We’ve thought about big church plants, but again, we don’t think that would be the best thing for us to do right now. We’ve thought about moving locations, but we don’t think that would be best for our church. Plant another church! That’s the obvious answer, right? For a variety of reasons, we’ve decided that it’s worth it to plan another renovation that would allow us to double our size from 750 to 1400 members, even though it will cost us upwards of $10 million. But we’re still growing, and we have no more room in our building. We’ve looked at all the options and even sent dozens of members to both church plants and church revitalizations over the last few years. But now we are up against the wall, and we’re facing the same dilemma. Along the way, we chose to do incremental renovations that gave us the opportunity to keep growing. Today, we are a church of around 750 members, and we have a main hall that seats around 675. In 2010, there were around 100-150 people attending Sunday morning. We inherited a decrepit building that had seating for around 250 on the main floor and another 200 in the balcony, if renovated. This is a live question for us at Third Avenue. Solve one problem, then solve it again a few years from now if necessary. Don’t look for one solution for the ages. If the Lord gives growth, you’ll eventually face the same questions with a church of 1500 as you did with 200.
We could rent the Kentucky Convention Center and have plenty of room to grow, but our 700 people would suddenly seem quite small-and maybe a little pathetic. We have an overflow room that we use strategically during our predictable weeks of highest attendance each year (our adult attendance can fluctuate from 400 all the way to 750 because of our proximity to schools and universities).Ī crowded room is better than a sparse room. So a building that allows some flexibility is helpful.
It’s hard to predict the size of a church and attendance on any given Sunday. Buildings are more likely to enable a generational church and they offer a standing invitation to the community. Just ask any church plant who has been meeting in a school gymnasium for more than a few months. Over time, they can become an idol, a distraction, or a museum.īenefits: over time, church-in-a-box is taxing to a congregation. Be aware of both.Ĭosts: they break and require maintenance. Here are several factors to consider when deciding what to do when you run out of room.īuildings have benefits and costs. Option 4: Renovate or add on to your existing building. Option 3: Move to a different building and location. One church with multiple services is an oxymoron since the essence of the church is to gather. But if the second gathering has its own pastors and distinct membership, then you actually have two churches meeting in the same building. You might be thinking to yourself, “That sounds like multiple services.” That’s true it does sound like it. Note: A variation of this option would include carving off part of your church and having them meet in the same building, but at a different time. Option 2: Carve off part of the church and send them out to do a church plant or church revitalization. Assuming you’ve ruled out multiple services or multi-site, then there are really only four choices. The first thing to do is examine all the options. But let’s assume you are committed to one service only. What’s the correct size for a church? Is it possible for a church to be too big? What happens when a church grows to the point it no longer fits in one building? Here’s the popular answer: start another service.
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