Church Design

Aspen Group Blog

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

Blog Feature

children's ministry space | Relaunch Church | kidmin

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

By: Evan McBroom
June 15, 2021

What’s trending in kid’s ministry? It's a whirlwind of getting back into your space, adding new processes, and welcoming newcomers and longtimers. We love to connect with and support the team at Orange, currently on their Orange Tour Limited. I spoke recently with Orange Kids Specialist, Missy Purcell, about trends and the advice they are offering as they support church leaders.

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church facilities | Ministry | Relaunch Church

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

By: Missy Purcell
April 15, 2021

As a KidMin Specialist for Orange, I coach children’s ministry teams throughout the country and get a glimpse behind the leadership curtain of many different churches. During COVID-19, no area has been fraught with as many safety and logistical challenges as your children’s ministry. If you don’t have a kidmin leader who’s part of your church leadership team, it’s time to include them! 

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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 facilities | Ministry | Relaunch Church

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

By: Marian V. Liautaud
April 07, 2021

Most churches have learned how to use digital tools to continue to share the gospel and help people find an anchor in this storm. Week by week throughout the pandemic, churches have become more adept at producing online worship services and conducting small groups and children’s ministry via social media and video platforms.  Now, the urgency of trying to figure out how to shepherd congregations virtually is giving way to a new question—what shape will ministry programs take in light of all we’ve learned during the pandemic?

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Blog Feature

Leadership | Relaunch Church | Phygital

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

By: Evan McBroom
April 01, 2021

As the country began to shut down last year because of COVID, Pastor Taylor Burgess and his leadership team at Cross Community Church in Beaufort, South Carolina, made an important decision. As a church, they would not lie down and die. They committed to facing the future with courage. Cross Community has been working on transitioning from a portable to permanent space, plus navigating a capital campaign, all amid the pandemic. I spoke with Taylor, who serves as lead pastor, to see what advice he would offer other churches in the midst of a building project or other major change.

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Blog Feature

Community Impact | Relaunch Church | Phygital

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

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.

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Blog Feature

Leadership | church facilities | Relaunch Church

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

By: Marian V. Liautaud
February 23, 2021

When COVID-19 hit the U.S., church leaders faced the unexpected and overwhelming challenge of closing their doors. You may have had to quickly figure out how to stream services and move ministry activities online. Now, you’re likely grappling with the daunting details of how to reopen your facilities for in-person worship and other ministries. You and your church leadership team are wrestling myriad questions and concerns about how to relaunch church in COVID-safe ways. At the same time, as a leader, you need to lift your eyes, look out at the horizon, and ask, “What have we learned about our church in this crisis that can help us prepare for a new season of ministry?”  

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Church Design | Relaunch Church | Phygital

How to Design for In-Person and Online Church Experiences

By: Josh Gregoire
February 04, 2021

Churches are in the midst of a huge transition. They’re prioritizing both the physical experience of people gathering in person for church, as well as the digital experience of people connecting online for worship, fellowship, and learning. Welcome to the world of “phygital” church—the blending of the physical and digital to maximize how churches connect with people and help them draw closer to God and others. My Aspen colleague, Rob Gordon, and I met on Facebook Live for a conversation about phygital church. Rob and others on Aspen's design team are continually asking, How can we use principles of architecture and design to create a phygital experience at church?

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Blog Feature

Church Culture | Community Impact | Relaunch Church

Relaunching Church in a COVID World

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.

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Church Design | church facilities | Relaunch Church

4 Ways to Reimagine Large Gathering Spaces for Smaller Groups

By: Marian V. Liautaud
January 26, 2021

Since COVID-19 hit and churches were forced to leave their buildings, Aspen Group has been working to help churches prepare to relaunch. "Some of the key church spaces Aspen focuses on, like worship and gathering spaces, have been empty as Americans have stayed safe at home," says Aspen Group Project Architect Craig Dobyns. "My design attention shifted from how we gather and fellowship as a church body in our buildings, to how our buildings can serve the community that is staying at home. Our buildings are still ministry tools, and churches are in a unique position to reimagine their space, even if temporarily."  

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Blog Feature

church facilities | Relaunch Church | Rapid Relaunch | Design Week

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

By: Marian V. Liautaud
January 12, 2021

Even as the new year starts, churches across America are facing ongoing challenges brought on by the pandemic. Added to the effects of COVID are tectonic shifts in culture that are changing the way churches will reach people with the hope of the gospel. Aspen has been partnering for years with Barna to explore how to leverage data and design to build a better future for the Church.

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