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What a
Church Building Needs & Feasibility Study is *Not*
The
Purpose of a Needs & Feasibility Study
How Your
Church Benefits From a Needs & Feasibility Study
When is the Best Time to Do a Church Needs & Feasibility Study?
Recommended Resources
Download
Free Slide Show Presentation - Great for meetings with
the building committee, board, leadership team, or the whole
church. (PDF Format)
Church
Consulting
Resource
(external link)
Download White Paper:
Insights
on Achieving a Positive Church Construction
Experience
|
Quick Facts
w
There is no right way to build the wrong thing!
w Most churches do not think they
need a feasibility study (65%), and
w
Many are not properly equipped to perform an
effective and impartial study.
However...
w A feasibility study
may not
be what your church thinks it is, and
w Churches that do feasibility
studies are typically more satisfied with their building
programs(1),
and
w Churches that do feasibility
studies tend to have less conflict when they build(1),
and
w
In most cases, a feasibility study pays for itself by reducing the time, effort
and
cost of building.
Supporting
Documentation
Read the following references and see if there is not a
common thread of common sense and good practice.
w
In 2005, the
Rainer Group was commissioned by The Cornerstone Knowledge
Network to study the impact of building programs on
churches. From the resulting study of 321 churches came
several interesting facts that need to be taken into
consideration for any church that is contemplating a
building program.
Read
more...
w
Read the book, "Preparing
to Build: Practical Tips and Advice to Prepare Your Church
for a Building Program" to learn how to properly
prepare to build. View Table of
Contents or Sample Pages
w
A Word from the
Word
Job 18:7-8
Isaiah 5:21
Proverbs 11:14
Proverbs 15:22
Proverbs 18:13
Proverbs 20:18
Proverbs 24:3-6
What you Should Expect to Receive:
w
A clear
understanding of the vision and mission of the church, how
the current facilities do not meet the need and how the
proposed plan addresses those issues.
w
A factual
estimate of the churches financial ability to build.
w
An experienced
estimate on what you can reasonably afford to build,
given your finances, location and land issues.
w
A preliminary
review of current or proposed land to identify issues that
may significantly impact your building program.
w
Assistance in
understanding project variables and reviewing viable
options.
w
Conceptual floor
plan and elevation that meets ministry, budget and aesthetic
needs.
w
A written report
and recommendation that provides a plan with drawings
to present for vote.
This sounds
interesting, please contact me
Save 50% or more on Church Architectural and Design
Services
by using existing church plans.
w
Full Working Drawings ready to
build on your location including PM&E.
w
Proven plans from churches that
have already been built!
w
Customizable
w
Quick Turn-around
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Sitting on the Fence!
Going Around in
Circles!
Going Nowhere Fast!
These are all
phrases we've heard from churches about their building
plans.
Has your church
been meeting about building for months or years with
little to show for it?
Let
us show you a process that will either bring your building
program to life or put it to rest for a time - whichever is
the right answer!
Please
have someone contact me
|
A church
feasibility study is not someone just saying
you need to build and whether you can or cannot build on
your property. A feasibility study for your church is also
not designed to rubber stamp a decision or proposal already
made by church leaders.
A Study is
Not:
-
Just an financial estimate
-
Just a review of land and
land use
-
Only based on generic
building guidelines
-
Based on feelings, hunches
or instinct
-
Looking at a plan and asking
if it can be built on your property
-
Another name for long range
planning
According to
Wikipedia, a
feasibility study is a preliminary study undertaken
before the real work of a project starts to ascertain the
likelihood of the project's success. It is an analysis of
possible alternative solutions to a problem and a
recommendation on the best alternative.
The purpose of a
feasibility study is to provide the church with a qualified
report of objective and quantifiable
information. A feasibility study is a plan that will
define the scope, timing and budget of a building program,
and is instrumental in maintaining unity in the body of
Christ.
The feasibility
study will ask and answer the correct questions to
determine the most feasible of the possible options that,
within the actual financial ability of the church, best meet
the needs of the ministry, the congregation and the
community.
While no two churches have the same needs, there are
general questions every church needs answered
-
Do we
need to build, why is building the right
thing to do.
-
Why is the
selected church floor plan the right plan for
this church?
-
What do we
need to build and how was this determined from our
needs?
-
What can we
afford to build and how will we pay for
the building program?
-
When is the
right time to build with consideration to need
and financial ability?
-
Where to we
need to build and why is that the right decision?
In the final analysis...
the church will
benefit from a professional, objective
and qualified report (based on much
research and church input) that clearly answers
the questions of "who, what, when, where, why,
and how much". |
Request more
information
...
If
you read Insights on Achieving a Positive Church
Construction Experience, you already know a few specific
benefits to the church; the bottom line being that
churches which did feasibility studies tended to have better
outcomes. When you are talking about projects that
are commonly in the $750,000 to $5,000,000 price range, a
better outcome is not only of great importance, but it has a
dollar value.
Each church may
benefit differently from a needs & feasibility study, as each have
different needs, risk factors and skills, but you should
expect your church to derive most of the following benefits:
-
Increased overall support
for the building program.
-
Congregational unity on an
appropriate action and timing.
-
Reduced conflict in the
planning of your facilities.
-
Increased confidence in the
plan, timeline and budget.
-
Reduction in time
commitments for the church leaders and building
committee.
-
Elimination of dead-end
ideas that waste time, money and effort.
-
Reduced stress on the
leadership wondering if they've made the best decision
-
Reduced cost in
architectural and engineering fees.
-
Reduced costs in avoiding
preventable mistakes.
-
Reduced risk: financial,
legal and relational.
-
More realistic expectations
for the building program, a major factor in overall
satisfaction.
-
A faster, easier, more
efficient building program.
Do you really think its a coincidence
that 2 out of 3 churches rated their building experience as
less
than excellent when only about 1 out of 3 churches
did feasibility studies? You shouldn't...
There is a strong correlation between
churches that did feasibility studies and the reultilng overall
satisfaction with the building program.
|
Request more information on benefits
to your
church
It
is hard to do feasibility studies too early in the church
building process. If your church is planning on
building in the next 3 years, the time may be appropriate.
A feasibility study can be tailored to just about any
circumstance, timeline or budget. One of the things
that often comes out of a feasibility study is the need to
execute a capital stewardship campaign in order to meet the
financial commitments of the building program. The
earlier you run a campaign, the more money you will have for
your building program.
Many churches are
surprised to find out how much cash they need to get to the
point of being actually being ready to build. Once in
construction, the church can start drawing against a
construction loan, but before
then the church need a not insignificant amount of cash.
A feasibility study will not only highlight the financial
issues, but provides the background information necessary
for a successful
capital campaign. Conceptual drawings of
church floor plans
or master site plan can be part of the feasibility study, or
done later, depending on the individual situation.
Normally, concept plans are delivered as the final part of
the feasibility study, which can dovetail nicely with the
capital campaign.
If you are
prepared to start building immediately, the feasibility
study provides a plan, budget, and concept drawings for
church approval. Upon the church's approval, the
concept plans can be easily converted to full working
drawings, usually at a significant discount. The
amount of time that the church would typically spend
reinventing the wheel trying to learn how to run a building
program and then trying to do it right the first time is
greatly lessened. This translates into lower cost,
faster results and better buildings!
Have a
consultant contact you to for a free, no obligation phone
conference to answer your questions |