After the tour of First Evangelical Free Church's
addition, Mr. Dan Zajdel presented an informative and detailed seminar on church
building programs. Mr. Zajdel is a Senior Project Manager for Steve Cantranel
Construction Co. and has been involved in many church building programs. His
seminar was divided into five parts:
Development Committee
Phase I: Conceptual Phase
Phase II: Construction Documents and Pricing Phase
Phase III: Construction Phase
Phase IV: Move In
Development Committee
Team - I Corinthians 3:9 - "laborers together with God"
Perspective
Laborers - not superintendents - to accomplish an assignment
- for His glory, not ours.
Together - team involvement - each experienced a sense of
being used by God.
Friends, mutual respect
Relationships become more serious by necessity.
Goal: to protect friendship, respect throughout.
With - not alone - need not go it alone.
God - the architect of all architects, the project manager,
the superintendent .
Warning
Beware of Satan who will seek to discourage and divide.
Be patient - guaranteed to make mistakes - help each other to get
over and get on.
Be unified - pledge not to focus on individuals, but on consensus.
Be free - to be honest, critical, creative.
Be careful - to take the time and effort to do it right the first
time and to give glory to God.
Document
Keep a log book - take notes - who said what to whom, when, where, why,
etc.
Create an official paper trail of issues and decisions - avoids controversy.
This is needed because of forgetfulness, for reference, and to defend
decisions months later.
Do Not Own Your Ideas
The objective is the most effective ministry tool that you can build
within your budget. It is not building your idea or your plan.
Throw your ideas into the arena. Allow them to be molded, reshaped,
and applied.
Let the architect be the architect - he/she is not just a "draftsperson".
Don't be surprised if some of the best ideas come from unlikely sources.
Communicate
Genuinely involve the congregation.
Remain open to the congregation. Receive their input without being defensive.
Report to the congregation regularly. Report honestly and completely.
Do not slant the truth. Avoid hyperbole.
Words have consequences. Use team ideas, not "I" ideas.
The benefit of open communication is broad based support. Congregation
support is needed as things go well and when things get tough.
Phase I - Planning or Predesign Phase
List of Needs
It is important that early in the building process a list of needs and
priorities be developed.
Mr. Zajdel presented a method used at FEFC. A creative planning session
was held with about 60 church leaders. All church groups (Sunday School,
Teens, Custodians, etc.) were represented. The leaders were broken down
into groups and a structured method (Story Boarding) was used. Details
of this method are available - see Roy Koch.
Also, FEFC developed a form to solicit input from the congregation.
A copy of this form is available - see Tom Mowrer or Roy Koch.
At Norwin Alliance the needs analysis will be conducted in the near
future by the Advisory Group.
The needs analysis is essential and fundamental to the building process.
It will be used during initial meetings with the architect. It provides
vital information and insight regarding the environment that the congregation
feels it needs. It provides a vision for the future ministries of the
church.
Preliminary Contact with Government Agencies
Early in the building program it is important to contact the municipal
and county having jurisdiction and find out about zoning ordinances, the
planning commission approval process, the building permit process, and
other code requirements.
Preliminary Contact with Utilities
Early in the building program it is also important to contact utilities
for their requirements and to find out existing conditions. Utilities
include electrical, telephone, gas, sewage, and water.
Preliminary Development Budget - Some costs that need to be considered
include:
Surveys and topographical maps
Phase I architect
Geotechnical engineering and core borings (potential footer design)
Stormwater management engineering
Mechanical/Electrical engineering
Structural engineering
Construction consultant (optional)
Acoustical engineering (very necessary!!)
Phase II architect
Need to budget some money for contingencies.
Recruiting an Architect - Mr. Zajdel presented a 6 step process
for deciding on the architect.
List of potential architects - a list was provided. Tom Mowrer and Roy
Koch have copies.
Request information from the potential architects - a sample request
letter was provided. Tom Mowrer and Roy Koch have copies.
Review the responses from the architects and reject the least desirable
- a sample rejection letter was provided. Tom Mowrer and Roy Koch have
copies.
Interview the most desirable architects. First let them give a presentation,
then ask them questions. A list of good questions was provided. Tom Mowrer
and Roy Koch have copies.
Evaluate the interviews at another time. Do a structured comparison.
A chart for this purpose was provided. Tom Mowrer and Roy Koch have copies.
Decide on the best candidate. Send letters of rejection to those not
picked. A sample rejection letter was provided. Send an acceptance letter
to the architect chosen. Tom Mowrer and Roy Koch have copies of each of
these letters.
Work with the architect to define the scope of the project.
Provide copies of important documents to the architect including;
The needs analysis and other planning data.
A list of issues (sample was provided - copies with Mowrer and Koch),
concepts, and assumptions.
Conceptual sketches you may have already drawn
This phase will require 3 to 5 meetings with the architect and a series
of conceptual sketches will result. The sketches will include a site plan,
floor plan, and elevation.
Present many ideas to the architect.
Play the role of a critic
Pretend you are a visitor to the new addition. What will the visit
be like?
Criticism now is inexpensive. Later it will be very expensive!
Let the architect be an artist.
Be careful to realize that ultimate construction costs are driven
by:
Site development costs (utilities, driveways, parking, lighting,
walks, landscaping)
Size of the building (square footage and level of finish)
Furnishings
Preliminary Presentation to the Congregation
Walk them through the schematic drawings.
Tell them what was factored in - why does it look like it does.
Describe the spatial relationships - paint a vision.
Relate plans back to feedback and needs assessment.
Discuss what lies ahead - welcome feedback.
Secure authorization to move forward.
Either the architect or a Building Committee rep could make this presentation.
Phase II - Construction Documents and Pricing Phase
Refinements
In this phase 2-3 meetings with the architect are conducted to clarify
issues (sample was provided - copies with Mowrer and Koch) such as materials,
relationship between rooms in the addition, etc.
Other Consultants - at this time other consultants need to be involved
including:
