How Do You Know When It’s Time to Build?

Picture your church or house of worship for a minute. Can you describe it in five words or less? I’m curious – what are the words you’re using? Did you say, ‘Beautiful? Ornate? Stunning?’ In this exercise, there isn’t a right answer. All that matters is you feel comfortable leading your congregation, and your place of worship fills you and your flock with the Holy Spirit.

But what if you used the word, ‘cramped’ to describe your current church building? What about ‘overcrowded, restricted, or small?’ Is there no more room at the inn? These might be early indicators it’s time for a new steel church building. Size doesn’t necessarily matter when it comes to building your new church facility. What you must study is how your congregation uses the space, and plan accordingly.

In whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. – Ephesians 2:21-22

When it comes to interpreting the Bible, or any religious text for that matter, one must understand it’s up to many interpretations. What you read and collect from a quote or verse can be the opposite of what others think. That’s one of the truly awesome aspects of religion.

In the earlier verse, as I understand it, the Apostle Paul says he sees a building growing, in terms of construction and an increase in membership. But the building grows because it’s done ‘together,’ with an entire community backing it, and the growth of the church is done with the utmost careful planning. That’s the most important part of the construction of a new steel church building. Careful planning.

You might know when it’s the right time for a building project when the cost to build is less than the cost to operate or rent your current facility. When a church has several people walking in and out of the doors on a daily basis, the cost to set up different rooms, or have a janitorial staff clean up the sanctuary after a service could skyrocket. Owning your own building is much more financially beneficial than renting for many reasons, but chief among them – you get to be your own landlord, make your own schedule and operate the building on your own accord.

Another way you might know it’s the right time to build is your congregation is asking for it. Maybe they’re interested in getting more involved in the church’s ministries. Perhaps they like you as the pastor, and the message you deliver every Sunday morning from the pulpit. It could be the sense of community and fellowship amongst your church family.

How will a new steel church building be regarded by your community? Another theme I gleaned from the above Bible verse was ‘unity.’ Your congregation must make the decision to build, together. If every member of your church is on board with an expansion into a steel church building, make sure you take the time to check with your municipality. A local congregation should contemplate how a building will help them, or on the flip side, disrupt the local community.

Some local governments have building restrictions or covenants, so also check with the city or county before choosing what kind of steel church building to erect.

What about God’s place in all of this? Is He providing you with all the signals to build? Sometimes large monetary donations by congregation members can start a discussion about building, or any unplanned occurrence could result in the same. The important part, as you are well aware, is that God rarely works on your schedule or mine. If, through prayer and conversation, you feel like he is leading you in that direction, it might be the right time to consider a new steel church construction project. If all these aspects are fulfilled, move forward with greater confidence in your church building project.

It doesn’t matter if the text was written 2,000 years ago, or if the words were written today, the message remains the same. Careful planning is the key to any new church building project. Continue your planning process with a steel building expert today.

Photo courtesy: Ryk Neethling, Julien Dumont

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