When the new year rolled around, it looked like all bloggers and consultants published their “X trends for this or that“.  Well I did not want to be left behind…but  wanted to wait so that our list would not get lost in the shuffle. So, here are the 10 trends that I see occurring this year and over the next several years associated with Facility Stewardship and Church Development/Construction. We are now more than 1/2 way through 2012…and these 10 Trends are even more relevant than at the beginning of the year:

1. Open Book – Transparency is the word of the present and future- How much does something cost?  What is your fee?  Who benefits from savings on a project?  Who is responsible for this and that? How do I know I am getting what I paid for?  These questions are the talk among the churches we are meeting with and listening to.  Information is too readily available…so to not be transparent makes it appear like you are trying to hide something…whether you are or not.

2. Going Green – This is not longer a fad….we have addressed this several times over this past year…which is why I wrote “The GREEN CHURCH Initiative” …download your free copy and see how going green is not only environmentally wise, but also fiscally and operationally responsible….go SAVE some green

3. Smaller is Better – Late last year, I spent an extended time talking to Jim Tomberlin…the multi-site guy. He indicated that the trend he is seeing is that churches that are growing were doing smaller facilities….but possibly more of them.  In fact, he stated that the 800-1200 seat worship center was becoming more the “norm” for large churches with the initiative of opening satellite campuses or other on-site venues. I think this is not only a trend…but a really good use of dollars. Churches are also finding a way to do ministry in less space, whether it is owned or rented.  This is good stewardship

4. Save Operational dollars – “How do we reduce our operational expenditures?” This is a question being asked by almost every church I talk to.  How can we reduce utility consumption?  How can we lower or budget? How do we lower our insurance premium? Can we in-source or outsource and save money? These questions have become very prevalent the past 2 years…but I believe they will continue as they are the RIGHT questions we should have been asking all along.

5. Let’s take care of what we have – I am seeing more and more churches exploring how to better steward of what they have.  We just finished a Facility Assessment for a church in South Carolina and I want to commend them for stepping back and making sure they were stewarding what God had entrusted to them BEFORE they built new space.

6. Planning new buildings with a keen awareness of operational costs - As I have stated before, 71% of the total cost of ownership of our ministry facilities can be attributed to operational cost where only 20% is for “sticks and bricks.”  So, as we plan buildings, churches are going to have to be more cognizant of the future and ongoing operational costs.  Those who do this will save significant monies in the future.

7.  Churches want more “control” of the process – The day of “here is a contract, see you at dedication” is a thing of the past.  Church members and staff are more educated and have access to so much more information.  Because of that, they want to be more involved with their facility development.

8. Specializations…not jack of all trade – The “generalist” is not going to serve the needs of the church market in the long run.  Our facilities are too specialized…from how we do ministry…to the technology…to the communication…to the systems…to the long term care.  The past “Jack of all trades” will not keep up.  Have you even looked at how complicated and computerized HVAC systems are?  It is like new automobiles…all running off computers.  In most cases, the guy that could change his own spark plugs in his 1984 Caprice Classic can not repair much of anything in a newer model.

9. Technology is your friend- Welcome to the 21st century.  Cloud computing is alive…well…and not going away. Tablets are the rave and they are selling faster than stores can keep up with.  There are so many great software applications that can assist churches be more effective and efficient in the planning, care and scheduling of their facilities.  Obviously I am biased and think that the products from Cool Solutions Group are “best in class”….but there are many other very good  solutions.  The key  is to find the right solution then embrace them and see how they can save time and money.

10. IPD thinking – IPD stands for “Integrated Project Delivery” which is the current buzz in the construction world.  In essence, it is a mind set that all of the key stakeholders for a project are involved in the project early and often.  Each with a level of shared accountability and responsibility, including the church.  A real team is developed where there is a common focus on what is right for the project…leaving egos and ulterior motives checked at the door.  In most cases, this involves #1 above….which is the transparency that is a must in order to have real collaboration, trust and success of the project.

BONUS TREND – New Church Construction will be sluggish…and here are the reasons why:

a. Churches will be more intentional and deliberate about any new construction initiative.  They will explore other ways of doing ministry before they venture off to build a new building or a new campus. They will count the costs more intentional than they would have in the past 2 decades.
b. Smaller projects will be the rule instead of the exception.  Smaller venues….smaller additions…smaller project size and scope…more renovation and re-purposing of existing spaces…more up-fits of commercial space and “big box” retail sites.
c. More will be done to improve the condition of existing facilities.  Churches are and will realize the value of their existing campuses and will be more proactive in the care and life cycle management of their current facilities before they embark on a new project.

There you have it….my 10 Trends (and a bonus) for the Church development and life cycle management.  How do you see these?  Are there more you would list?

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Tags: church building, church construction, comperio C3, Construction Management, facilities management, room scheduling