Katie shared this link with me yesterday morning and i thought that it was a wonderful article and I have been looking through the site to see what other goodness I can find. At MUMC we are in the incubation stages of developing a new worship service that is targeted at drawing in those who don’t have a church home. I am trying to get my head around the ways that we could (cheaply and cleanly) make our facilities more attractive and welcoming to those who have no faith community. Take a read:
“iChurch” | BuildingForMinistry.com | Culture, Leadership, Church Facilities
No one has redefined the way technology is used like Steve Jobs. He put the word “personal” in the personal computer. His subsequent breakthroughs with music players and phones have shown his uncanny ability to understand the market and create products that, in some cases, people didn’t even know they needed.
So, if Steve Jobs were to design your next church building, I think he would offer three guiding principles.
1: Make It User-Centric
When Jobs approached telephone service carriers for the yet-unseen iPhone, it was a world the carriers ruled. Phones were just a way to get people locked into two years of service. Jobs successfully negotiated a new set of rules with AT&T. He also developed the most advanced (and beautiful) cell phone yet—all because of a relentless focus on the customer.Translation: Church buildings should be designed based on who will use the building and how they will use it—including ways they haven’t even considered yet. How do people interact with each other—virtually and in real life? Where do people find their sacred space? Where do the people in our ministry focus like to hang out? Answers to these questions have huge implications for building design.
If your mission is to bring to your building people who don’t go to church (yours is an attractional church), then see your facility through the eyes of those people. A recent research project by Cornerstone Knowledge Network revealed that unchurched people prefer lots of signage, a beautiful worship space, and plenty of room for connecting with others.
If you are called primarily to disciple and equip others to influence their world (yours is an incarnational church), you might want to include areas for large-group and small-group teaching and interaction. Traditional religious icons and appointments may also be incorporated.
