- Not creating a written strategic plan with financial feasibility before commencing site selection or architectural design.
- Completing the design of the new building prior to hiring a general contractor, prior to estimating total project costs, and prior to predicting the amount of equity and debt the project will require.
- Planning # of parking spaces based on municipal code (usually 1 space for every 3 seats). This is not enough! You need 1 space for every 2.5 occupants in the building at the peak times (not just in the worship center).
- Pursuing the construction of a new, ground-up building, instead of seeking an existing building. The project duration and the cost to acquire an existing building are one-half those of developing a new building!
- Planning an expansion project before its time. How do you know your growth is sustainable until you’ve lived with it a while. A church should live with the chaotic discomfort (likely with some grumbling) and add additional services to grow attendance and giving, long before starting an expansion project. If people will come to your church during this mayhem, then this is an indication that you have a sustainable growing ministry. We’ve observed a church conducting as many as 7 services/week before expanding into another facility.
- Purchasing land without the resources to go vertical. Many churches think they increase the likelihood of their future church facility being completed by first purchasing the land. But actually, the opposite is usually true—most churches eventually never raise the money it takes to construct the building!
- Buying excess land with the hope of selling off the unneeded surplus for a profit. Rarely do churches succeed in speculating on land development. In fact, we have observed churches who have significantly declined from such an endeavor.
CFS has completed many church facility projects over the past several years. We have participate in and observed mistakes made along the way. We have learned from these mistakes, which has better prepared us for future projects. Let’s face it, anytime you do something for the first time, you learn the hard way, you don’t complete the project quickly and you certainly spend more money than necessary. For these reasons, we strongly encourage your church to hire a church expert and a project manager. If you would like more information about these topics, please contact Mr. Scott McLean at scott@churchfacilitysolutions.com.
Contact Church Facility Solutions today at 303-534-3344 x103, or email our team at info@churchfacilitysolutions.com.