Aspen Group Blog
Knowledge to navigate the intersection of church culture, leadership, ministry, and facilities.
Church Design | Church Construction | Community Impact
By:
Kristen Freeman
February 07, 2022
Shepherd’s Heart Care Center, located in Chapelstreet Church’s South Street campus in Geneva, Illinois, serves 1400 people in the Tri-City area. When this ministry began in 1999, it was a simple food pantry closet with pre-packed bags, where families in need could get a helping hand, but the small, tucked away space wasn’t sufficient to allow the team to actually build relationship with the people they served. Years later, a new, larger location offered more visibility, and the ministry grew to serve more families. But it wasn’t long before they were again busting at the seams, so they decided to expand again, but they didn’t want to limit their help to food only.
Church Design | Church Construction | Community Impact | Design Week
By:
Andrea Burks
June 16, 2021
Unwelcoming. Dark. Not enough space for ministry. That certainly does not describe First Baptist Church of Greensburg's traditional church facility anymore! This church, located in Greensburg, Indiana, was determined to establish a more welcoming posture to the community, expand connection space to foster deeper relationships and allow for future growth, and create flexible spaces that can be used for several ministries throughout the week.
Discover the impact Millennials' values, allegiances, and assumptions will have on your church.
Church Design | Church Construction | Community Impact | Design Week
By:
Josh Gregoire
May 04, 2021
How do you know when it’s time to consider a renovation or build at your church? Oxford Bible Fellowship, in Oxford, Ohio, continued to see opportunities related to their vision stacked up against facility-related challenges, both inside and out. Pastor Garrett Nates was moved by the needs of their church, the local community, and the college campus. “We were running up against so many different constraints on our ministry. Probably every single area had pinch points.”
Community Impact | Relaunch Church | Phygital
By:
Greg Snider
March 11, 2021
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.
facilities | Community Impact | Educational Environments
By:
Sheree Coffman
February 25, 2021
While churches and schools often have similar facility-related challenges, like adapting to meet the next generation's needs, each one has unique goals, challenges, and a story to tell. Recently, Aspen Group completed a major renovation and addition at Benet Academy, a Catholic college preparatory high school nestled in suburban Lisle, Illinois.
facilities | Community Impact | Educational Environments
By:
Derek DeGroot
February 16, 2021
Creating space for ministry impact extends beyond church buildings, especially as we consider what it means to disciple the next generation. Shaping the future leaders of the church means that we need to create space for forming people in the midst of rapidly changing culture.
Church Culture | Community Impact | Relaunch Church
By:
Marian V. Liautaud
February 01, 2021
The Coronavirus pandemic has stretched every church to find new ways to fulfill its mission to be the Body of Christ. The church never was the building. It is and always has been people who make up the church. During this season of social distancing, congregations are learning anew what it means to be the Church.
church facilities | Community Impact | Relaunch Church | Design Week
By:
Derek DeGroot
January 11, 2021
As COVID-19 restrictions change in various states across the country and congregations start to regather in their church facilities, many churches are facing a new realization: their building isn’t designed with spaces to accommodate groups of 10 to 50, the range for church gathering sizes in many states.
church facilities | Community Impact | Design Week | Great Outdoors
By:
Mary Bellus
June 12, 2020
In this current COVID-19 culture, many churches are finding the need to think outside the realm of the normal function of their church facilities in planning how to bring people physically back to church. They're reconfiguring larger worship spaces to conform to smaller gathering standards, and adapting outdoor spaces for prayer walks and as respite for the community. In the following post, Aspen designers, Craig Dobyns, Rob Gordon, Rosie Mitchell, and César Espinoza, share new ways you can use your church parking lot for innovative, safe gathering spaces.
Church Design | Community Impact | Great Outdoors
By:
Mary Bellus
May 29, 2020
At Aspen, we often talk about creating places that can be an intentional gift for the community—a beautiful space with no cost of admission where people can find rest. Especially in times of heightened anxiety, spaces that connect people with our Creator and the natural world serve as a respite from stress and frustration, especially in this season of COVID. In the following post, Aspen architects Craig Dobyns, César Espinoza, and Rosie Mitchell share design ideas for ways you can create spaces of rest and respite in your church setting.