How to Prepare for a Church Relocation
It’s a big moment for your church. Yes, right now. Is attendance at an all time high, or are you hurting for worshipers? Is your community outreach lacking or impressive? What does your current building look like? Too big? Too small? Too old? Just not the right fit for your congregation? You could spend money to fix it up, but then you still might have a space issue. The most logical and efficient solution might be to relocate the church and build a new steel church building. While it might be an intimidating prospect, fortunately there are steps you can take to prepare for your church relocation that will minimize potential hazards.
Your first step in the church relocation process is to form a building relocation committee. This committee should be made up of the most trusted people in your church community, but keep in mind that variety is the key here. By including idealistic dreamers and pragmatic practical thinkers, you should be able to cover all aspects of your church relocation. Do any of your church members have experience with a church relocation? What about other parishes or neighborhood churches? Gather all the information you can before you make an important decision.
Once your steel church building committee has been formed, discuss the financial situation with the appropriate parties. Does the church have the funds to make a move? If not, how can you raise the money? You and your building committee can be creative here. A charity softball game, a bake sale, or even a talent show are all great ways to raise money without begging for it.
Do you have a new location, or a job site picked out? By erecting your new steel church building on a new piece of land, you can eliminate construction downtime at your current location. Should you decide your current location is the perfect spot, you may have to find a replacement location to hold services until your new building is completed. This temporary location could be one you rent, but don’t commit to a lengthy lease because renting will just hold you back. Should you decide to build or add on your current property, steel buildings only take days or weeks to erect. The members of your church won’t have to rearrange their lives on your construction schedule, and you won’t have to find a temporary place to worship.
Your new building (or buildings!) can be utilized in many different capacities. Softball fields, gyms, book stores, recreation centers, daycares, and fellowship halls are all things that can be added to your church’s property to serve your community. Discuss your community needs with your building committee because they may know the interests of people better than you. Before you proceed with these plans, you must check the building codes of your local municipality to ensure your project is designed safely.
Your last step in preparation is to pick a building material. Once you do your research, you’ll find many benefits to steel buildings, like durability, versatility, resistance to the weather, fire, and even insects like termites. A wood building could have lower costs up front, but you may find yourself replacing parts of it due to rot, warping, mold or insects. You anticipate spending years and even decades in your new building, with generations of families walking through its doors. One thing you don’t anticipate – using the congregation’s gifts and tithes every few years to replace broken boards or a cracked exterior. When it comes to price, steel building churches are usually half the cost of traditional construction methods, and take half the time to build.
Steel building churches are also extremely flexible in design. While many church leaders decide to use an architect to design a beautiful house of worship, engineers at steel building suppliers can do the same job for less. Some steel building suppliers even include the design of a building in the price. Forget about the expense of an architect.
Preparation is a huge step that could save you and your congregation a lot of money. Don’t take it lightly. If you plan your relocation accordingly, you could be in your new steel church building in no time.
Photo courtesy: Village Baptist Church
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