Let’s take a break from our soup to nuts journey that began two years ago. Rather than writing about another leg in that overall process of planning, funding, and building your church project, this month’s column will be devoted to your questions — the miscellaneous inquiries that come my way.
So, you ask, how do we reach the unchurched? We are asking about that next generation that will carry the church forward, typically those who are now in their 20s and 30s. Whether it is the byproduct of disillusionment, distrust or simply the distraction of sports alternatives for their kids on Sundays, this has become an urgent matter to address. Add to all of this the social networking alternative and the shift toward empty pews begins reaching crisis proportions.
Jim DePasquale
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But what does all of this have to do with architecture? From my perspective, I can say quite clearly that those churches which have understood what the un-churched need are the ones that are thriving. First and foremost these young families are looking at what the church can provide for their children — from safe, secure, mom-accommodating nurseries to creatively designed learning spaces, not sterile boxes, for their kids. And then there are the weekday recreational opportunities, adult evening-education programs, state-of-the-art media centers (sadly, we no longer call it the library) and, of course, the café!
Certainly a church is not a country club, but it is a center for fellowship, nurturing and outreach. That next generation will respond to personal caring by the church. After all, a high-tech, low-touch lifestyle beckons all the more for high touch by our churches.
We hear banks are not lending. How do we fund our new facilities? Not true. Banks have certainly had to implement more restrictive guidelines, and yet we have found that all of our church projects still qualify for funding. The opposite, in fact, is more accurate. Certain banks want to lend, particularly to churches since they have a broad base of financial support and are not dependent upon any one person or source for revenue. Your church application for a loan may include more detailed financial information than previous days, but chances are quite solid that you will qualify. Factor in near-historic low rates, roughly in the 5 percent to 6 percent range (compared to those days of 21+ percent that some of us remember) and this is an extraordinarily opportune time to borrow.
O.K., great time to build, but how do we afford it? Glad you asked! How can you afford not to build now? In 2009 churches first felt the ripple effect of our sluggish economy. Giving fell short of budget expectations and there was even mild panic in some cases. Then in 2010 budgets were adjusted southward to reflect reduced expenditure projections that would match reduced revenue expectations.
It worked. Churches learned how to live with less and consequently how to fund a balanced budget, even in tough economic times. Now, in 2011, we move on with the same restraint, calmly accepting such restraint.
And yet pressing facility needs have not gone away. This is precisely why we are seeing those churches that are prudently managing their resources attempting to move forward with capital programs quickly. With a measure of wisdom they are swiftly capturing affordable rates, in tandem with never-before-seen construction cost discounts, to (literally) save hundreds of thousands of dollars. And, yes, capital campaigns are being run successfully. The conclusion here is a quite compelling case to build now.
Jim DePasquale, AIA, a member of Bon Air Baptist Church in Richmond, Va., is currently chair of the Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art and Architecture of the Virginia Society, AIA, and a partner in a Richmond architectural firm. This column is a regular feature of the Religious Herald, appearing in the first issue of each month. Send building, landscape or site-related questions to the editor at [email protected] or directly to DePasquale at [email protected].