Over the years how many church facilities do you think you have visited?  As a visitor to that church how easy did you find it to not only access the site and building but to also find your way around that facility once you were inside?  Taking on the persona of a visitor, how inviting is it for people to access your church facility?

In my work with churches, I have visited hundreds of them over the years.  And though I have become adept in interpreting what I find, I am still constantly surprised by so many churches’ inability to accommodate a visitor to their site and facility.  Most churches I visit need a map and or a personal guide just to get a visitor from the main entrance to the nursery or for that matter the bathrooms!  Is this the approach we want to offer our guests, making it a challenge for them to be comfortable within our own church home?

The welcoming attitude we all want our congregations to exhibit should also extend Continue Reading

In a conversation with one of my Audio Visual Consultant, he stated that he felt a majority of churches in America have become bushel baskets, hiding the light of the Lord within their facility.  In Mathew 5:15-16 we are called to let our light shine before others so that they may see our good works and give glory to our Father who is in heaven, not hide it under a bushel basket.

I understand that his comment was driven by a number of factors beyond the actual church facility, such as the spiritual maturity and ministry callings of each church.  As an architect who specializes in church and church related facilities throughout the United States, his comment gave me pause to consider what effect my work has on fostering his perception.  As Christians we are called to go into the entire world and preach the gospel, but too many times we find ourselves within a local church facility – hiding our light.  We may have the assumption that the non-churched will suddenly have the urge to walk through our doors to learn the gospel of Christ.  But too many times the only people visiting are those who had an issue with their church down the street and are looking for a new, comfortable spot – to hide their light.  I felt that with his simple comment my entire calling and livelihood was placed in question!  I realized that I needed to take a closer look at Continue Reading