Church Design

Engaging in a church experience is about developing a deep relationship with God and fostering meaningful connections with others. Our church lobbies are an essential tool in building those connections and helping people to practice hospitality. Our new resource, Church Lobbies: 6 Zones for Connection, breaks down six zones that can help your church lobby be a place that helps grow relationships, model hospitality, and encourage generosity. In this post, we’ll talk about cafés and family rooms—two zones that offer space for refreshment and authentic connection.

Our church lobbies play a critical role in building community by giving people space and comfort to build connections, which is an essential aspect of growing together as the Body of Christ. Our new resource, Church Lobbies: 6 Zones for Connection, breaks down six zones that can help your church lobby be a place that not only helps grow relationships, but encourages people to practice hospitality and generosity. In this post, we’ll talk about Welcome and Next Steps Centers—two zones that play a critical role in creating positive first impressions and equipping people to grow in their faith.

It’s exciting when we’re able to partner with a church client on multiple building projects throughout the years. Building a solid foundation of trust and collaborating together is a rewarding experience for the church, as well as for the Aspen team. Creating spaces that impact ministry and draw people into relationships and closer to God is the ultimate win.

We’ve had the privilege at Aspen to work with many churches over the years on multisite campuses, helping them to better serve their congregations, neighborhoods, and communities. The Orchard, located in the Chicago area, is a multisite we’ve been blessed to work with multiple times. Established in 1953, The Orchard's congregation was made up of 43 people who met in a school auditorium in Arlington Heights, Illinois. They've since grown to more than 3,000 people in six locations.

People find community in many places—at work, in a book club, in a neighborhood group, or by joining a gym—all fantastic ways to connect and build relationships with others. Our church lobbies play a critical role in building true community by giving people a space to encounter God together. Engaging in a church experience is about developing a deep relationship with God and fostering meaningful relationships with others.

Your visitors will encounter many things before they choose a seat and listen to your sermon this Easter Sunday. How is your church facility preparing the way for your guests and helping to draw them in? Seeing your facility through the eyes of your guests will help you create a more welcoming environment and give them a reason to return. The following five tips will help you shape a positive guest experience this Easter.

Chapelstreet Church was looking for a unique solution for the addition and renovation of their North Aurora, Illinois campus. This compact facility required an efficient design so the spaces could be adapted to have more than one function. Aspen was called in to help, after having partnered with Chapelstreet on their South Street and Keslinger campuses, as well as their Shepherd’s Heart Care Center. The outcome was a facility with a high level of flexibility for Sundays and mid-week activities, setting them up for success in a fast-changing culture.

Waypoint Church in St. Charles, Missouri, has a mission of "Worship. Love. Go." This thriving community of faith wanted to adapt their church building to create a cohesive, effective, and engaging ministry space that would allow their congregation to experience a deep and intimate connection with God and others. We partnered with Waypoint on an addition and renovation aligning with these core values of relationships and missional living. Here are five ways we intentionally designed the space to foster discipleship:

Pioneering as an online church may not have been at the top of your plan last year, but you faced challenges and discovered opportunities in the midst of a pandemic. Now, you’ve shifted into a time of anticipation and planning for what comes next for your church, both online and in-person.

Lobbies are mission critical for churches. This is the primary space where people congregate to connect with others. However, right now, your congregation is unable to have the close-knit interactions that we encourage in lobby spaces, even if you have returned for in-person worship and gathering at your church.