7 Innovative Church Buildings in America
Ministry Today has published a subjective list of the seven most innovative church buildings in America. The online article goes into detail about each church building but does not include any photos. So I scoured the Web for photos so you could have a glimpse at a few of these innovative church buildings.
#1 :: Northland A Church Distributed (Longwood, FL)
Photo Credits: Mark Beeson, G Jackson Lights, and the church website.
#2 :: Living Water Community Church (Bolingbrook, IL)
Photo Credit: Wildesign Group Architects via Flickr.
UDPATE: Original photos taken by Aspen Group.
#3 :: New Beginnings Christian Center (Portland, OR)
Photo Credit: Building God’s Way.
#4 :: Victory Christian Center (Tulsa, OK)
Photo Credits: Daniels and Daniels Construction and the church website.
#5 :: Parkway Christian Church (Surprise, AZ)
Photo Credit: CCBG Architects.
#6 :: The Vineyard Church (Urbana, IL)
Photo Credit: Aspen Group.
#7 :: Cornerstone Christian Fellowship (Chandler, AZ)
Photo Credit: Rowland Companies.
For explanations why Ministry Today calls these seven church buildings the “most innovative in America,” check out their online article. They certainly are some cutting-edge facilities, but I also know that there are quite a few other remarkably innovative church buildings around the world.
For Discussion:
- What are some other innovative church buildings that inspire you and why?
[via Preachers and Teachers]
Tyler Said,
March 5, 2008 @ 7:03 pm
I might not be a big fan of the church but Crystal Cathedral is still is the one church in the world that people visit because it is jaw dropping.
Matt Farina Said,
March 6, 2008 @ 6:49 am
This is interesting. The magazine, “honed in on finding those structures that uniquely combined elements of artistry, functionality and worship”
What I find interesting is how it looked for these buildings. I had nothing to do with the mission of the church (Matthew 28).
I’d be curious to see the most innovatively designed church around the Matthew 28 mission of the church.
kent Said,
March 6, 2008 @ 11:30 am
There is a church niot far from where I live that did what I think is brilliant, they opurchased a strip mall and then “rented” half to the church at way below market rates and rented the remained to other business which pays for the entire thing. It may never be a mega church but it does handle hundreds. And they have a high desirable property they can sell later on.
Greg Simmons Said,
March 6, 2008 @ 11:47 am
Very interesting.
My concern with these types of worship arenas:
Do we run the risk of the method outshining the Message?
Similarly, do we add all these audio visual effects because they’re necessary or help augment the delivery of the message? Or Are we adding these elements because we want to impress visitors and create a ‘wow’ factor?
I’ve worked in Media Ministry for quite a while. I stress the following to any of our new volunteers.
“If at any point, we do anything to make the method more attention getting or noticeable than the message, then we’ve lost our focus. Our ministry should be one that goes unnoticed.”
Just my opinion though..
Marty Taylor Said,
March 6, 2008 @ 3:59 pm
I am the Creative Media Director at Northland, the first church on the list. Although we are honored to be on this list and very blessed to have the innovative facility that we do, I know of many, many other churches who were missed in this article.
I agree with Matt Farina that the mission should be the first priority in our design, with functionality and technology driven to meet that goal. It is our hope that our facility has done that as best our human hands can accomplish…we rely every week on God to fill in the gaps.
Phillip Said,
March 6, 2008 @ 7:10 pm
as the designers for the Northland facility we at Platt Design Group are honored to have be part of such a beautiful creation and blessed community. it’s our heart to work with churches to design a space where the message and the worship can be not only be heard but experienced.
Ron Said,
March 10, 2008 @ 10:34 am
How can you not look at Willow Creek? It may not be in the top 7 but it’s an amazing and functional facility. Of course, for fifty million dollars …
Steve Lavey Said,
March 11, 2008 @ 12:51 pm
I normally don’t like to toot our own horn but after 20 years of renting in the city, Park Community Church is renovating a dry-goods warehouse right in the heart of Chicago’s near northside to create a 1,000 seat urban warehouse church for its congregation of 20-40 year urbanites. Check it out at
http://20millionminutes.com/2007/03/03/warehouse-church-in-chicago/
Kent Shaffer Said,
March 11, 2008 @ 1:33 pm
Very cool, Steve! I like the old warehouse look.
sdesocio Said,
March 12, 2008 @ 10:48 am
That is a very subjective list.
I thought innovation had more to do with how you used a space than what you paid for it, or how much it reminds you of a mall?
An innovative church I would suggest is Sojourn Community Church in Louisville. They transformed a condemned school into a wonderful mutliuse space.
Mike Little Said,
March 12, 2008 @ 6:07 pm
I’d check out Vintage 21 for innovation. I don’t think of innovation as being fancy lights or great stages, but taking something that you might not think of as “church” and making a great space for worship.
Vintage21 renovated a warehouse in a not so great area of Raleigh, NC and made a fantastic place to meet with God. It is artistic, beautiful, rough…and not too “plugged-in”. They use just the right amount of technology.
The lights, the message “series”, the music - none of it distracts from the essence of the Gospel message that day.
-Mike (just my 2 cents)
Dan Weerts Said,
March 14, 2008 @ 9:37 am
Hi Kent,
Just one minor correction on this post. The photo credits for Living Water Community Church should go to Aspen Group. We were blessed to have two of our projects on the Most Innovative list. (We did partner with Wildesign for the Living Water design but those are our pics.)
Love the site. It is exciting to see how it has grown. Keep up the good work.
- Dan
oneservant Said,
March 14, 2008 @ 10:19 am
I’m soooo excited for children’s ministry and some construction (have a look; you’ll be glad you did) we’ve been able to do recently to wow children, to pique their interest and bring them (and their parents) to Christ!
Phil Said,
March 17, 2008 @ 8:44 am
They’re all beautiful buildings, lovely designs, great colour schemes, nice equipment; but basically all the same.
Someone stands on a stage infront of a group of people and talks at them. Or drums at them - majority of the pictures here have drum kits set up in the middle of the stage.
Wouldn’t coffee shops, community centres and camp sites would be more innovative?
Amy Baker Said,
March 30, 2008 @ 11:28 pm
While the buildings featured are certainly impressive, my honest, first reaction was a sickening feeling in my stomach of the church buying into consumerism. I am all for doing things with excellence, but I wonder… (and I make this comment without personal knowledge of any of these church communities) How does their giving to the poor, the needy, the starving, or their immediate neighbors compare to their building campaigns? How necessary is millions of dollars for an auditorium that is empty 6 days a week? (Maybe more for a special conference, concert etc.)
Brenton Balvin Said,
April 4, 2008 @ 11:34 pm
Thanks for checking out Preachers and Teachers.
john cole Said,
June 16, 2008 @ 2:50 pm
We have to relevant in the culture we live in..right?
Where did Jesus preach and teach?..synagouges.
These were some of the finest construction available in His time. Yes, He did go into the highways and byways too. We should be all things to (all) so that some may be saved. The poor we will always have with us. Balance our outlay.
We are an “entertain me” culture..right?
Do you have any of the following;
Television (Large screen,LCD,plasma),MP3/CD player? Lets face it..we like techno as a culture, to ignore this fact in Lutherean in appeal.
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Steve Said,
June 19, 2008 @ 12:37 pm
With every picture on this page, it saddens me to think that we really don’t need all of this to worship God and pray together.
May the Lord open our eyes so that the money spent foolishly on these buildings, can help what Christ said he was and we are anointed to do.
enoc quinteros Said,
July 23, 2008 @ 2:33 pm
muy lindo en principal las alabansas con tantas luces por aqui por aya muy lindo todo es fasinante la iglesia los esesnarios todo muy lindo debe ser de muchas personas nosierto todo muy bello……….
Jay H Said,
August 1, 2008 @ 2:46 pm
As a Christian, architect, and A/V volunteer who’s been wrestling for years about whether or not to get involved in designing churches, I have to put in my one cent….
I think churches need to strike a balance between being relevant and being part of the overstimulation problem. Just because we have the means, we need to ask the question, is this necessary? Will this add or detract from the message of the gospel? Can we cut 10% off the budget for this building and build a few dozen wells in and an orphanage in Africa? Or fund a struggling sister church in the rural south?
Many times the things we think will ‘lure’ new people to our churches are the very things that confirm their cynicism about what the American church is really all about. Kids don’t need Disneyland to learn about God. Adults don’t need synchronized lights, and 3000sf stages to worship. In fact I often, often wonder if these things aren’t separating us from God, reinforcing worship as a spectator experience best left to the professionals.
I love modern design, I specialize in it. I’m not a traditionalist that thinks we ought to go back to wooden pews, stained glass windows, and organs. I just think we need to keep our buildings reasonably humble and stay away from the corporate imaging that seems to be so popular these days.
Church buildings should feel different, they should feel authentic, they should reflect and amplify the values and creativity of the people who fill their walls, not the values of the commercial and retail world at large (which speculates what ‘they would want’)
The best church spaces I’ve visited have always seemed to be renovations of existing buildings. The theology is powerful in that. Renewal from the inside out. Taking something that was unwanted and misused and claiming it for the Kingdom.
That said, I’m not criticizing the designers of the above spaces at all. There is some very fun and creative work on display, and well done. I just feel the program and direction coming from the leadership at some of these churches may be missing the mark a bit to the detriment of their mission.