ChurchDevelopmentServices

The walls are finally going up on the new St. Paul Baptist Church in Oakmont, PA! We are excited to share in the church's joy and anticipation!

It's all about the steel at First Baptist Church Mahan Street in Suffolk, VA .... the slab has been poured and the framework of the new building is taking shape. Stay tuned to see the stack of red iron turn into a beautiful new worship facility!

All we are involved with is the design and construction of church and church-related facilities such as sanctuaries, fellowship halls, multi-purpose family life centers, and Christian schools. For 30 years, Church Development Services has assisted in the development of over 500 church floor plans with seating capacities of 200 to 2,500 and more. All church building plans can be customized to your specific needs, often in less time and at less cost of developing a comparable

Gary Zandstra provides practical guidelines to help you determine when it's really necessary for you to update or renovate your space. The working life of a building can and should extend well beyond 50 years. Gary has personally seen buildings hundreds of years old still in use and functioning quite well. Is it really an absolute necessity to update or renovate my 15-year-old building? The question deserves considerable thought, and begs a slew of additional questions: 1. Ha

Being a leader means setting the example, and in doing so, being an encouragement to others. Leaders must lead the church not online in teaching and preaching what God says about money, but by their attitude and actions. Leaders lead by example in their outward support of the program by communicating emotional, intellectual, spiritual and financial support. Last, but far from least, leaders have to lead by example in their sacrificial giving.

Ideally, the church should make the decision to begin a capital campaign at least 4-6 and perhaps as many as 12 months before you plan on being in front of the congregation. It takes time to recruit and train a leadership team, and it takes time to communicate need, exposit spiritual truth, and prayerfully seek the Lord. Remember, for many of those in the congregation, you will be combating a lifetime of bad thinking as it applies to “their” money. You only get one shot at do

God has knit together the body according to His good pleasure. Some of the people in the church have been blessed with an extraordinary ability to give, and may have been placed in the church for such a time as this. Since these people have the ability to make a disproportionately large gift, they often require a larger amount of focus during the campaign. Ideally, several one-on-one meetings are required for the church to show its appreciation of past support, to clearly com

Foundational Truth #5: People have to be asked to give. Jesus also said, “You have not because you ask not.” Biblical giving is contra-intuitive to many, and so the people need to become spiritually equipped through preaching, teaching and prayer. There will come a point in time, however, when the saints have to be asked clearly, compellingly, and unapologetically to give. The “ask” only comes after a period of communicating need, biblical truths, and much prayer. It is not

Foundational Truth #4: A capital campaign is not about money, it’s about people’s hearts. Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” A capital campaign is about helping people to understand a Kingdom need exists. God’s perfect plan of provision to meet that need through the stewardship of His people, and the prayerful consideration by each person of how God would have them respond to that need. Unless church members can understand the need and th

Foundational Truth #3: A capital campaign is not magic; it is simply hard work on the part of people who are properly equipped. For a successful capital campaign, there is no shortcut or easy way; there is no magic formula code, no silver bullet, and no secret handshake. Wonderful things happen when the church takes the time and effort to clearly communicate need and biblical truth, and then follow that up with a clear and unapologetic request for financial support. However,