The Script: Volume 2

There are many things to consider before undertaking any kind of building program whether it’s a renovation, addition, or new building. The creation of a vision statement, needs assessment, building program, and the master plan are a good start. Without such could spell big trouble for a congregation. Translating the immediate and long terms needs of a church into a needs assessment, building program, and master plan are the strength of a design professional. As trained problem solvers, designers see the big picture and can assess how a church can achieve its immediate and long term goals through building or renovation.

Vision statement
A vision statement describes the church’s current and future ministries and programs. As the name suggests, a vision statement is forward looking and anticipates the church’s future growth. As an example, a vision statement will list the number people attending service 5, 10, and 15 years out, the number of services, the growth of the Sunday school program and information about the church ministries.

Needs Assessment
A needs assessment will provide you with a road map, making the idea of renovating or building new much easier to determine. A needs assessment is crucial to a successful building campaign; whether you are considering renovating your current facility or building new. Only 1/3 of churches conduct a needs assessment. Of the third that conducted a needs assessment, 75% report a good to excellent outcome.

Projecting needs are crucial to forming an accurate needs assessment and will better serve the interests of the congregation in the future. A needs assessment also looks at current and projected needs 5, 10, and 15 years out. Projected needs can be gathered from a long range plan, a strategic plan, a mission statement, demographic information, or from a list compiled by the church’s leadership. A needs assessment may call for Sunday school rooms for 30 children in grades 3-5 with a projected growth of 4% for the next 10 years. 44 children will make up grades 3-5 in year 10. A congregational survey is another great tool to further assist in the preparation of a needs assessment.

Some Questions to Ask During the Needs Assessment Process
Look at the number of people in your congregation, the number of people in the various Sunday school classrooms, and the number attending Sunday’s service. How many services do you offer? How many people gather in front of the worship space before the service? What is the number of full and part time staff? What are your current ministries and how many people are a part of those ministries? A needs assessment will require looking at the spaces you currently have to determine if you have enough rooms and whether those rooms are large enough to accommodate immediate and future needs. A growing church needs to plan for new spaces or rooms.

Building Questions to be Answered After Preparing a Needs Assessment
Can the existing property and buildings accommodate the current and the projected programs/ministries and satisfy the needs assessment? Compare the needs of the ministry with the church’s current land and building assets to see if the church needs to build, relocate, or renovate.