At this stage of your church’s building program you are still gathering general information about your mission, who you are as a church, future programs and ministry needs, etc.
Workshops with the building committee and architect are underway, and the previously noted town hall meeting has been sandwiched between those workshops. Yet there is one more information gathering exercise that the church can conduct. It entails performing surveys and it is completely optional.
Jim DePasquale
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Much of the information may already be known or otherwise well articulated by members of the building committee. On the other hand, this additional homework will augment your understanding of the profile of your congregation and your community.
Any one or all three of the surveys noted below can be useful as you formulate your building program.
Congregational survey
A short, simple questionnaire that collects demographic data about age, marital status, number and ages of children, etc. is a good place to start. General information about income will help in planning that capital campaign.
Stay away from specific facility requests (for that is the job of the building committee to determine), but do ask questions about program needs and desires.
Lastly, be sure the survey indicates special talents that can be tapped. You may, for example, have members who could later serve on the interior design committee or, because of their background in finances, head that capital campaign.
Community survey of the unchurched
This could be the most powerful tool you have for growing your church and, at the same time, accomplishing a compassionate witness. The objective here is not to judgmentally confront those who do not have a church home, but rather to learn who they are, why they do not attend church and the most important question of all—what do they need?
This outreach will result in your church searching for the appropriate programs to offer, which clearly will impact decisions about facilities.
Concurrent with this outreach, gather demographic data (which is available from governmental and/or institutional resources), along with an understanding of the social, economic, cultural and educational conditions of your own unique community.
And it goes without saying — become aware of what other churches nearby are offering.
Community survey of programs and ministries
What are the educational inadequacies of your community? Is there a need for your church to provide weekday education? Is it K-8? Or K-12? How about adult evening programs? Or is it day care that is needed, in response to that demographic data your church has gathered?
And there are endless fellowship and recreation needs to assess. Does your community need a place for indoor recreation? Or perhaps the need is more for outdoor space, such as soccer fields. And don’t forget those rental opportunities that can be revenue generating.
We almost always hear about a particular church’s desire to provide for the youth within their community. Begin by assessing what is already available, and then consider the indoor/outdoor possibilities noted above. Also consider fitness areas, game rooms, flexible gathering spaces, etc., that could address a myriad of other unmet needs.
Simultaneously you will want to consider provisions for seniors, indeed a growing population with growing needs. Otherwise, learn more about organizations within your community — whether it be scouts, AA, book clubs, etc. — and define how they can be served by the church.
Finally (or maybe before finally), creatively look for ways to share your space with other congregations such as those of different ethnic origin. Likewise, consider Christian organizations that need a home, perhaps just for once-a-week meetings.
As a wrap up, I can add that the churches that have antennae out to their communities, whether it is by surveys or just by common instinct, do prosper spiritually. Any one or all of the above surveys are a guide to expanding outreach, providing more responsible stewardship of resources and ultimately accomplishing the appropriate building program for your church.
Jim DePasquale, AIA, a member of Bon Air Baptist Church in Richmond, 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 Jim DePasquale at [email protected].