BATON ROUGE – Churches should not construct buildings to create a monument, but rather as a tool to accomplish the Great Commission, Gary Nicholson said last week.
By Brian Blackwell
Staff Writer
BATON ROUGE – Churches should not construct
buildings to create a monument, but rather as a tool to accomplish the
Great Commission, Gary Nicholson said last week.
“A good user-friendly building will help you
accomplish that task,” Nicholson told approximately 85 people who
attended the 2006 Louisiana Church Building Conference at Istrouma
Baptist Church in Baton Rouge.
“You only have one chance to make that first
impression,” said the architect at LifeWay Christian Resources in
Nashville, Tenn. “Right now, for a church in New Orleans to have its
lights on is a good impression, but in other places, churches must do
much more.”
Nicholson was one of several speakers at the
conference, which was sponsored by the Louisiana Baptist Convention
Cooperative Program and the Church Architecture Department of LifeWay
Christian Resources.
Throughout the day, participants learned how to lead
their congregation in making the best decisions in building, expanding
or improving their facilities while fulfilling the mission of the
church.
A key to a successful building program is planning, Nicholson stressed. This includes a quality master plan.
“If you’re not willing to invest something, how can
you expect something in return?” he asked the participants. “If you do
a good job of working out the master plan, it will save you lots of
heartache down the line and reach that future you are trying to invest
in your church.”
Another key component to a building program is fundraising.
“The first step should be prayer in each member’s
home,” Randy Tompkins, president of Cornerstone Consultant Ministries,
said. “It should only be a prayer visit and the amount they should give
shouldn’t be brought up. To do this properly sets the right tone for
the rest of the campaign.”
In addition to prayer visits, Tompkins said other
components of a fundraising campaign should include enlistment
training, letters to members, brochures, banquet and commitment time.
Tompkins cautioned churches not to exceed a 14-week to 36-month fund-raising time frame.
“We’ve found that when you go past 36 months at one time, your contribution level drops off,” he emphasized.
For more information about church construction, call
800-622-6549, ext. 219, e-mail lisa.smith@lbc.org or visit
www.lifeway.com/churcharchitecture.