Church Building

Do you remember the old rhyme that says “here’s the church and here’s the steeple, open the doors and here’s the people?” If you do, you might also remember that the church is not a building, but it is the people. And yet, of course, most churches need buildings to be able to do their ministry.

In the same vein, the Bible clearly teaches that God cannot be contained in a building. And neither should a church’s ministry be contained within a building. Instead, it should use its buildings as a platform from which it should launch its ministry into the community.

Help With New Construction or Renovations:

With that in mind, our State Board of Missions offers church building services to the congregations of the Alabama Baptist Convention. In doing this, our desire is to help churches use their buildings as tools for building God’s Kingdom by sharing the Gospel. We do this in three basic ways:

1) We try to help churches to not over build.

2) We try to help churches to not under build.

3) We try to help churches to not mis-build.

Church Building Consultations:

One way we provide church building services to the congregations of our state is by providing either telephonic or on site consultation with churches about their new building plans or their plans to renovate their existing buildings. We can provide this service free of charge to a cooperating Southern Baptist Church because of their giving to missions through the Cooperative Program. To arrange for an on-site consultation, contact State Missionary Otis Corbitt (phone: 1-800-264-1225 Ext 332 or email: ocorbitt@alsbom.org)

Church Building Conference:

Another way we help churches with their construction needs is through our annual Church Building Conference. At this conference you will learn about the church building process as well as to make contacts with architects and other vendors who can help you with your church building needs. Click here more information about our annual Church Building Conference.

LifeWay’s Church Architecture Department:

Another way to access a lot of good information about your church building needs is to access information from the LifeWay Christian Resource’s Church Architecture Department. You can do this by going to their website: www.lifeway.com/ca.

Financing Church Construction Projects:

Regardless of how well designed a building may be, or how much it is needed by the church, every construction project must be funded properly. A very good source of information about financing church building projects is the Church Finance Ministry of the North American Mission Board. Check them out on the web at: www.churchfinanceministry.com.

Capital Fundraising:

No discussion of church building services would be complete without discussing capital fundraising. The State Board of Missions is committed to help churches with these needs as well. To find out more about capital fundraising campaigns, you should contact State Missionary Jim Swedenburg in our office of Cooperative Program & Stewardship Development at 1-800-264-1225, ext. 283 or by email at jswedenburg@alsbom.org.

Resources:

Included below are a number of links to resources that will be helpful to you as you negotiate the building or renovation process.

Video Series from the State Board of Missions:
• Church Building Services

Documents from the State Board of Missions:
• Constructing New Churches in Alabama: A Summary Guide
• List of Architects and Vendors Working in Alabama
• Church Facility Survey Opinionaire
• Church Building Accessibility Survey
• Church Weekday Education Facility Details
• Guidelines for Church Signs

Documents from Lifeway Christian Resources:
• Rules of Thumb: Space and Dimension Recommendations
• Church Growth and Church Facilities
• The Planning and Building Process
• Selecting the Right Architect
• Student Ministry Space
• Preschool Guidelines
• Recommendations for Preschool Floors
• Recreation Facility Checklist
• Plan and Build with A Winning Attitude
• User Friendly Church

Documents from the Church Finance Ministry of NAMB:
• Church Construction Resource Guide

• Volunteer Construction Resource Guide
• Interim Space Guide
• After A Disaster Booklet

We’re Always Ready to Help:

Feel free to call upon us at anytime to help you with any aspect of this project. We stand ready to help you with all of your church ministry needs because we are a mission board and you are part of our mission field. We thank you for the chance to partner with you. Please don’t hesitate to contact State Missionary Otis Corbitt, at ocorbitt@alsbom.org or by phone at 1-800-264-1225, ext. 332, with any questions.

Your Gifts to Missions Make this Possible:

It is a great blessing to be a partner with your church as we jointly pursue the Great Commission together. Thank you for your giving to missions through the Cooperative Program. Your church should also continue supporting your local Baptist association. While local Baptist associations do not receive direct Cooperative Program funding, they do receive significant financial support from their partnership efforts with the State Board of Missions. This support is made possible through the Cooperative Program giving of Alabama Baptist churches. They also rely heavily upon the member churches to support their program of missions and ministry. Please support the work of your Director of Missions and your local Baptist Association!