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More than a decade ago when John Snyder came to pastor Crossroads Community Church in Parker, the church numbered about 80 people. These days, Crossroads is pulling in more than 2,000 people per week and running four services. About three years ago, it was clear that Crossroads needed to expand. They’d moved to three services […]

In past blogs, we’ve emphasized the importance of completing a strategic plan before diving into the design phase of a church expansion project. But what makes a good strategic plan? We believe that, while every plan is a bit different, there are four elements that factor in every good strategy—whether in church leadership, real estate

It wasn’t long ago that most people trusted their church leaders implicitly and without question. But that has changed. Several scintillating scandals involving high profile church leaders dampened public trust over recent decades. Having watched certain respected leaders fall from pillars of society to villains, many folks feel a bit jaded. It is therefore crucial

Churches are so much more than houses of worship. They act as community centers, childcare centers and sometimes, even schools. Yet there’s more. Although churches don’t pay property taxes, they can be valuable drivers of local economic development in several ways. One economic impact that’s become more apparent with the rise of the megachurch involves

As Easter Sunday approaches, consider the message your church’s landscaping, layout and signage are sending. In our last blog we discussed the importance of lobby space for churches to make a good first impression, saying a big “Welcome!” to newcomers and regulars alike. Now we’ll broaden the details surrounding that crucial first impression. Lobbies (aka

Consider a tale of two churches: A young couple, relatively new in town and looking for a church home, walks into one, then the other. The first church is a little dingy, with outdated paint and fixtures and a sterile, cramped lobby leading to the auditorium. The carpet looks a bit worn and stained. The

When church leaders establish a vision for facility expansion, they typically want to see it on paper immediately. So they hire an architect. The problem with this is that the church is then spending thousands of dollars before they know if the vision is even feasible. Vision is exciting, but the nitty-gritty stuff is what

Raising money for any purpose is challenging, but a prerequisite for church expansion. As A-to-Z managers for church facility projects, we walk with our church clients through the process of finding a stewardship coach and organizing a generosity campaign.Having done this many times, we have observed some biblical truths that must be communicated. Giving is

Should your church purchase more land than is necessary to accomplish its future expansion vision?  By “purchase more land…” we mean buying a site beyond what the church needs. This is done because 1) the church hopes to profit through development/sale; or 2) the perfect site’s seller won’t subdivide. These are legitimate desires that present

One of the key questions churches face when it comes to facility renovation or expansion is, “Where will the money come from?” If you’re prepared, your church has been saving for this day and has a nice nest egg already set aside. But building projects are expensive and, depending on your specific circumstances, paying cash

We work on a variety of projects—each custom and unique—but these days we’re especially excited about our new project with Grace Place Church in northern Colorado. Grace Place has outgrown its current facility in Berthoud, Colorado and hired us to lead it through the development of a larger church. But this project will be more

When Galileo made public his discovery that the earth revolved around the sun, he was excommunicated. People thought in those times that such a thing couldn’t be. The Psalmist clearly wrote that the sun “rises” and “sets!” Therefore, it had to be the sun that moved and anyone who said otherwise was a heretic. Of