Forward City Church Reconstructs a Box Store in Columbia, SC
Overview of this Project:
- Columbia, SC
- Pastor Travis Greene
- 45,000 Square Feet, 800 Seat Sanctuary
Forward City Church’s Vision for a New Worship Space
Pastor Travis Greene and his congregants believe they found their ideal new location to honor God, and build a community—and the size, location, and price tag were all perfect. But how do you go about converting a big box store into a reverent place of worship?
The Transformation to a Modern, Multipurpose Space
Through the principles of value engineering, Churches by Daniels worked through multiple iterations of floor plans to fine-tune and deliver the specific needs for the congregation.
The Design-Build process and pre-construction planning phase allowed our team to come up with a plan that worked best for the church. This multipurpose space will support the needs of Forward City Church’s spiritual community with features that include:
- A garage
- Storage for equipment
- A full children’s wing with an indoor play space
The new church will include a studio space for recording and special-use rooms that are specifically designed for Pastor Greene’s music ministry.
Overcoming Potential Hurdles
Turning an old big box store into a sacred sanctuary takes a lot of thought, prayer, and strategic planning. There’s much to evaluate when retrofitting a pre-existing building—it’s not just about square footage and ample parking space. It’s also about building height, column locations, and more.
We were with the church through each stage of the inspection and buying journey. Before they even acquired the space, Churches by Daniels was on the scene, helping with inspections and negotiations, poring over each mechanical system to avoid costly replacements down the line.
Initially, the plan was to build in phases due to budget constraints, but by connecting the church with our financial and capital campaign partners, they raised and financed the full project to realize their full vision. The project began in February of 2021, with expected completion of the project in October 2021.
Build a Christ-Centered Space
Throughout the country, Churches by Daniels is proud to provide congregations with spaces that serve their community and their larger purpose. We are here for you with innovative processes and put God at the heart of all we do. Discover more today.
