Church facilities matter. The people and the physical spaces that make up the church are conduits for connecting people to God and others. But the story has shifted over the past few decades.
With the advent and advancement of today’s mobile platforms and their constant access to endless digital clutter, spaces have become more like rest stops—places to visit briefly along our journey—and less like destinations. And so we, as church designers, architects, pastors, elders, and leaders, must consider how our church buildings should be designed to reach and serve this cultural shift.
Can we still offer places for people to simply be still? Can we offer restful spaces, or respites, that veer off the beaten path to provide personal and individual space? Can they contain positive distractions? Can they connect people to God?
Derek DeGroot, lead architect at Aspen Group, believes we can—and must—design churches intentionally to reach the next generation for God. In his presentation, "Is the Church You’re in Today Built to Reach People in the Future,” originally presented at the 2015 Alignment Conference, DeGroot shares specific ways for churches to meet and reach the culture of today and tomorrow, including:
- Incorporating nature within church facilities
- Integrating pop-up and modular spaces in the community
- Providing work space for creatives and independent contractors
- Partnering with local institutions or other local churches to attract Millennials
Watch Derek’s video, "Is the Church You’re in Today Built to Reach People in the Future,” now.
