Seeking Wise Counsel

"Remember today what you have learned about the Lord through your experiences with him." - Deuteronomy 11:12

It would be very wise to seek counsel from those who have experienced the joy of planning new facilities. The more visits the building committee can make to other buildings, the more defined your vision can be. If you have an idea of what you want to build then go through buildings that match your vision. When you are visiting, find out about programs and what ministries that church performs. As Rick Warren said in his book, The Purpose Driven Church, "God has not called us to be original at everything, He has called us to be effective."

Probably the best example of a church doing this was Indianapolis First Church of the Nazarene. In 1995 First church was going to relocate. They had a set of building plans and a permit and had just begun excavation when someone on the building committee visited Grove City Church of the Nazarene, in Grove City, Ohio. Grove City Church of the Nazarene is one of the fastest growing churches in the Nazarene denomination.

That building committee member went back to his church and brought more people back from his church to see what was happening at Grove City. It was not long after that when The McKnight Group received a call from the church in Indianapolis. During our meetings over the next couple of weeks we discussed the church's mission and the ministries that they wanted to accomplish.

In a matter of weeks the church decided to stop the work that they had begun and start over with a new vision for ministry. First Church threw away $250,000.00 worth of plans and dirt work. Today they have a building that meets their ministry needs and has enabled them to enjoy sustained substantial growth since they moved in.

They listened and saw what Grove City had done and improved upon the things that could have been done better. The story is still being written on what First Church will do in Indianapolis. Proverbs 19:20 says, " Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise."

Zoning