During the height of the pandemic, houses of worship across the nation found themselves thinking a lot about their parking lots: if gathering inside the sanctuary was deemed unsafe, reaching the congregation outside was still a possibility. Hence the birth of drive-in church and physically distanced outdoor services and events.
While all this was happening, churches began focusing (or for some, refocusing) on their exterior grounds. How could they make better use of them … not only during the pandemic, but beyond? What are some of the ways in which they could better marry their interior environment with the outdoor landscape?
Dave Milam
"[Last summer], the stores that were selling backyard furniture sold out ... I think churches are really starting to realize that they have some great potential for outdoor space on their properties.”
Dave Milam, Vice President of Strategic Design, Visioneering Studios
“During the height of quarantine—especially in the summer—people would go to public parks, and it was like a renaissance of outdoor living,” says Dave Milam, vice president of strategic design at Visioneering Studios, a national architectural, construction, and design/build firm headquartered in Santa Ana, California. “The stores that were selling backyard furniture sold out because everybody realized that they were going to have to do things in the backyard, or outside. And as a result, I think churches are really starting to realize that they have some great potential for outdoor space on their properties.”
Central plaza at The Father's House, Vacaville, CA, Visioneering Studios
One area Milam has been discussing with some of his church clients is how to better unite the indoor lobby and greeting area with the outdoor entryway. He says that one solution is to design outdoor areas for informal gathering. “What if we created amazing front porches or back porches where people can be outside in the fresh air and still be on campus, and still not feel like they have to leave?” he says. “Once they’ve set foot on the parking lot, they’re leaving. But if they’re on the patio, they may hang out a little bit longer.”
Milam says that many churches are also considering playground overhauls. Largely driven by the pandemic, facilities are seeking play equipment and installations that are easy to sanitize. This has many leaning away from three-story, tube-heavy climbing apparatus to elements like mounds and hills. “There are a lot of creative play environments that you can do for kids that don’t involve tubes,” Milam says.
Wide open
Then there are those churches that are situated on large swatches of land—land that they’re not necessarily using right now. Milam says he’s in discussion with several houses of worship on how this dormant exterior space may be leveraged to create community while at the same time generate additional income. “We’re having conversations about putting retail development, or some sort of commercial development on the corner, for example, that generates ongoing revenue for the church, while still putting the church’s mission first,” he describes. “In this scenario, the community is now coming to the church because there are environments that they want to be a part of. It blurs the lines between the church and commercial development and helps the church become the community center.”
"[Retail development] blurs the lines between the church and commercial development and helps the church become the community center.”
Dave Milam, Vice President of Strategic Design, Visioneering Studios
Milam says that while many churches received the same—if not increased—donations over the course of 2020, the potential to create new revenue streams like this is a priority for church leaders who wish to instill some financial stability during uncertain economic times. “They’re not sure if there is going to be a drop-off in giving, but wouldn’t it be great to have some sort of steady income to help them out in this time?”
Meanwhile, back inside
Milam notes that church plants or larger churches seeking to expand are in the market for spaces that are suitable for retrofit. With the pandemic driving many movie theaters and sports facilities to close, some houses of worship are looking at these properties as potential new campuses.
John Gibson
WACC Construction
Whittier Area Community Church, Whittier, CA
In addition, Milam also believes that 2021 and 2022 will see a shift in leadership across the church landscape in the U.S. “That means a lot of potential changes for facilities,” he says. “Church leaders, if the pastor leaves, now look at their facilities as if: ‘we’ve got to sell this to the next guy.’ So they become hyper-aware of what’s wrong and what’s right. And then when the new guy comes in, typically he brings a new vision for the church, and often that vision doesn’t match how the facilities look or are laid out, as well. I think we’re going to see this shift start to happen, and we’ll have leaders start to shape their buildings around their new vision for the church.”
