectural and less expensive.

Certainly, there are many more reasons why multi-purpose buildings are such a popular option for churches. Multi-purpose buildings are versatile, allowing new or growing churches time to define a scope of ministries before committing to more specific-use buildings (i.e., sanctuaries, administration, schools, etc.).

Also, multi-purpose buildings, as less expensive structures, allow the church to continue with all of its ministries and operations, while raising funds for subsequent phase buildings. Multi-purpose buildings are also easier to construct (usually), which gives the church the option of the quickest building solution, if that is important to the church's agenda.

So…this is the multi-purpose building type that has been so strongly tied to church development, the multi-purpose building type we've grown up with, the one we've all learned to know and love. That explains it.

Actually, there is more. The exciting part about multi-purpose buildings, at least to me, is that it is the fundamental model for all other church buildings, the church building paradigm. While it may not be the most exciting or architectural building on the master plan, a closer examination into the successful history with churches reveals more than just the buzz words of cheaper, quicker, and versatile. There is a deeper substance to the constitution of multi-purpose buildings.  

As we know, the mission and message of the church does not change, but the method and manner of delivery changes all the time. The generational and cultural changes that are ongoing every day, combined with the rate of technology, all compound and affect the methods of ministry. For churches, trying to position their ministries in the mainstream of life experience, the types and methods of ministries are changing and evolving faster every day.

As a result, churches and ministry leaders are seeking more and more flexible solutions for their facilities. Like multi-purpose buildings, the entire church campus could better support this range of dynamic ministries if it were able to be versatile and flexible. 

I remember the pastor of a cowboy church, who I loved.  He was a great guy, and he had a tremendous vision for his church and ministry. At the end of a rodeo or horse show, with a wireless microphone, he wanted to ride up to a point, push a button, and have his new facility transform from a rodeo arena into a sanctuary environment, as he began an altar call. 

Now that's versatility! (Actually, I still think about a solution for him from time to time.)

The point is that the principles of success that have made multi-purpose buildings so pertinent to church use are the same fundamental principles required for all church planning: versatility and flexibility.

Master planning is a great example. Today, master planning is common for all types of venues, not just churches. Schools, government facilities, retail development, commercial facilities, manufacturing, and corporate headquarters, among others, all understand the value and importance of master planning. However, master planning for churches is unique in a number of ways from any other type of master plan. 

For churches, the ability or provision to add a wing of classrooms, or several rows of pews, is not master planning. That is simply expansion. 

Master planning for churches requires a high level of insight and understanding about church operation, so that this understanding can help create solutions and scenarios for a variety of ministries, as well as solutions to expand and eventually redefine the particular ministry completely. 

Fortunately, the leadership today of virtually every progressive church knows the importance of master planning. Every church should have a master plan. It's Biblical!

In the process of creating a customized master plan, unique to your church's unique site and unique body of members, the master plan designers must thoroughly understand the ministries that your church offers today, in addition to the ministries your church and leadership will offer in the future. Can your pastor and/or the leaders of your church define the ministries that will be in place 10 years from now? Specifically and in operational detail? Five years from now? Two years?

Probably not.  Church leaders are probably engaged in ministries today that could not have been predicted four or five years ago. For example, the use of iPods and MP3 players has opened the doors to a number of new ministries, such as podcasts and the daily download of devotional messages.

So, if it is virtually impossible to predict all the future ministries, how can a master plan be done that will accommodate these future, unknown ministries?

The answer:  with versatility and flexibility, the same fundamental principles of multi-purpose buildings.

The church body is a dynamic institution, and its master plan and every structure in it should reflect the same dynamic character, providing for the buildings to change, adapt, and grow in more than one way or one direction. A thorough understanding of church values and operation is required in order to create a variety of different expressions and opportunities, each with versatility and flexibility.

In summary, I have great respect for multi-purpose church buildings and the integrity of their existence. In a single package, they represent the fundamental whole of church building existence, expression, and outreach. The church body is alive and well, and free to grow and follow its Divine Guidance, utilizing all its forms of expression, in a multi-purpose building.  When the same can be said for the entire master plan and all its building components, well, that's an exciting thought.

Buddy Siebenlist, AIA, is president of Siebenlist Architects, Inc., www.siebenlist.com, a design, construction, and real estate development firm specializing exclusively in church projects nationwide, and a consultant to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention since 2002.

Product Roundup

KWIK-WALL
With KWIK-WALL products, you can use the area you have to create the space you need. KWIK-WALL is a one-stop solution for cost-effective and flexible space management, providing quality operable wall systems to worship facilities. KWIK-WALL manufactures a wide variety of operable wall systems to meet your space requirements. Their products are developed to provide easy setup and superior visual and sound privacy. There are six levels of sound control, a wide variety of accessory options, and vinyl, carpet, or wood finishes.
www.kwik-wall.com

EventXpress by Palmer Snyder
The Palmer Snyder EventXpress C700 padded-seat folding chair features an elegant fanback feature, has a wider seat base for added comfort and a vinyl-covered padded seat cushion, and is double-hinged for added strength. Quick to set up, comfortable and attractive, this is truly the all-occasion chair. It is available in white vinyl seat with white frame and feet or black vinyl seat with chrome finish and black feet. It is the ultimate choice for multi-purpose seating.
www.palmersnyder.com

Southern Aluminum's Alulite Table
Constructed of aircraft-grade aluminum, Southern Aluminum's Alulite table will not crack, rust or warp after extended usage or exposure to heat, moisture, or sunlight. With an average weight of only 35 pounds, the Alulite table is easy to set up and take down multiple times. Alulite Stages and Choral Risers are also constructed of lightweight aluminum, allowing each unit to easily be set up and taken down as well as moved among locations throughout your worship facility.
www.southernaluminum.com

Screenflex Portable Dividers
Screenflex offers amazing, versatile room dividers for worship and educational facilities. Screenflex Portable Room Dividers are used by thousands of church leaders and school administrators daily to help make their facility work harder for them. Contact the company for complete information, including a list of happy customers near you.
www.screenflex.com

Commercialite from McCourt
At roughly half the cost of traditional plastic folding tables, the Commercialite Folding Table is one of the strongest, lightest, most affordable indoor/outdoor folding tables on the market. Blow Mold technology allows McCourt to produce polyethylene plastic tops to resist heat, stains, chemicals, and physical damage. Their U.S. Steel frame with wishbone folding leg system bolts through the table top, not just into it, allowing the Commercialite to support more than 3,500 pounds.
www.mccourtmfg.com

Flex-Fit Seat by Bertolini
The Flex-Fit seat by Bertolini Sanctuary is designed with ergonomic characteristics, enhanced by the right mix or rigidity and flex to create a controlled flex that's comfortable time after time. The seating features innovation, durability, comfort and Fit-Tight fastening system. The Flex-Fit seat combined with the patented Ergo-V back is part of the Impressions series by Bertolini. 
www.sanctuaryseating.com