Whether you’re starting a new campus, looking for extra space to accommodate your growing congregation, or searching for more rooms for your groups to meet, there’s one thing you’ll need—an expanded, improved church facility.
Before you purchase land and begin drawing the floor plan for your brand-new building, consider another option that’s available to expand your space—renovating an existing space into the church of your dreams!
Here are seven reasons to renovate an existing building rather than construct a new building for your church expansion or relocation project.
1. Find Available Properties
You might be surprised by the amount of large, vacant properties that are already available in your community.
Over the past several years, retailers have started to shift their focus toward e-commerce and away from brick-and-mortar locations. COVID-19 accelerated this trend—commercial property vacancy rates more than doubled during the first half of 2020.
Now is the ideal time to search for a vacant, commercial property with tons of square footage that you can quickly transform into your church. Many of these spaces already have all the significant aspects you’ll need for a modern church building—a large parking lot, capacity for thousands of people, and visibility along a major road. You’ll just need to invest in some minor renovations!
2. Community Presence
Suppose you’re currently meeting in a smaller space to worship with time restraints, like a school or multipurpose center. If so, you’re probably limited on the programs, outreach events, and other activities you can plan and execute to engage your community.
When you renovate a large building that’s already visible in the area, you create the flexibility to host outreach events and other programs on different days of the week besides Sunday.
Not to mention, people will notice the transformation you’ve made to the vacant building in their neighborhood. This change may spark their interest in visiting your church—making your church a beacon of light in your community.
3. Affordable Costs
One of the biggest roadblocks for new church construction is securing funds, sticking to the budget, and facilitating successful capital campaigns. After factoring in the cost of land, construction, design, site survey, and environmental survey, new construction funding might feel a bit out of reach.
Renovating an existing building is an affordable option to expand your church while eliminating many expenses associated with new construction.
Once you purchase the existing building, you can work with a design-build contractor to save time and money on renovations that will make an old space feel brand new.
4. Occupy Your Space Sooner
If your church facility’s size has become a hindrance to your ministry, renovating an existing building is the best way to accelerate the construction process.
Building a brand-new church from the ground up can take several years from planning through construction. You may also run into large roadblocks along the way, like construction delays, loss of momentum, or funding issues.
Renovating an existing building takes significantly less time to complete, especially when working with a design-build contractor for value engineering and planning.
Your design-build contractor will ensure that you’re able to gather in your beautifully renovated space that’s completed within your ideal budget and timeline!
5. Less Legal Hassle
Depending on where you want your church to be located, you might encounter difficulties buying new land due to zoning restrictions and concerns. Since many areas aren’t zoned for churches, this process can prove to be a frustrating challenge.
Although it’s still important to understand your building’s zoning and jurisdiction, purchasing an existing property may work to your advantage. In some cases, your local government might provide an incentive for you to buy and renovate a vacant property.
6. Better Resale Value
Purchasing an existing property can make an excellent investment, particularly if you can buy the building for less than it’s worth.
You can increase your church’s resale value by renovating the property with valuable upgrades, like a church foyer, multipurpose facility, or new technology. Then, if your congregation ever outgrows your facility years down the road, you’ll be able to sell the building for a great price.
You also might have more potential buyers interested in the space—especially if the building was used for a different purpose than a church before you bought it.
7. Simple Fundraising
When you renovate an existing building for your new church home, you might discover that you have an easier time raising funds. Since the building already exists, your donors might find it easier to conceptualize the vision for your new church.
Renovating an existing space is also less expensive than building from the ground-up, helping your congregation stay motivated to give to the project.
COVID may have caused financial hardships for some churches. If fundraising for your church renovation has already proved challenging, consider investing in church construction budget consulting for help reaching your budget goals.
Expand Your Ministry with Churches by Daniels
We understand that it might feel overwhelming to transform an existing building into a new church home that fulfills your ministry vision.
Since 1980, we’ve specialized in helping pastors with church construction projects to expand their ministry impact. Our church construction management services can help you fulfill your congregation’s specific needs with renovations that best serve your community.
Learn more about how reliable pre-construction planning and management services can transform a vacant building into a beautiful, spacious church facility.
