When Not to Build: An Architect's Unconventional Wisdom for the Growing Church

Rating:
Summary: Most churches thinking of building have better alternatives.
Review: After 30 years as a church architect and almost 20 as a church facilities consultant, Ray Bowman estimates that 90% of the churches that contact him thinking they need to build have a better alternative--one that requires less of the churches time, money, and energy. Since turning consultant in 1980, Bowman has pioneered a new way of thinking about, using, and modifying traditional church buildings so that a congregation that uses his approach can usually grow to three times or more the size for which the building was originally designed before needing a major building program. This book describes this revolutionary approach to church facility planning giving many examples of how churches are putting these concepts to practical use. I worked with Bowman for ten years as his writer before joining Ray as an associate in his church consulting work. I am now putting these concepts to use in my work as a full-time church consultant and can testify from my own experience that they really work. This book is changing how North American churches think about, use, and pay for church buildings.

Rating:
Summary: Useful, Helpful, Practical, Perspective
Review: An excellent book.
This book advocates that:
churches should use their space intensively;
design for a growing church is different than design for a static church;
flexible multi-use space is preferred to dedicated space (e.g. a sanctuary used once a week);
a church should not build if building will take resources from ministry;
a church should build debt free to the extent possible.
A quote,"Most of a church's ministry takes place not when the church is gathered, but when it is scattered. If we truly understand this, we will no longer feel compelled to keep expanding the church's buildings."

Rating:
Summary: Excellent unconventional advice
Review: Bowman & Hall make a solid case for examining every possible option before deciding to build or expand your facilities. Convicing arguments with good supporting data. Recommended for any church considering investing in facilities. (Companion book, When Not To Finance, is in the works.)

Rating:
Summary: every pastor and church leader - please read this book!
Review: i bought this book b/c the church where my husband is a minister built nearly 3 years ago and now the church is so in debt my husband and the other associate minister are about to lose their job so they can pay the mortgage. what a wealth of wisdom is in this book! and a quick read, too. if every church going through growing pains read this book, i believe the face of american churches would be completely different. what i especially love is the common sense advice for how to reorganize ministries to use space better, take the burden off the volunteers, etc.

and you can't argue with the man. the Bible nowhere EVER advocates debt as a good thing, much less a whole body of believers going into debt for something material like a building. i love his chapter on turning church spending upside down, and imagining what a church could do in and for the community with the money they would have spent on an unnecessary building.

a lot of practical, biblical, common sense advice. highly recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: Useful, Helpful, Practical, Perspective
Review: Ray Bowman and Eddy Hall have asked all the right questions here. The answers may surprise you! I wanted a straight forward look at the big question of when to build a church and found a lot of little questions along the way. I had to ask questions like; "Will more people come if we build?", and "Can we afford to build?". Without asserting their religious views excessively or to the point of distraction, the authors were a big help in this regard. The same thought process goes on for people all over the world when they aspire to or are thrust into a leadership position in a building project. Also, there is nothing new here. People have been building churches for an awful long time, you know. Why try to reinvent the wheel? I recommend reading this book to help answer your questions and to know what quetions to ask.

Rating:
Summary: A "must read" for building committees.
Review: Ray Bowman and Eddy Hall have asked all the right questions here. The answers may surprise you! I wanted a straight forward look at the big question of when to build a church and found a lot of little questions along the way. I had to ask questions like; "Will more people come if we build?", and "Can we afford to build?". Without asserting their religious views excessively or to the point of distraction, the authors were a big help in this regard. The same thought process goes on for people all over the world when they aspire to or are thrust into a leadership position in a building project. Also, there is nothing new here. People have been building churches for an awful long time, you know. Why try to reinvent the wheel? I recommend reading this book to help answer your questions and to know what quetions to ask.