Church Design

The first season of the Making Space Podcast is a wrap! Thanks for joining us for this eight-part series hosted by Jay Kim and Benjamin Windle. If you missed it, you can listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify (or wherever you listen to podcasts), and you can learn more here. During this season, Jay and Benjamin unpacked the Barna and Aspen Group research, Making Space for Inspiration, and delved into how physical space impacts our formation as we experience Jesus together and interact with those in our community. They sat down with various leaders and thinkers to discuss how nature affects our spiritual lives, the value of historic buildings in our digital era, what the church can learn from the design of retail spaces, and offered key takeaways. The following is a quick recap.  

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.

So much goes into designing church services that are inviting, inspiring, and transformative. Here at Aspen, we believe that same intentionality should also be applied to the physical spaces in which we meet and worship. That’s why we’ve partnered with Barna Group on a new series of research reports called Making Space: Why Church Design Matters in Ministry.  

Back in 2005 we worked on an addition for Trinity Lutheran Church, located in Crete, Illinois, and in 2021 they invited us back to refresh their lobby space. We were honored to be welcomed back a second time, to create a space that reflects the heart of the church and the people in the community.

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.

Christ Chapel Bible Church, born in 1980 in Fort Worth, Texas, has grown into a multi-site church with three diverse campuses, as well as online services. They’re committed to teaching God’s word faithfully, living by grace, and building relationships with others. We were honored to partner with Christ Chapel’s South Campus on a new facility for their church family.

This article previews our upcoming research with Barna Group. You can learn more here about this project, which will be released later this year, and you can sign up to receive updates here. Almost ten years ago, Aspen Group (as part of a collaboration called the Cornerstone Knowledge Network) ventured into new market territory to commission a research project with Barna Group to better understand what this mysterious generation known as “Millennials” was drawn to in church spaces. We conducted surveys and focus groups, visiting church spaces in different cities with churchgoers and non-churchgoers to better understand the unique challenges facing the group born between 1982 and 2000.

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.