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| We approach all of our projects from a ministry perspective.
By helping churches to be more effective in their own
ministries, we are doing our part to help advance the Kingdom of
God, and build up the Body of Christ. The specific
situations of each church vary greatly. Therefore to meet
all of the needs, our services must also be quite diverse.
The following is a brief description of some of those services. Consultation Most of the time our relationship with a church begins with some form of consultation. More often than not, when we enter the picture the church is at a total loss on how to proceed. All they know is that their building is no longer meeting their needs, but they don't know what to do about it. On many occasions, all that is needed is a fresh perspective and some "outside of the box" thinking and dreaming. Our consultants have a unique blend of experience. They have backgrounds and expertise in architecture, engineering, pastoral ministry, as well as dealing with all kinds of "church growth" issues. When you put those things together we can usually come up with some exciting solutions to seemingly impossible situations! Feasibility Study Once the leadership seriously considers a particular course of action, a Feasibility Study is often required to make sure that the direction is in fact feasible given all the possible land use, code and building issues encountered today. In the current building environment, the issues can be tremendously complicated. For several years we have been using the term "Show Stoppers" to describe possible problems that are so major as to totally derail the entire project. There are so many potential issues involving such things as: land use, zoning, building code, and environmental concerns just to name a few. Sadly we have encountered many churches who have purchased a piece of land, only to find out after the fact that they were unable to build a church there for one of a dozen reasons! The Feasibility Study is designed to uncover any hidden "Show Stoppers" in advance, before the significant loss of time and money. Preliminary Design / Master Plan If no "road blocks" are found, a Preliminary Design / Master Plan is usually the next step. In this phase, we layout what space is needed in the building and figure out how the property can be fully utilized. During this process, actual architectural drawings are made showing: a site plan, floor plans, and elevation drawings. These plans are preliminary, and are not the actual constructions documents that will be required to get building permits. That degree of detail and cost is not needed at this point in time. The preliminary drawings are however complete enough to obtain a Conditional Use Approval (if required) from the city or county building department. A detailed preliminary item by item cost estimate for the new facility is also included. With these tools in hand you will have a clear picture of what the project will look like, how much it will cost, and what conditions the governmental agencies will impose on the project. With these questions answered you can move ahead into the fund raising phase with confidence. Construction Documents Once the basic plan is known and the stewardship campaign is underway, we proceed with the creation of the Construction Documents. These are the actual plans which will be submitted for building permits and then be used during construction, which can follow as soon as permits are issues. Construction We are general contractors and are able to build the entire facility ourselves. We are also able to work with volunteer labor and donated materials. Often this can provide a substantial savings to the church. With some projects we build the entire facility. On the other end of the scale, we have built some churches where we have supplied the construction manager, and the church itself has provided all the labor. Most projects are somewhere in between. If you are in need of help and are wondering what to do next, give us a call. Even if none of the above categories seem to describe your needs, let's talk. We would like to try to help you through your confusion. After all, this is our ministry! |
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