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Big Rocks/Little Rocks -- Relocating Your Church

As printed in the Covenant Companion October 1999, By Steve Dawson
As a river-rafting guide in Colorado for a number of years, I had to learn rules of the river in order to avoid life-threatening accidents. Two of the most important were the

Rules of Big Rocks and Little Rocks. They go something like this:

1. Big rocks can kill you. Avoid them at all costs.
2. Little rocks won't kill you unless they force you into the big rocks (in which case, refer back to #1).

Guides were taught to look as far down the river as possible to find the big rocks. Then they would work their way back, finding the smaller rocks, and eventually the little rocks. With that information, the guide could find the best way to get safely through the next stretch of the river, including the big rocks.

Relocating a church is a bit like navigating a rocky stretch of river. There are many risks and challenges that lie ahead. Here are just a few of the big rocks that a church should look for when thinking about relocating.

Counting the cost
There are emotional and financial costs in relocating. Many people in a congregation have strong emotional ties to a church building: "This is the place where my child was baptized," or "My daughter was married here," or "My spouse had his memorial service here." A church building becomes holy ground for many in the congregation. The loss of that place will trigger a form of grief, and opposition to a move as a result. Relocation is a process the congregation must have time to work through the emotional issues.
The financial costs are great as well. The average cost for construction of a new facility is about $100 per square foot plus land costs. The average selling price for an old facility is $50 to $75 per square foot, with no value given to the land. A congregation with an existing 15,000-square-feet facility will spend close to a million dollars before they have added the 15,001st square foot. In addition, most congregations who need to relocate haven't had a mortgage for some time, and haven't factored that cost into their budget.

The right reasons: There are basically three acceptable rationales for relocation.
First, the church has outgrown its facility and has no other reasonable alternatives on the current site. This means the church is in multiple services, the facility can't handle more people, and the parking lot is overflowing. The church has done a "space audit" to ensure that they are using all available space in the building.

Second, the current facility is falling down and the cost to repair it is too great. Without a new facility of some sort, there isn't going to be a place to meet.

Third, the church can squeeze one more building project on to its current site and get another few thousand feet of usable space. However, if that only buys the church another two or three years of projected growth, it's pretty shortsighted. The church won't get its money back if they sell, and there will be fewer churches capable of purchasing the enlarged facility.

The wrong reasons

Since there are right reasons to consider a relocation, there are also wrong reasons. Congregations wrongly assume that a new location and building will:

• attract new people to the church
• inspire the congregation to worship
• motivate members to reach out more effectively
• motivate members to give more generously
• unify the congregation
• involve more people in the work of the church
• make a statement to the community
• help members take more pride in the church
• enable a congregation to go back to one worship service

All of the above may happen as a part of the new project, but typically won't happen if some of those things aren't already in place. A new facility can only help a church improve what it is already doing.

A few other things to consider

Buying a used facility from another congregation sounds good, but there are pitfalls. The facility acquired was designed for another congregation and may not fit the needs of a new congregation. The community may view the new congregation as part of the old congregation. The church will also miss out on the "bump" in visitor flow that most churches experience when moving into a new facility. The savings on purchase price of a used facility can pale quickly if the place doesn't work for your congregation. Using the Covenant average per attender giving level, a difference of thirty people in attendance can mean a loss of $36,240 per year in general fund income. That amount would fully amortize $375,000 in added debt (at 7.5 percent, twenty-year amortization).

Think big. Many churches do not plan for the future, and end up without sufficient room to grow. This means that the church has gone through all of the struggles associated with a move and ends up right back in the same dilemma within a few years.
Watch for the miracles. Sometimes, we are tempted to do everything ourselves, and are not open to what God may want to accomplish. This means looking for unexpected doors to open up and point the congregation at the right parcel, design, or strategy. It can also be an unexpected gift that comes in when God's people are challenged to make a commitment.

Challenge the congregation. Relocating is a significant fiscal and emotional challenge for a congregation. It can also be a unique teachable moment in the life of the church, a point where people can understand the need for sacrificial giving. As a result, they are more open to stewardship and organized capital funds drives.

An organized capital fund drive is so important that we require a new congregation seeking to build their first facility to bring in outside professional help to plan the process. A well-orchestrated, three-year capital fund drive can yield up to 1.5 to 2.5 times the church's current general budget. A church with $100,000 budget could expect to raise an additional $50,000 to $83,333 per year over and above that amount. Also, a capital fund drive doesn't usually hurt general fund giving. It is often the first time people have been challenged in their giving. After a capital funds drive, many find they have a whole new perspective on giving.

Don't go back. Once a congregation has moved into a new facility, there may be a temptation to go back to having one or two services each Sunday. Typically, that proves counterproductive and the church loses momentum. A church should strive to keep as many avenues (and times of worship) available to serve the community.

Some examples Arvada Covenant Church in Arvada, Colorado, was cramming 1,000 people per Sunday into their facility. People were parking on neighborhood streets, generating ill will in the community. The congregation looked at expanding on their current three-acre site, but it proved too costly, and would have left no room for expansion. Instead, the congregation purchased a well-situated, fifteen-acre parcel, and built a new 45,000 square foot facility. In the first six months in the new facility, their average attendance has jumped from 1,000 to 1,500.

The Evangelical Covenant Church of Manistee, Michigan, had a 100-year old facility with a crumbling foundation and little usable life remaining. In addition, the building was not handicap accessible. They could have razed the current facility and rebuilt on the same site, but it was too small (less than an acre). Instead they acquired a nine-acre parcel on the edge of town and are under construction for this new facility.

The Evangelical Covenant Church of Lafayette, Indiana, was concerned that they would have significant trouble selling their old facility. They put their building up for sale while they moved ahead with planning for a new facility. Within a few days, they had two offers on their old facility. They agreed to sell, giving up occupancy at the end of the calendar year. The church had targeted a piece of property that consisted of three adjacent parcels owned by three different partisan of which were willing to sell. However, within days of agreeing to sell their old facility, all three landowners contacted the church about selling their property. The church worshiped in a local Christian school for fourteen months while their new facility was built. Attendance grew by more than fifty people at the school, and jumped another 100 people during the first year in the new facility.

All three of these projects were funded by National Covenant Properties.

If your church is considering a need to relocate, feel free to call the Department of Church Growth and Evangelism for assistance.

Steve Dawson is the director of technical services for the Department of Church Growth and Evangelism. Any given day he is assisting several Covenant churches with any and all facility needs.