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EAGLE NOTE 101 WHY DO CHRISTIANS BUILD CHURCHES? This question always prompts very interesting conversations. Ask this question at your next meeting. You will be amazed at some of the answers. If your ministry is planning a new facility make a list of these responses. This list should then become the foundational document for your new facility. Many churches fail to do this and once their new facility is completed they realize very basic needs were not met. One church we surveyed built a new educational wing. The main objective of this new wing was to eliminate sharing classrooms. Everyone was excited and approved the new building project. In the final days of construction they started assigning classrooms. Only then did they realize two additional classrooms were needed. What had happened? Why did they not have enough rooms? They had not started any new classes. What they had not done was make a list of all the classes in the design phase. The end result was four classes had to share classrooms. Is accurate planning important? Getting back to our question though, "Why do Christians build churches?" There are many very good reasons as your discussion will show. However, is there one reason more important than any other? Actually there is. The primary reason Christians build churches is to have a place for people to come and hear the Word of God. As a matter of fact if you take the Word of God away then a church is actually nothing more than a country club. If we agree on the primary reason Christians build churches then should not hearing the Word of God be the basis for every design decision. All too often hearing the Word of God is not even mentioned until the finishing stage of the construction process. Most churches start calling sound contractors once the sheetrock is installed. By this time many churches have not only lost several opportunities to save money but also end up with a lower performance sound system. The performance of your sound system is directly related to the acoustics of your Sanctuary. Although acoustics cannot be seen, the laws of physics are just as real as the air we breathe. Another fact is no amount of money spent on equipment can overcome an acoustic problem. The acoustics of your space are determined by the shape of the room and the construction materials used. Acoustics affect virtually every space in a church facility: Sanctuary, classrooms, offices, conference rooms, gymnasiums, etc. How many times have you attended an event in a gymnasium and struggled to understand the message over the roar? Each building project should start with an Acoustician. By hiring a qualified acoustician first having great sounding spaces add no additional cost to your facility.

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