Written By Derek DeGroot, Aspen Group Architect

Each year we get better at designing Third Place spaces, crucial spots that are rejuvenating and welcoming.  But there must be more to this architecture- something that embodies being both fishers of men and making disciples of all nations.  

Redesigned lobbies are trending today in churches nationwide, being transformed from people movers to hotbeds of activity.  We have succeeded in including our third place space more routinely than ever, but now we must focus in on the mission of our church to obtain the sense of community we strive for.  Our identity, our stories, equipping places, and the opportunity to interact with the church must all be accounted for within the relational spaces.

We create this “Missional Home Base” to offer an experience that rejuvenates people through relationships, adequately portrays the Mission of the Church, and allows the opportunity to get involved.  By doing all three in the same space, we can eliminate the time lapse between being impacted and impacting others.

Only the Mission of the church will distinguish our facilities from retail centers like Starbucks and Panera, and turn the consumption mindset into the giving mindset God intended for our lives.  This is the path to a true sense of community.

There are times in life when we no longer can accept the ineffectiveness of what has become “normal” and our passion drives significant change. The “Future Travelers” effort was launched with this holy discontent of normal; a normal that has fostered a consumerist mindset as well as a church culture with which up to 60% of our community is unable to connect.

Alan Hirsch and a band of mega church pastors could no longer accept the decline of the church in Western society. As a result, a joint effort called Future Travelers was launched to develop missional movements. These movements create disciples as well as connect with the 60% who are not being reached by current models of ministry.  

Aspen Group’s CEO Ed Bahler, was invited by Alan Hirsch to help facilitate Future Travelers.  Ed, who is often described as a visionary and learner, has spent the past decade focusing on how aligning vision, ministry, leadership and facility space can powerfully enhance ministry.  He welcomed the opportunity to be a part of the Future Travelers initiative and has since helped launch two new groups. There are now over 30 pastors who are being trained to become the next phase of leaders who will develop more incarnational and missional expressions for their churches.

Here’s a list of a few characteristics that describe a Future Traveler:

• Fully surrendered and trusting God for leading their church
• Feeling a holy discontent with the status quo
• Committed to discipling and transformed lives  
• Passionate about reproducing ministry beyond their church walls
• Experienced in pioneering initiatives to transform their community

For more information on Future Travelers visit http://www.missional.com/

A church that puts high value on worship, connection, and serving, their prior space presented significant barriers to taking their ministry and programs to a higher level.  A 270-seat sanctuary was added, providing a beautiful, traditional space for worship.  The design included the new fellowship hall, located adjacent to the sanctuary.  It not only serves as the crossroads to all other parts of the church, but also offers the adaptability to be used for overflow seating where people still feel connected to services in the sanctuary, has provided a richer experience for special services, weddings, and baptisms.

Its adaptability was utilized when a recent statewide youth event was held at the church with the focus on connecting and serving.  Gathering first at the church, 120 young people from across Indiana came together for a community outreach project.  Many felt it was their best youth outreach project ever, partly because the new ministry space provided ample room to connect first at the church and easily move to different areas to prepare for the day.

“Hometown Nazareth” their VBS theme last summer, came to life with new dimensions and elements made possible by the new Fellowship Hall.  The ceiling heights in the new space allowed for temporary theming and partitions to be hung, something they had not been able to incorporate before and the “crossroads” lay-out provided an easy flow from activity to activity during VBS.  The results were an enriched learning experience for the children.

A warm, inviting, beautiful church is a good thing, but when that is combined with the vision of the church being captured in the design of each ministry space, then people can worship, connect and serve in even greater ways. 

As we enjoy the festivities of Christmas…..decorating the tree, the giving and receiving of gifts, our family traditions, and amazing food, we remember that it’s all about relationships. Especially the relationship with God made possible through that baby in the manger. 

We hope you are able to take time out of the busyness of the Christmas festivities to appreciate all of the important relationships in your life.  The Aspen Group team wishes you a merry Christmas. We are thankful for the relationships we have with you on this blog, with our churches and ministries, and with our collaborative partners.

Written By Derek DeGroot, Aspen Group Architect

Matthew 28:19 So wherever you go, make disciples of all nations : baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

These two pieces of scripture have shaped the church of the last couple decades, birthing both the  Attractional movement and the Missional movement.  For some time, the pendulum has swung far toward Matthew 4:19, as we have become better Fishers of Men than ever before.  However, as some of the leading megachurches are finding today, the pendulum is beginning to swing toward the instructions of Matthew 28:19 as we become increasingly aware of the need to disciple His people.  The Missional Church embodies this effort.

Click to EnlargeRecently the Missional movement has begun to invade the Attractional church, filling the gaps in their disciple making while at the same time, the churches dwelling in a disciple making mode struggle with how to attract the lost.

As we move forward, these two opposite ends of the pendulum may meld into a church that can take us through the journey Jesus layed out for us, where we “Come and See”  (Connect) “Follow” (Disciple) and “Make you Fishers of Men” (Equip).

The Alignment of Facilities and Ministry is necessary to maximize the efforts of an impactful church, so we turn our attention to what the role these facilities have in the swinging pendulum.  How does a facility aid to Connect, Disciple, and Equip people?

Good Shepherd partnered with Aspen Group for the design and construction of an expansion project to meet their ministry needs.  Good Shepherd’s new connection area with a café, and a new multi-purpose venue for contemporary worship and community gatherings have provided ministry space to both draw the community in and enhance the current ministries of the church.

To read more about this Solomon Award winning project, please visit their project page.  

To see a full list of oll the 2011 Solomon Award winners, visit wfxweb.com/dallas-2011/2011-solomon-awards.

Written By Jed Davis, Aspen Group Project Developer

We recently hosted the Alignment 4 Conference in Naperville, IL. These conferences always stir much reflection and emotion from within myself as they're a tremendous reminder of our common thread, the Great Commission. An eclectic group of church leaders across ages, denominations, genders, locations, and races all wrestling with equipping and propelling the local church for impacting lives through the Gospel. It doesn't get much more compelling than this thread. A thread which resonates with the heart of Christ. 

In the end, the heart of Aspen Group is aligning these platforms and facilities. Allowing these leaders to boldly and confidently stand upon their platforms. Leaving lasting imprints upon their culture. Imprints of the love and sacrifice of our Savior. I'm thankful to play a small role in the overall picture of humanity and God. It's truly an honor. So, what are you reflecting upon this week? Be encouraged! Step up and walk upon the platform God has built for you. Your community is waiting.

I can't help but think of our unique callings. Our unique platforms the Lord has given to each. Platforms of ministries and missions within the communities we find ourselves. Platforms the others may never build or even see. I'm encouraged as these leaders ponder the relationships between their platforms and facilities. How does one cripple or support the other? What could be versus what is? And, what's my response or better yet my responsibility to these relationships?

Here is what Brad Leeper, President of Generis and returning speaker at the Alignment Conference on Oct 27^th had to say.

Why does the Alignment Conference capture my imagination?

• Churches that courageously move forward in their mission are there.
• Church leaders have their imagination stretched with some of the best innovation around.
• Churches link the connection between their mission and accelerating generosity. Being well funded means greater mission impact.
• Life change flows from churches that appropriately align the hearts of their people, generosity, and the church mission.
• I get to hang around people who dare to believe and take risks in their calling.
• It is amazing to see lights turn on when church leaders find a new pathway in their project.
• Good pizza in the neighborhood.

Cornerstone Conference Speakers, what is it about the Alignment Conference that captures your imagination? Leave your thoughts in the comments section.
 

We are very excited to be partnering with St. Paul’s Lutheran Church on a project that will result in the transformation of a deserted warehouse into a community-focused house of worship.

Through a process of focused exploration and careful planning, Aspen and St. Paul’s developed a design that truly captures the heartbeat of the church. Playing off of the church’s motto “Build the home, change the world,” the phrase “Family Room” was adopted as the overarching theme to convey both the concepts of creating a space for the church to reunite in, as well as creating room for many more families as St. Paul’s grows.

By incorporating various elements, we intend to transform this former warehouse, abandoned and purposeless, into an inviting space teaming with new life and purpose, ready for the Gospel to be proclaimed and God to be praised and glorified.

We invite you to visit St. Paul’s construction website and watch the amazing transformation taking place right now. The website is www.StPauls.aspengroup.com 

Alignment Conference Sneak Peak

Written By Derek DeGroot, Aspen Group Architect

It can sneak up on you.  You didn’t plan it this way, it just sort of happens.  You’ve been in the same church building for many years.  It was great in the 70’s and the 80s, but as your ministries have evolved, your building hasn’t.  We hear it often...  “Our ministries are defined by our building.”  What worked well when you had adult Sunday School classes or when your children’s ministries didn’t include a large-group worship time, may now be misaligned space.   Think about it.  When we miss ministry opportunities because we have a facility misaligned with who we are as a church, it can be a serious stewardship issue.

These are a few basic design indicators for properly aligned spaces, these spaces:

Design for Relationships
There are many reasons we repurpose, add on, or build brand new worship facilities.  From adding third place/connecting space, to accommodating an increase in attendance in the worship area or kids ministries, or needing more administration space for staff and counseling, we must realize that growing relationships symbolize healthy churches.  Design for them!  Explore what unique call your church has to offer in these relationships, and push the design of each space to enhance them.

Design for Facility Stewardship
It is a given that to be good stewards, there will be appropriate budgets tied to facility changes or additions, and its sustainability.  But in today’s world, “small” is the new “large.”  That makes it even more vital that there is strong collaboration in thinking through how the facility will look, how it will be used, and how it will be equipped to do ministry before construction ever starts.  Many churches are building smaller facilities but spending more per square foot to achieve the results they want.  Are you a steward of built environments?

Design for Experiential Space
When someone comes to your church, what do you want to happen?  Our guess is you want them to experience a connection with people, a connection with God, and a connection with becoming equipped to serve.  What do people see when they pull into the parking lot?  What do they feel when they walk through the front door?  What makes them want to hang out after the service?  Answering these questions will paint a picture of what the overall experience is at your church.  It isn’t just about how it “looks”….it is about creating spaces where  ministry will happen. Spontaneously.

Join Project Architect, Derek DeGroot  and Senior Project Developer, Greg Snider, at the Oct 27^th Alignment Conference, as they outline the elements that must be considered when laying out a facility that propels the mission/vision of your church.