Articles for tag: Church Design

June 22, 2019

The Life-Changing Power of Storytelling

By Mel McGowan Story forms who we are, and story has the ability to transform who we can become. Story is at the core of the human condition. From the earliest cavemen to a contemporary campfire, each generation passes on collective and individual meaning through story. Story defines who we are, why we are, where we come from, and where we could go. Without narratives connecting the dots of our experience, we can exist only as schizophrenic creatures reacting to immediate stimuli. In indigenous Australian culture, narrative “songlines” are not just rhymes to entertain children or creation myths for spiritual

February 27, 2019

Christian Standard

Church Life

Neighborhood Church: Creating Connection

By Mel McGowan Forty years ago, Christian residents in a Visalia, California, neighborhood took notice of the children who cut through their yards on the way to meet up with friends. What caught their neighborsâ™ attention wasnâ™t the childrenâ™s chosen route, it was their shockingly foul language. That got the neighborhood folks thinking: These kids should be having innocent fun, yet they are swearing like sailors. Maybe these potty-mouthed children need connection. And what better way to connect with kids than to bake cupcakes for them? Soon, the childrenâ™s parents began coming around. The neighborhood cupcake outreach eventually transformed into

May 16, 2018

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Growth

Beyond Building Concepts and Renovations

LifePointe Christian Church in Elk Grove, California, develops a new space to reflect what they already have—deep relationships. By Mel McGowan “Imagine the church being the community of people that it’s supposed to be, where we are choosing to connect in deep, meaningful ways with others through relationship so we can pursue life to the fullest in Jesus,” says Chris Delfs, senior pastor of LifePointe Christian Church in Elk Grove, California. Delfs is talking about something that goes beyond building concepts and renovations. He desires to re-create his congregation’s current space into something that is warm and welcoming—a beautiful

June 19, 2017

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Growth

Here Is the Church . . . but Where Is the Steeple?

Nontraditional approaches to building use and design From urban artists” colonies in the Southwest to suburban Tennessee, independent Christian churches are challenging””and abandoning””traditional American church design. While every church featured this monthÂ is seeking to use its facility to further the gospel, each congregation is taking a unique approach. Click on these linksÂ for a sampling of some of the most unconventional church building approaches to be found among Christian churches and churches of Christ. These profiles are written by Justin Horey and Jennifer Johnson: Bayside Church, Roseville, California CrossWinds Church, Pleasanton, California Journey Church, Three Way, Tennessee Crosspointe Church of Cary,

August 28, 2005

Jennifer Taylor

Church & Ministry Community Outreach

‘Third Place’

After years as a Disney “imagineer,” Mel McGowan now helps churches think differently about campus design. Visioneering Studios calls it “architectural evangelism,” pairing story, stewardship, and practical flow so facilities better serve leaders and welcome communities.