The benefits of a Needs and Feasibility Study for any church contemplating a building program are multi-faceted.  Here are some of the benefits as noted in the church needs and feasibility presentation on our website.

Higher Level of Satisfaction:

“We did find a strong correlation in overall satisfaction with the building project if a feasibility study was conducted. The disappointment, however, is that only one-third of the churches conducted a feasibility study.”

Reduction in Risk:

The application of experience and due process by someone experienced in church design, church growth, and church construction cannot help but reduce risk.

• Financial risk.
• Risk of disunity.
• Risk of poor results, or even failure.
• Risk of losing confidence or momentum.

Improved Functionality:

• Based on objective factors, not subjective ideas.
• Based on prioritized needs as quantified by surveys, interviews, and analysis.
• A balance of space that is correctly proportioned to maximize long term value at the lowest cost.
• Increases the effectiveness of ministry.

Reductions In:

• Fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD).
• Stress and undue wear and tear on church staff.
• Costly mistakes.
• Time spent planning.
• Wasted time and effort.

A needs and feasibility study is the key to maximizing the church’s satisfaction while minimizing the risk in building.

A needs and feasibility study provides:

• A plan for execution,
• Unity to the church, and,
• The foundation for the next steps of design, financing, & construction.

Many of the principles of the modern church capital campaign have their foundation in both Old and New Testament examples. The rest of the art of the campaign involves properly bringing to light and applying the truth of the scriptures regarding giving in an effectual and culturally relevant manner.

While some processes and practices have changed or adapted to the times, many remain unchanged and are the foundational elements for all successful church capital campaigns. Some things just don’t change; we call these Foundational Truths. If you approach your capital campaign understanding these truths, you will have a much more spiritually and financially productive campaign.

Click the link below to download printable version of the whole article.

8 Foundational Truths of Church Capital Fundraising

The answer is, they don’t have to!

I want to begin this article by saying that sometimes churches do need completely custom building plans in order to accommodate their unique needs or geographical issues.   However, many times the church building plans a church may require are very similar to plans already used by one of the approximately 400,000 Christian churches in the USA.

If these plans already exist, why do architects charge to design churches from scratch?  Other than the fact that the project may require a totally unique approach, there are couple of potential of answers to that question.

It may be the that the architect does not have a significant number of church building  plans on which to base new church plans.

When considering an architect  you should usually only consider those that specialize in church design. What many people, including architects fail to realize, is that churches are different than either residential or commercial buildings – they have very unique requirements that are not always apparent to a designer that is not extremely experienced in church design.  The church also needs to insure that the church designer has design experience with churches in the size, budget and type of facility that your church will be building.  There is a lot of difference between an architect that has designed some churches and a church architect. Also, an architect with experience at building large, downtown, ornate facilities for traditional main-line denominations may not be the best fit for a church looking to build a cost-effective $500,000 multi-purpose building in the country.  For more information, read Preparing to Build.

It may be the that the architect is ” tweaking” an existing set of church building plans and not telling you.

I’ve seen enough church plans over the years to recognize that many church building plans are simple variations on a theme.  I have seen sample plans in promotional materials from two architects that were pretty much carbon copies of each other.  The simpler the building, the more likely that the floor plans needed are similar to something that has already been built. Let me be very clear – there is nothing wrong with taking an existing floor plans and modifying them to the needs of another church.  In fact, this is a commendable approach as long as the church is not being charged as if if were original work and no one’s intellectual property rights are being violated.

You can probably save 40-60% on your church building plans.

Using plans from previous church building programs, the church should be able to get full working drawings (including mechanical, electrical and plumbing) for  about half of the “street rate”. Unless you have some very unique issues, for a 15,000 square foot church building plan, the fee for the architectural plans should probably cost no more than $45,000 – $60,000.  Sadly, it is not uncommon for the church to be asked to pay $90,000 to $120,000 or more for this work.

Here is a realistic example.  The church gets a quote on church architectural services for a 10,000sf building.  The cost for your church building plans are quoted at $70,000.  Using a pre-designed plan, modified to your needs and local building codes, and sealed by a licensed architect, the cost could easily be be less than $35,000.

Let us help you save tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.

If you would like to save money and time (both precious commodities) on the design of your church, please contact us for a referral to one of our recommended sources that can help you save precious time and money on your church design and church building plans or click this link to view nearly 200 church building plans from another of our church web sites.

.. Reduce Cost and Risk

… Raise Money for Building

…. and much more

Your church will never undertake a task that is more demanding or complicated in terms of cost, risk, and effort than it will in a church building program – We are here to help.

A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel. - Proverbs 1:5

The problem with learning from your own mistakes is that it can be very painful, and sometimes expensive.  This is especially true in church construction.  In building a church, mistakes can be very costly, and not just in terms of money.  While a mistake in construction or financing can end up costing the church tens of thousands of dollars, mistakes can also have other very serious consequences.

Mistakes in construction often lead to expensive corrective measures, but can also have an impact on your church and its mission.  Not following a good process can make the who building program take longer and be more of a burden to the leadership and the church.  Not correctly addressing the real needs of the church can hinder people getting behind the program, creating division and a potential lack of financial support.   Mistakes in the design phase, if caught, must be corrected (if possible) in the construction phase.  Depending on the issue, this can be a very expensive proposition.

A mistake in building design may also prevent growth or hinder ministry in particular areas.  Unfortunately, mistakes in building design often do not manifest themselves until after construction of the church is complete, sometimes several years later when portions of the building become maxed out while other areas are under-utilized.

The best solution is to learn from the mistakes of others.  The services of a church building consultant can provide your church with invaluable experience and insight that will will help prevent mistakes and greatly increase your overall satisfaction with your building program. Your church will benefit from the best practices that are the result of learning from not only the mistakes but also the right decisions of other churches.

Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; By knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches. A wise man is strong, Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength; For by wise counsel you will wage your own war, And in a multitude of counselors there is safety.

Proverbs 24:3-6

In order to determine a meaningful value that one might use for cost comparison purposes, you have to first determine what goes into the definition of cost per square foot. One person may say the building cost for a finished project was $85 a square foot and another may say $145 and they may both be right!

How can two answers so very different both be right?? As a recent president so glibly demonstrated, the answer depends on how you interpret the question. To evaluate and use cost per square foot as a meaningful measure, you have to know what went into the cost calculation. For instance, were design fees, site work, permits, construction interest, utility tap fees, and other expense items that were not part of the “building”, yet necessary to the project, calculated into the cost per square foot? In our example of two people giving diverse yet accurate costs to build, the difference is in what they factored into the building cost. Without knowing exactly what is factored into the cost, cost per square foot numbers are meaningless at best and deceiving at worse.

Design considerations and location sometimes can make huge differences in cost per square foot. A simple 15,000 square foot single story building in rural South Carolina will cost far less to build than a similar building in metro Washington, DC or Orlando, FL. A simple yet well built building may cost less than one-third that of a similarly sized cathedral with ornate design and construction. Another design issue that is often overlooked in the cost per square foot calculation is building height. A 10,000 square foot building with a low roof is much cheaper to build than the same building with a 25-foot ceiling height, such as you might find in a multi-purpose building. Even simple things such as roof pitch can make a difference. One moderate sized church project was able to save $28,000 by changing the roof pitch from 8:12 to 4:12 pitch.

These are only a few of the many variables that can affect the cost per square foot in building a church.

• Total Square Footage – there are economies of scale in bigger building projects
• Location – If you were to build the same building in New York City or San Francisco as you did in Augusta, GA, the price could vary by over 40% for the same building. Building in a rural area could make the spread even greater.
• Style and Amenities – Dramatic architectural elements, features and amenities can substantially drive up costs without adding to square footage or functionality.
• Total Volume – High walls and ceilings, and steep pitched roofs add to the cubic footage of the building without changing the amount of square feet of building.
• Special Considerations – Site work, utilities, legal fees, land costs, soil types, single or multi-story: All these factors and more can effect the project cost and therefore the cost per square foot.

Site work is a large and extremely variable line item. One church may have $50,000 of site work and another, for a similar sized building and parcel, may have $250,000. For this reason, you should probably not include site work in the building cost. However, this brings up an interesting point. What the church needs to focus on is total project cost, not building cost.

Overly focusing on building cost per square foot can be misleading at best and dangerous at worse. The building is a certainly a large part of the project, but it is far from the whole project. Professionals familiar with church design can get into the ballpark of cost per square foot (once the church has done some preliminary needs analysis and a concept plan is developed), but the church needs to remember to focus on the total project cost, not just an arbitrary and poorly defined number assigned as the building cost.

The above was is an excerpt from Preparing to Build, Chapter 5

Good process would dictate that the church understand what it needs to build and can afford to build prior to getting into the design of the building.  Once the needs and ability of the church are determined through a needs and feasibility study, it will be possible to develop a project plan that best meets the needs within the constraints of the budget.

Pastors are taught a variety of things, including how to exegete the Word, pastoral care, church planting, and church growth strategies - but no one teaches them what to do when they are successful and need to build church facilities. We are here to help.

Your church will never undertake a task that is more demanding or complicated in terms of cost, risk, and effort than in a church building program. However, those in your church are largely unequipped by either training or experience to lead the church in a building program in a optimal manner.

The purpose, therefore, of our church construction consulting ministry is to equip and guide your church in building the best building for the ministry in a manner that will:

Reduce:  Uncertainty, Cost, Effort, and Risk

Increase:  Satisfaction with the finished project, Unity and concurrence in the body of Christ while building, and Financial support for the project.

Please visit the About Us page for more information about our consulting ministry.

While no two churches have all the same answers to the question, there are general questions almost every church needs answered:

• Do we need to build, why is building the right thing to do.
• Why is the selected church floor plan the right plan for this church?
• What do we need to build and how was this determined from our needs?
• What can we afford to build and how will we pay for the building program?
• When is the right time to build with consideration to need and financial ability?
• Where to we need to build and why is that the right decision?

In other words, the church’s needs and feasibility study will answer the question oh “how do we know what we need to build?”

If you have read Insights on Achieving a Positive Church Construction Experience, you already know a few specific benefits to the church from a feasibility study; the bottom line being that churches which did feasibility studies tended to have better outcomes.  When you are talking about projects that are commonly in the $750,000 to $2M price range, a better outcome is not only of great importance, but it has a very real and substantial dollar value.

More information on church needs and feasibility study (including additional resources):

A church capital campaign is ultimately not about money, it is about helping people understand a kingdom need exists, understanding God’s perfect plan of providence through stewardship, and, through teaching and prayer, calling people to the appropriate faith response; for God has provided an abundance for every good work .

What you should expect from a Church Capital Campaign

• Increased unity and support for the building program: spiritually, financially, and emotionally.
• To raise between 1 and 3 times your current annual receipts to the general fund over a 3 year giving period.
• Spiritual growth, as people seek God’s will and trust His provision.
• Improved ability to obtain church construction financing.
• The necessary monthly cash flow to help service a mortgage.
• Increased cash reserves to provide a financial safety net.
• Increased excitement in the body of Christ.
• The spiritual benefits of a coordinated time of teaching and preaching regarding our money and possessions.
• Cash for up-front design fees and initial construction expenses.
• Potential to reduce the funds that need to be borrowed.
• In addition to the money raised in the campaign, it is not unusual to see regular tithes and offerings go up 10-15% during a capital campaign.
• The spiritual benefits of putting faith into action.

General stewardship principals teach us to give of our time, treasures, and talents.  Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:21 that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  Treasure certainly implies money or wealth, but actually was probably intended to denote a broader spectrum of those things we feel are important to us. Not only do your members’ money follow what they feel in their heart is important, but so do their time and talents.  Giving of time, treasure, and talents is a heart, or spiritual issue.  What is interesting about Jesus’ quote is that he clearly states that in whatever place you store or invest your treasures, that is where your spiritual center (heart) is.

This passage raises a question much like the chicken and egg question; which comes first, your heart or your investment.  In reality, we see examples of money following heart (that is why missionaries visit churches), and heart following money (your devotion to a particular stock symbol once you have invested in a company).  What is important is to remember that they are linked, so the best strategy to increase both workers (investment of time an talents) and financial support is to implement a strategy that works both ends towards the middle.

If you can convince people of the need and importance of serving, and engage them in doing so, you should also expect an increase in giving from those people.  A recent study, the national study on volunteering just released by the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund (“Gift Fund”) and VolunteerMatch, showed Americans who volunteer their time and skills to nonprofit organizations donate an average of 10 times more money to charity than people who don’t volunteer.  If you engage their heart in serving, their giving goes up.  Conversely if you clearly teach your people about biblical giving, thereby increasing their financial support, they will be more likely to serve, since they now have a greater heart interest in the ministry. Pastor testimonials show that a clear, compelling, and unapologetic teaching of biblical giving principals on an annual basis increase giving 10-30% or more each year.

Addressing both the financial need and the need for workers is done in similar fashion.  As churches learn from annual stewardship programs or capital stewardship campaigns, to get people committed to giving you need to do four things. First, you need to provide the biblical basis for what you are asking; you need to lay the spiritual groundwork. Secondly, you need to clearly communicate the need that exists.  The third step is to clearly and unapologetically make the call to action – tell them what you need them to do and challenge them to a specific action (exhortation).  Finally, the last step and the one where many churches miss the boat, you need to hold them accountable to respond.  While you may not feel as comfortable with this step as the others, you have to take seriously what James said, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.“

All too often pastors across America will just toss the concept of giving out there and hope the congregation responds.  People need to be exhorted in the truest sense of the word.  Strong’s Concordance has, as the definition for exhort (parakalountev),  ”to call to one’s side, summon, admonish, beg, encourage, and instruct.”  The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines exhort as “to incite by argument or advice : urge strongly.” From the pulpit we need to lead, instruct, and exhort in every sense of the word.  In general, most people only rise to the lowest level of expectation.  In large part if you toss important ideas out there hoping they will act, the people will probably think about it, but not act.  Often times they only think about it until the end of service.

If there is one thing we learn from church fundraising, you have to have personal dialog with people to get them to invest, whether it is their time or their money.  You have not because you ask not.  But only asking from the pulpit makes it a general issue and everyone assumes someone else will step up to the challenge, and when no one does, people generally don’t feel bad because the are just doing (or not doing) what everyone else is.  Exhorting means you not only need to make it clear over several weeks from the pulpit, but you also need to get face to face with people and make the personal appeal by exhorting them in the truest sense of the word.  At the end of the day, it will be a blessing to the church and to the person giving of their time, talent, and treasure.  So get out there and preach it, teach it, beg if you need to, and incite your people to a Godly response.