{"id":788183,"date":"2022-10-13T05:00:42","date_gmt":"2022-10-13T10:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/?p=788183"},"modified":"2022-10-13T07:17:20","modified_gmt":"2022-10-13T12:17:20","slug":"building-committee-milestones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/blog\/building-committee-milestones\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Committee Milestones"},"content":{"rendered":"

Y<\/span>our building committee is in place and you\u2019ve <\/span>clearly defined their objectives. Now, you are <\/span>ready to start the journey to discover, design, <\/span>fund and build a facility that meets your ministry <\/span>needs.<\/span> Everyone is<\/span> excited, but you might find <\/span>yourself wondering, where do we go from here? <\/span>We\u2019ve all heard stories about a church that\u2019s <\/span>had a building committee for 10 years, but still <\/span>has no building to show for it. Without a map <\/span>and a guide, building committees can wa<\/span>nder in <\/span>the wilderness for years without making any <\/span>tangible progress. Over the last 35 years<\/span>,<\/span> I\u2019ve <\/span>guided hu<\/span>ndreds of building committee<\/span>s <\/span>through the critical milestones necessary to <\/span>build a facility that brings glory to our Lord and <\/span>maintains unity in t<\/span>he body of Christ.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the building process is executed correctly, <\/span>each step builds upon the previous step to <\/span>systematically produce a facility that provides <\/span>ministry solutions. Some believe the building <\/span>process is simply designing and building a facili<\/span>ty <\/span>based on what they want. However, I have <\/span>found facilities built on perceived wants rarely <\/span>address the core ministry needs of a church. <\/span>When churches build based on feelings instead <\/span>of facts, the product can be disappointing. I <\/span>believe in using a holi<\/span>stic ministry focused <\/span>approach where church leaders are provided <\/span>with greater insight into the strategic, <\/span>operational, financial and facility obstacles <\/span>limiting Church growth and gospel <\/span>advancement. Wouldn\u2019t it be great gain <\/span>strategic insight and clarity<\/span> as the byproduct of <\/span>your facility expansion project!<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Discover<\/strong><\/p>\n

D<\/span>iscovery<\/span> is foundational to obtaining the right solution to your ministry <\/span>challenges. As leaders, it\u2019s important that we solve the right problem. <\/span>Unfortunately, I\u2019ve seen building committees all across the nation spend time and <\/span>money solving the wrong facility <\/span>pr<\/span>oblem in their church.<\/span> Discovery is <\/span>all about asking the right questions to <\/span>the right people with a holistic view of <\/span>ministry.<\/span> The first step of the <\/span>discovery phase is to select the right <\/span>team to ask you the right questions. <\/span>The questions asked must <\/span>dem<\/span>onstrate the ability to lead your <\/span>team in all aspects of ministry <\/span>advancement.<\/span> Competence, <\/span>Chemistry, Cost and Process should be <\/span>a part of selecting a partner.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once a firm has been selected the next step is to unpack the reality of your <\/span>situation as a<\/span> ministry. What is the real problem you are trying to solve? This step <\/span>of the process commonly called programming but, in my experience, standard <\/span>architectural programming does not unpack the ministry components that unearth <\/span>the real<\/span> problem that needs t<\/span>o be solved<\/span>.<\/span> The approach to programming will be a <\/span>major difference between firms offering to provide programming services. <\/span>Ministry focused architectural programming is a structured research and problem<\/span>–<\/span>solving process used to identify, examine, and ela<\/span>borate upon the various needs of <\/span>the ministry.<\/span> During programming, it\u2019s also important to gain a preliminary <\/span>assessment of the feasibility of the project<\/span>.<\/span> A written program should provide a <\/span>designer with criteria for a creative, meaningful and ultimately<\/span> useful architectural <\/span>solution. Based on the program, the designer creates a conceptual designs that <\/span>meet the budget and render the space graphically. Once a concept is selected, you <\/span>are ready to move on to the next milestone.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Discover Phase Checklist:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n