Church Design

Aspen Group Blog

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

Blog Feature

Church Design | interior design | lobbies

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

By: Greg Snider
December 07, 2022

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.

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Blog Feature

Church Design | interior design | lobbies

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

By: Greg Snider
November 10, 2022

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.

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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.

Blog Feature

Church Design | Renovations | interior design | lobbies

Saying “Welcome Home” with a Church Lobby Design Refresh

By: Lynn Pickard
October 17, 2022

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.

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Blog Feature

Church Design | interior design | lobbies

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

By: Greg Snider
April 28, 2022

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.

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Blog Feature

Church Design | interior design | special needs ministry

Designing Church Spaces That Support Those with Special Needs

By: Lynn Pickard
September 10, 2021

Intentionally building a program for individuals with special needs provides your church an opportunity to share the Gospel with individuals of varying abilities and allows them to fully grow in their faith. It also lets the families of those with special needs feel supported, knowing their loved ones feel comfortable and confident in their environment, and are valued members of the church family. The following projects we worked on for Chapelstreet Church's Masterpiece Ministry and Parkview Community Church show how design can help support a special needs ministry:

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Blog Feature

children's ministry space | interior design | Design Week | kidmin

3 Shifts in Kid’s Ministry Design

By: Lynn Pickard
August 17, 2021

When it comes to children’s ministry, Orange is known for its curriculum that emphasizes the importance of combining the influence of both home and church to teach children the Gospel. Orange also thinks broadly about how children and families experience church as a whole. As a Design-Build-Furnish firm, we value collaboration and learning, so recently I attended the local Orange Tour stop with fellow Aspen interior designer, Kristen Freeman, where we learned more about how design can help support children’s ministry.

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Blog Feature

Church Design | interior design | signage

5 Things Every Church Needs to Know About Signage

By: Marian V. Liautaud
April 13, 2021

Proper signage and branding are critical to a positive experience at church, especially for newcomers or first-time visitors. Think about it. How could we possibly navigate a large airport or hospital without relying completely on the signs around us? It would be a terrible experience. With churches opening their doors again for in-person worship, your first-time or newer guests may need to re-learn how to navigate your building. Now is the time to look at your church's signage and wayfinding with fresh eyes! When we brought focus groups to the various churches as part of the Making Space for Millennials study, they said that when they entered each space, they instinctively wondered, Where am I? What am I supposed to do next? What’s expected of me? They were seeking visual clarity.

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Blog Feature

Church Design | interior design | Design Week

Can Good Church Design Help Lower Anxiety?

By: Marian V. Liautaud
March 09, 2021

The prevalence of mental and emotional health issues is growing. According to Barna, people are experiencing extreme anxiety, and there is an epidemic of loneliness in our country, cutting across every age group. Nearly 60 percent of adults say at least one relational or emotional health issue affects their most important relationships. One-third indicated that loneliness impacts their closest relationships. We know people are struggling and the Church is a source of ever-present hope. At Aspen Group, we believe good design can create culture and solve problems, including providing places for respite and personal connection. Aspen Architectural Designer Andrea Burks shares creative tips on how churches can work toward creating environments that support emotional and mental wellbeing.

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Blog Feature

Church Design | interior design | Design Week | Great Outdoors

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

By: Lynn Pickard
December 03, 2020

Don't do it yet. But after reading this first paragraph, close your eyes for a moment. Imagine a stressful time in your recent past. If you could escape anywhere in the world to help reduce your anxiety, where would you go?

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Blog Feature

Church Design | interior design | Relaunch Church | Rapid Relaunch | Design Week

Designing Churches to Shape Culture and Solve Problems

By: Derek DeGroot
December 01, 2020

The built environment is complex, changing, and needs fresh thinking to solve today’s challenges. The pandemic has created new problems to solve and accelerated the problems already occurring. Recent data from Barna highlights shifts in our culture and how they are—or soon will be—affecting the church.

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