Church Buildings - Dos and Don'ts #3

21. A little extra money when the building is being built, can save a ton of money and trouble in the future.

22. Sometimes volunteer help can get mighty expensive. Make sure they know what they’re doing.

23. Never put a 90 degree angle in a drain line. If you have to turn 90 degrees, do it with two 45 degree angles. 90 degree angles get stopped up more easily. Never lay a too small drainpipe. I’ve actually seen a church drain line of ½ inch pipe and 90 degree angles through the concrete foundation; it was also stopped up.

24. Make the church sign extra large. Consider how fast people are driving by in front of your building. Put up a temporary sign, drive by 5 or 10 miles over the speed limit (with the highway patrol‘s permission, of course :-) ), and see if you can easily read it. Digital signs are nice, fancy, and convenient, but most people driving by do not have time to read your message.

25. Usually a church sign is best if it is placed perpendicular to the main road in front of the church. If you are on a corner, don’t be tempted to angle it toward both roads; that just makes it difficult to read from any direction. Pick one road or the other, and place it perpendicular and as close to the road as possible.

26. If you have leftover dirt from a retention pond, etc., make a berm in an area that will not affect drainage; or drainage can be diverted around it. A berm is a gently rolling hill. Make the slope gentle enough that it can be easily mowed. The kids will love playing on it.

27. A nice nursery and outdoor playground is an advertisement that young adults and kids are welcome. If nothing else, just build a solid, safe, swing set and treehouse out front or to the side of the building.

28. If you have a church parsonage, never locate it next to the church building. A pastor and his family need their privacy. A parsonage should be at least a mile or two from the church.

29. State conventions and LifeWay have helpful, often free, information on constructing church facilities.

30. God bless Volunteer Christian Builders, Texas Baptist Men, and other Christian groups that volunteer to construct buildings for churches and Christian camps. If they come to your church, feed them well!

I know there are many other considerations. But the above can save you a world of aggravation. (Church Buildings - Dos and Don’ts; part 3 of 3)

-by David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, August 18, AD 2009.

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ChurchBuildings - Dos and Don'ts #1

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Church Buildings - Dos and Don'ts #2

11. All exposed wood should be resistant to rotting. Use only treated wood, cedar, or hardiplank. Never use untreated wood when that wood may be exposed to moisture.

12. Have someone who is knowledgeable about drainage to keep an eye on all building and dirt moving. Often people trying to solve drainage problems, instead make them worse. Remember that in a heavy rain massive amounts of water will be pouring off the roof. Proper drainage will allow that water to quickly flow away from the building.

13. Have outdoor water faucets on each side of the building. This helps tremendously with landscaping. If you can’t easily water plants, they usually will not be watered. Have an outdoor above ground water cutoff. Outdoor electrical outlets are also convenient.

14. Make the building safe, solid, and able to stand the test of time. Get the advice of good carpenters. Spend some extra time and money to build it right.

15. It may help to place the restrooms, kitchen, and any rooms that need water in the same general vicinity. A shower or two in the restrooms are also convenient.

16. Make large, nice restrooms. Make both adequate, but make the ladies restrooms larger. Don’t force them to stand in line.

17. Keep the building well lighted and inviting during evening services. Never use light bulbs with a tiny amount of wattage. After all, we are to be the light of the world. I once changed a tiny light bulb with a much larger one in a church entrance; it made such a difference people thought the room had been repainted.

18. Place long, narrow, vertical windows on all the classroom doors so people can see in. This is for convenience and can deter any improper activity in the classroom. Outside glass doors are inviting to visitors and welcome people in.

19. A church cannot hardly have too much property. Until needed, extra land can be rented out or if in the country, let the neighbor run cows on it. Use it for a baseball field. It is much better to have too much property than not enough.

20. A church building can scarcely have too much storage space. Build extra and larger closets. (Church Buildings - Dos and Don’ts; part 2 of 3)

-by David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, August 17, AD 2009.

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I’m not an expert in architecture or carpentry. But there are some obvious things I’ve noticed through the years that can make a significant difference in church buildings and landscaping. Some can save a world of headache down through the years. This is primarily related to small churches, but most will apply to churches of all sizes. These comments are in no particular order.

1. Never have flat roof on a church building. Years ago SWBTS professor Dr. Gary Waller noted that they always seem to put the drain at the high point of that flat roof. So there is standing water on the roof just trying to find a way in.

2. Tie down the roof with hurricane clips, galvanized metal straps, or whatever will work in high winds. Build it extra strong and secure.

3. Use galvanized nails or outdoor/exterior screws in all areas that may receive rain or moisture. Regular interior nails and screws can rust out.

Better yet, use treated wood and galvanized nails/screws throughout the building, inside and out.  From top to bottom.  Make all wall studs treated wood.  Use treated plywood.  Use exterior grade material on the inside.  Then you will probably never again have to worry about termites or water damage.  Now days you can even order roof trusses and door frames that are made of treated wood.  It costs a little more, but is well worth it. 

4. Always put the church parking lot at the front, or at least to the side of the buildings. A full parking lot that can easily be seen is free advertisement to the church. I had a preacher friend with nice, new facilities and plenty of room. But the parking lot was behind the church building. On a Sunday morning with a full church, people driving by thought the church was empty or abandoned.

5. Build up the church foundation at least six inches higher than needed. A little extra cost to prevent flooding will make a world of difference in years to come. A building on a concrete foundation cannot later be raised. So haul in extra dirt and build it high.

6. Never make the sidewalks the same level or even close to the same level as the inside of the church building. This forms a moat and encourages flooding and soggy ground.

7. When laying the sidewalks, every so often put drainage pipes (3 inch pvc pipes minimum) under the sidewalk. Especially put them in natural drainage areas. Or you can lower the sidewalk in certain areas to allow rain water to flow over it.

8. Do not bring the pavement right up to the foundation of the buildings. Leave at least 10 feet between pavement and the church building. Over 10 feet is even better. Leave room for a green space, shade or fruit trees, shrubs, some kind of landscaping. This can really improve the appearance of your buildings. Too many leave no space or just two or three feet between paved areas and the building; that is not nearly enough room and nothing of significance can be planted in such a confined area.

9. Some quick landscape notes: Keep string trimmers and mowers away from all trees and shrubs. Don’t let a trimmer ever touch the trees. Damage the bark and the tree is seriously damaged. Trimmers are murder on trees! Countless trees have been slowly killed this way. Plant trees in a well drained sunny location, plant them an inch or two higher than they were growing in the pot, water in well, and keep the ground around them covered in mulch. Water them often for the first month or two until they are established.

10. Do not use the cheapest, or the most expensive building materials. If at all possible, especially don’t use the cheapest.

-by David R. Brumbelow, Gulf Coast Pastor, August 12, AD 2009.

Church Buildings - Dos and Don'ts #2
Church Buildings - Dos and Don'ts #3
Adrian Rogers on "Wit & Wisdom of Pastor Joe Brumbelow"