by W. Neal Roseberry, AIA, Principal, LeMay Erickson Wilcox Architects
“We shape our buildings; thereafter, they shape us.” –Winston Churchill
As church architects, we see the evidence of this Churchill adage in congregations of every size and personality: our buildings shape how we do church together. We have come to understand that for dynamic, growing church bodies, facilities must be periodically updated to reflect evolving ministry needs. In fact, we believe that in healthy churches, assessment of the way facilities assist or hinder church vision should occur every 10 to 15 years. Sometimes minor renovations may be all that is needed—better lighting, or combining smaller spaces into a larger room. Other times, something more radical may be needed—a major addition for new fellowship or worship space. Rarely, though, will a building that has been untouched for more than 15 years be fully meeting the current needs of a healthy congregation.
Helping churches understand how their buildings can better shape who they are is a major part of what we do as church architects. As an example, Darnestown Presbyterian Church’s 155 year old campus reflects an historically vital, healthy congregation that has periodically addressed how its buildings will shape its ministry. The church’s history of ministry and growth can be read through the buildings evident on its campus: the original Greek Revival wood frame building that remains the core of the historic church (1858); the subsequent bell tower and parlor expansion that gives the church much of its current iconic profile (1902); the chancel and office wing expansion which coincide with the post-World War II church boom (1953); and the last big building project, a new education wing, erected over 40 years ago (1969).
Now, in a new century that continues to evolve and change the way churches “do church,” even on historic campuses, we led Darnestown in an overdue assessment of its facility and ministry needs: available space, current frustrations, and both feasible and forward-looking architectural building responses to meet current needs. Working together with the building committee, we found the architectural response that best respects and reflects the historic identity of Darnestown Presbyterian Church while addressing the very real programmatic ministry needs for a contemporary vital, healthy congregation. Paraphrasing Mr. Churchill, it is this generation’s turn to shape the buildings that will shape this church’s future ministry. Perhaps the same can be said for your church.
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