Aspen Group Blog

Knowledge to navigate the intersection of church culture, leadership, ministry, and facilities.

Making Space Podcast Season One Recap

How Your Church Lobby Can Help Build Hospitality and Create Space for Connection

Making Space for Millennials Executive Summary

Making Space for Millennials Executive Summary

Discover the impact Millennials' values, allegiances, and assumptions will have on your church.

Aspen Group Announces Transition in Senior Leadership

Church Lobbies: Creating a Place of Welcome Where People Can Take the Next Step

Announcing a new Barna/Aspen Collaboration, Making Space for Inspiration!

Saying “Welcome Home” with a Church Lobby Design Refresh

Church Lobby Renovation: Creating Space to Build Relationships

Christ Chapel’s South Campus: A Right-Sized Facility Rooted in Family

Making Space—A Forthcoming Aspen/Barna Research Project

The Orchard Vernon Hills: A Full Sunday Experience on the First Floor

How ‘Touch Starvation’ Presents the Local Church with an Opportunity

How Our Construction Teams Stay Connected, Supported, and Safe on the Job Site

4 Ways Your Church Lobby Can Help Build a Culture of Radical Hospitality

5 Simple Ways to Get Your Church Facility Ready for Easter

Chapelstreet North Aurora—An Adaptable Design for a Compact Space

3 Ways to Maximize Your Church’s Outdoor Space

4 Questions to Consider When Assessing Your Church’s Outdoor Space

Designing for Emotional Wellbeing: The Power of Both/And

Two Ways Design Can Impact Emotional Wellbeing

Designing a Church Food Pantry that Models the Love of Jesus

How Collaboration Powers Innovation and Creates Ministry Impact

Aspen's Top 5 Videos of 2021

3 Questions to Ask Before Embarking on a Church Building Project

Barna’s “Making Space” Podcast Series Recap

Navigating Diverse Cultural Differences—From the Church Architect’s Desk

Loneliness, the Digital Age, and Church Design–From the Church Architect's Desk

Fostering Meaningful Relationships in a Digital Age and the Role Physical Space Plays–From the Church Architect's Desk

The Theology of Physical Space–From the Church Architect’s Desk

Derwin Gray on How Physical Space Impacts Prayer–From the Church Architect’s Desk

Kicking off the Barna podcast series "Making Space"—From the Church Architect's Desk

2021 Design Week Recap

Designing Church Spaces That Support Those with Special Needs

3 Shifts in Kid’s Ministry Design

5 Ways This Church Designed Their Space for Discipleship

What IKEA Can Teach Us About Church Design

How a Culture of Collaboration and Learning Supports our Design-Build-Furnish Approach

Design-Build-Furnish vs a Design-Bid Approach

Aspen’s Integrated Design-Build-Furnish Approach

Before and After—How Fresh Design Brings a More Inviting Environment to a Traditional Church Facility

Three Tips from Orange to Help Rebuild Your Children’s Ministry

4 Ways Your Church Can Help Younger Generations Grow

Gaining Ministry Momentum in the Construction Zone

Hybridization of the Physical and Digital Church

5 Things Parents Look for in a Church Facility

4 Ways to Keep Your Staff and Volunteers Safe on Church Construction Projects

Oxford Bible Fellowship: Fueling Ministry on a College Campus

Making Space for Gen Z Disciples

Ministry in the Dust: A Unique Approach that Impacts Ministry and Lives

Pastors: Why You Need Your KidMin Leaders’ Input Before You Relaunch Church

5 Things Every Church Needs to Know About Signage

Questions to Ask Before You Relaunch 4 Key Ministries in Your Church

‘A Scared World Needs a Fearless Church’: Leading Bravely in Uncertain Times

Phygital Church: Brave Questions to Ask as You Blend Your Physical and Digital Ministry

Can Good Church Design Help Lower Anxiety?

How Your Church Facility Can Help Build Disciples

Benet Academy Design-Build Project Provides Fresh Solutions to Connect a New Generation of Students

How to Facilitate a “Relaunch Church” Meeting with Your Leadership Team

Making Space to Form the Next Generation in Higher Education

Built to Be a Beacon: How One Urban Church Offers Hope—and a Home—to Its Community

How to Design for In-Person and Online Church Experiences

Relaunching Church in a COVID World

How One Church Redesigned with Men in Mind

4 Ways to Reimagine Large Gathering Spaces for Smaller Groups

6 Tips to Thank Your Congregation for Their Annual Giving

3 Urgent Issues Facing the Church, and Design Solutions to Address Them

How to Adapt Your Church for Phased-In Gathering Sizes

Our Top 10 Resources to Relaunch Church in 2021

3 Ways the Classic City Conference Will Help You Recalibrate for 2021

How to Push Through the Wall of Grief, Pain, and Disappointment As You Run the COVID Marathon

Design Week Recap: How Good Church Design Shapes Culture and Solves Problems

Christmas + COVID: 7 Ways to Prepare Your Church Building

4 Questions Churches Are Asking About Phygital Church, and How to Know If It’s Right for Your Church

Biophilic Design: 7 Ways to Bring the Outdoors into Your Church

How to Build a Phygital Strategy at Your Church

Designing Churches to Shape Culture and Solve Problems

5 Interior Design Trends to Integrate into Your Church Now

Pastors: If 2020 Feels Like Your First Year on the Job, You’re Not Alone (Here’s What to Do Next)

A Clinical Approach to Your Church Building Project

Quickstart Guide to Becoming a Phygital Church

The 5 Steps of Leadership Development

Small Church Focus: 7 Tips to Keep Your Ministry Practical, Personal, and Sustainable

Welcome to the Era of Phygital Church

Help! How Do We Use Our Lobby to Connect in the Midst of COVID?

Church Facility Projects to Tackle During COVID (and Ones You Shouldn't)

Pastor Appreciation Month: How to Fight Discouragement and Find Focus

How to Adapt Your Church Lobby for COVID

Portable + Permanent: A Both/And Solution for Multiplying Your Church

Adaptive Reuse Pros and Cons: Could Your New Church Be An Old Grocery Store?

The End of Coffee at Church?

3 Tips for Raising Church Building Project Funds During COVID

Shut Out by COVID: How to Find a New Church Fast

Church Merger: 3 Churches Become One in a Converted Grocery Store

10 Principles to Recalibrate Church

3 Steps for Adapting—and Thriving—as COVID Continues

5 Tips for Relaunching Outreach Ministries

5 Keys for Leading Change in Your Church

4 Tips for Maximizing Online Worship During COVID

Creating Space for Connection in the COVID-19 Era

What Pastors Need to Navigate COVID-19 at Church

How to Use Your Church Parking Lot for 7-Day-a-Week Ministry

4 Ways Churches Are Responding to the Reopening Challenge

What the Church Can Learn from Amazon, Disney, and J.Crew During COVID-19

How to Transform Your Church Parking Lot for Outdoor Gatherings

6 Traits I See in Churches that Are Thriving in the Midst of COVID-19

Short-Term Solutions vs Long-Term Strategies to Relaunch Your Church

How to Design Spaces that Serve as a Respite for the Community

10 Reasons Why Pastors Should Be Engaging Financial Leaders in Their Church During COVID-19

6 Ways to Adapt Indoor and Outdoor Spaces for Individual Prayer and Reflection

Do You Know If Your Congregation Is Ready to Return to Church?

Relaunching Church in a New Reality—A Barna Virtual Workshop

Weathering the Financial Effects of COVID-19 on Your Church Budget

How to Handle Online Offerings at Church: Best Practices from Stewardship Specialists

From the Big Room to the Small Screen

Curated Content for Navigating Ministry Changes

Preparing Leaders to Relaunch Church

‘Easter’s Not Canceled’: How Churches Will Celebrate in the Midst of the COVID-19 Crisis

Is Your Church Ready to Move into Phase 2 of a COVID-19 Response Plan?

Aspen Group Expands Southeast Presence with Launch of Florida Studio

The Great Collaboration: The Missing Piece in Church Expansion

How to Design Your Church with Safety in Mind

3 Myths About Church Facilities that May Be Keeping You from Multiplying

How to Avoid Losing Your Pastor After a Church Building Project

Equipping Church Planters: Why Aspen Partners With NewThing

Strategies for Community Impact: How 3 Pastors and Their Churches Are Making a Difference

How to Prevent a Shooting and Other Security Risks at Your Church

4 Tips for Designing Children's Ministry Space

Top 5 Church Building Topics in 2019

Building a Church Home for Christmas

3 Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Church Building Partner

How to Hang Your Church Christmas Decorations With Care

Giving Thanks for All Things

5 Truths for Building Generous Givers in Your Church

Should Your Church Build a Gym?

How to Create Intimacy in an 1,100-Seat Auditorium

5 Steps for Building New Leaders in Your Church

How Many Parking Spots Does Your Church Need?

If Your Church Were Gone, Would Anyone Notice?

3 Reasons Why Your Church May Be Ready for a Makeover

When Your Community Changes: How One Rural Church Renovated in Response to Development

When a Hurricane Is Heading Your Church’s Way

Church Mergers: The Unintended Consequence of the Multisite Movement

Rest for the Weary: 4 Ways Your Church Can Be a Place of Respite

How Better Sightlines from the Pastor to the People Makes for Better Preaching

When Your Church Is Portable: 5 Ways to Create Effective Ministry Space

Design Challenge: How to Improve Traffic Flow and Security in Kids’ Ministry Space

What to Do If Your Church Is Becoming a Museum

Should My Church Merge? 4 Questions to Help You Decide

4 Keys to Building a Dad-Friendly Church

When Your Church Is in the Path of a Deadly Storm

How to Build Your Church for Community Impact

How to Create a Healthy Church Culture

10 Red Flags Your Church Communications May Need Help

4 Ways to Make Space for Moms at Church

What Notre Dame’s Fire Reveals About Our Love for Church Buildings

Making Space for Easter's Impact

How to Create Safe, Secure Children’s Ministry Space

3 Ways Churches Can Attract Top Talent

How to Lead Leaders: 13 Core Principles for Managing Players (and Pastors)

Celebrating 5 Types of Givers in Your Church: How to Inspire Transformational Generosity, Part 2

Ham or Eggs?: How to Inspire Transformational Generosity, Part 1

Building a Church In and For The Community

5 Tips for Launching New Churches

How to Make Your Church Relevant Within Your Local Community

8 Key Leadership Tasks for Navigating Change at Church

Will the New Tax Changes Affect Giving at Your Church?

Four Things Millennials Wish the Church Would Be

10 Really Big Questions About Future Church Attendance (and Some Hunches)

Our Top 5 Reads for Leaders Who Want to Maximize Their Ministry Impact

Making Space for God with Us

4 Tips for Increasing Your Church’s Community Impact

A Formula for Navigating Change at Church

Giving Thanks for God’s Goodness

How to Rapidly Reproduce the Church

Thank You to Our Alignment Partners!

Pastors: If You Want to Build Momentum, Stop Flying Solo

Building a Story at Community Christian Church–Yellow Box

Discover Your Church’s Growth Engines and Barriers

Is Your Church Really Impacting Your Community?

Is Your Church Bringing Kingdom Culture to Your Community?

How We Fill Our Leader Pipeline

How 3 Multisite Churches Are Building for Community Impact

Why Beautiful Church Design May Be the Best Way to Serve Your Community

Building for Community Impact: Community Christian Church Plainfield

Is It Time to Launch Your Next Church?

Reaching Out and Building Up for Future Generations: Orland Park Christian Reformed Church

10 Ways to Maximize Your Church Lobby

6 Ways to Create a Dad-Friendly Environment at Your Church

The Power of “Proxemics”: Creating 4 Zones for Connection at Church

6 Coaching Questions to Develop New Leaders in Your Church

3 Purposeful Ways Churches Can Make Room for Millennials

Church Design Through a Mother's Eyes

Keys to Successful Church Restarts, Part 2

Keys to Successful Church Restarts, Part 1

3 Keys for Discovering Your Church's DNA

Easter Blessings from Aspen Group

Pastors: 15 Ways to Convert Easter Visitors Into Return Attendees

Conquering the Challenges of the 21st Century Church

How to Communicate the Launch of a New Church, Part 2

How to Communicate the Launch of a New Church, Part 1

Multiplying Impact with a Building Addition: West Bridge Church