Church Facilities

  By Nancy Sleeth “Am I supposed to say anything?” I whispered to the woman who had invited us to the meeting. “That’s why you’re here!” she responded. Yes, it was a setup—in the best sense. My husband Matthew and I had been asked to lead a retreat on stewardship of God’s creation. The church

  While some churches returned to in-person services relatively quickly during the pandemic, there are many more who still haven’t met in the same building since March 2020. If you haven’t navigated reopening your doors yet (or maybe even if you have), here’s a list of things you’ll need to consider before you make the

  Many types of gatherings are important for civic and economic well-being, and religious worship has a particularly profound significance to communities and individuals. Restrictions are easing, and many places of worship are beginning to plan for a full reopening. As you work through your expanded reopening plans, your cleaning and disinfecting protocols will be

  By Ashley Birkeland It’s been over a year since my family and I attempted to attend our first virtual service. With three very active children under eight years of age, I was cautiously optimistic that I could still have a similar experience while in the comfort of my own home. Pajamas – check! Perfectly

  It feels like it has been forever since congregations have been able to gather together for worship and provide their communities support and fellowship. During the pandemic, some churches found workarounds by live-streaming services or providing “drive-in” options. Others restricted capacity, and many churches had to shut down altogether. With hope in sight for

  By Josh Gregoire Welcome to the world of “phygital” church—the blending of the physical and digital to maximize how churches connect with people and help them draw closer to God and others. My colleague, Rob Gordon, and I met on Facebook Live for a conversation about phygital church. Rob and others on our design

  Operable partitions transform interior space requirements to meet current and future demands. They increase revenue potential by allowing a room size to be tailored to each event. This flexibility means that a large meeting room can be transformed into several small rooms with minimal set-up time, thus maximizing space utilization. Partitions provide sound control

  Other than educational facilities, the religious/worship vertical market has been affected the most by the pandemic. But religious facilities, especially existing, are faced with very unique space division issues. The premise of a worship facility is based on “congregating,” to meet together as a unified body to worship and praise. But how do you

  By Tim Cool Though some of us are not entering into a church building yet, I trust many people have “entered His gates” emotionally, spiritually or even virtually. But what about the “re-entering” of the physical gates? It is no surprise COVID-19 has flipped our worlds completely upside down. In some way, shape, or

  By Derek DeGroot As COVID-19 restrictions ease in various states across the country and congregations start to regather in their church facilities, many churches are facing a new realization: their building isn’t designed with spaces to accommodate groups of 10 to 50, the range for church gathering sizes in the initial reopening phase for