buildings for mission - the diocese of canterbury · 2017-01-06 · buildings for mission...

Nigel Walter19th September 2016

Here’s the steeple

Open the doors

But where are the people...?

Here’s the church

Buildings for Missionmillstones and springboards

Today

1. Why Bother? 2. What is a Church? 3. AIDA 4. Church Anatomy

5. Examples 6. Learning from

Retail 7. Resources

ʻWe shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us.ʼ

Winston Churchill

Why Bother?

Church +

Cheese

What is a Church?

A community narrative?

An art historical document?

A ‘machine’ for worshipping in?

Alois Riegl

Le Corbusier

Paul Ricoeur

Trinitarian Cheese Theory

‘Culture’

“Blessed are the Cheesemakers”

paper:

date:

scale:

drawn:

revisiondrawing number

draw

ing

title

proj

ect n

ame

drawing status

Revisions

project number

A1

161

AS NOTED

Det

ails

- G

F C

utaw

ay

Tow

er P

roje

ctS

t N

ich

ola

s' C

hu

rch

Ch

urc

h S

tree

tG

reat

Wilb

rah

amC

B21

5JN

IF THE ABOVE DIMENSIONS DO NOTMEASURE FOUR CENTIMETERS BY

ONE CENTIMETERS (4 cm x 1cm)EXACTLY, THIS DRAWING WILL HAVE

BEEN ENLARGED OR REDUCED,AFFECTING ALL LABELED SCALES.

4 cm ACTUAL

3 D

octo

r's C

lose

Impi

ngto

nC

ambr

idge

CB

24 9

ND

tel:(

0122

3) 4

7481

7m

ail@

arch

ange

lic.c

omw

ww

.arc

hang

elic

.co.

ukw

ww

.chu

rchb

uild

.co.

uk

dlv

General Notes

1. Drawings must not be scaled; workonly to figured dimensions.2. Drawings must be read inconjunction with all other relevantdrawings, schedules andspecifications for this project.3. All dimensions to be checked onsite before and during construction bythe Contractor.4. Shop drawings of manufactureditems must be approved by theArchitect before work is put in hand.5. The Architect must be notified ofany discrepancies immediately.6. If in doubt ask!

© archangel ltd reg. no. (england) 3938615

1cm

AC

TUA

L

0310

APR/2014

B

ID Description Drawn DateA Design Detailing JMB 11/7/14B Tender Documentation app 19/11/14

new oak post

new oak post

new oak post

new oak post

new glass splashback

new oak post

new oak post

existing stoneflags retained


new kitchen units with oakfronts and worktop


area of new stone flags;source to be agreed

area of new stone flags;source to be agreed


new staircase edge to be stoppedshort by 18mm at junction withexisting wall and tread - see detail 5

new timber cladding to bestopped short by 18mm with

junctions to existing stone floor

new timber cladding to be stoppedshort by 18mm with junctions toexisting stone floor

new timber cladding to bestopped short by 18mm withjunctions to the existing fabric


junctions to the existing fabric









new timber cladding to bestopped short by 18mm withjunctions to the existing fabric


junctions to existing stone floor

FACULTY

St Nicholas Great Wilbraham

art historical

functional

community

future heritage

AIDA!

Attention

Hospitality

Inclusion

Worship

Attention

Interest

Desire

Action

(E. St. Elmo Lewis)

Church Anatomy

1. Medieval2. Victorian

What Did The Victorians

Ever Do for Us?

Attention Hospitality Inclusion Worship

‘A Tale of Two Cities’

Transfer of Energy

&

Move to Periphery

St Philip’s, Mill Road, CambridgeThese are notbuilding projects......but mission projects that involve buildings.

0 1Phased Engagement

2 3

M3S: The ‘Missional Three-Step’

HospitalityInclusion

Worship

Threshold Histon Baptist Church

Community Histon Baptist Church

What can the Church learn... …from Retail?

• Familiarity and expectation • Do not demand ‘pre-commitment’ • Zone of engagement • Permit anonymity • Branding (consistency) • Planning the network

‘the smell of God’Attend to: • signage • thresholds • obstacles • visibility

St Barnabas, Mill Road

Open for Worship

Resources

• www.churchplansonline.org

• www.ecclsoc.org • http://www.christianityandculture.org.uk

www.churchbuildingprojects.co.uk

ChurchBuild Project Guide:

• Establish theology and purpose of the project 1.1 | 1.2• Survey the community to ascertain their needs by using

a questionnaire and your local social atlas. 2.1• Engage with agencies/community in the area (health,

police, social services...). What are their priorities? 2.3• Understand your story to date; develop a mission 1.6

statement. Ask teams to visit new builds• Finalise the aims of the building 1.3 | 2.2

• All church attendees and church leadership Appoint someone to research/interview key people • Agree the statement among the church congregation.

• Church leadership and key volunteers / lay people.• Define roles and recruit a group of say 5-8 people to form your Building Group.

• Will your current governance structure work for the building? Will your volunteer / lay structure provide enough appropriately skilled and time-rich people? 4.2

• Develop a Building Group / Committee• Develop terms of reference for that group• Appoint chair and/or employer’s agent 3.1

A

Strategic Plan: Timelines and budgets for: • Community surveys/research.• Obtaining land (if applicable).• Fundraising• Congregational input • Build

1.4 | 6.3

• Appoint part time or client representative to serve the church.

• Short list, interview & appoint architect• Approach fundraiser for help/advice• Appoint part time support for funding?• Architect seeks other professionals 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 6.4

Financial aspects of strategic plan4.1

• Monthly monitoring. • 'Internal' and 'external' elements.• Run capital appeal and pledge days. • Applications to trusts/ corporates.• Consider borrowing6.3 | 6.4 | 6.5

• Develop design: Plans, elevations, sections, site plans, survey reports, planning permissions, etc...4.4 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 5.3 | 5.4 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 5.7

• How will you regularly and appropriately communicate to all the 'stakeholders'?

4.6

• RIBA stages 4.4

• Appoint builder3.4 | 3.5

• Timelines from builders / architect• 'Open days' for congregation to view progress.

• Plan the official opening date well past the date that the building should be finished.• Recruit and training plan for new staff as applicable.• Run preparation and training days.• Set expectations of congregation as to how the building

may be used differently from the past.• Financial models to be monitored and adjusted regularly.• Sign off completion. ENJOY!

4.6

• Congregation• Leadership / Building Group / solicitors• Fundraiser• Architect (if appointed - eg for feasibility study)

• Leadership• Building Group • Architect

• Treasurer and church leadership• Fundraiser• Communications person

• Architect• Building Group• Church congregation• Church leadership

• Communications person

• Building Group• Architect and other professionals• Builder • Communications person

• Communications person• Building management group--will this be a different group from the original group? • Overall 'site manager'?• Church leadership setting the tone/culture of the new building• Treasurer

Establish your overall church vision followed by the specific aims of the building project.

Develop a design through an iterative process within the timeline framework.

Open & run the building!

Build the building.

Keep momentum for the project going.

Develop the fundraising strategy and implement to achieve goal.

Appoint and manage the 'professional support' you will need.

Develop detailed timelines & budgets for the project.

Establish structures that will be robust enough to deliver the whole project. Make key appointments.

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

J

Project Route MapThis Route Map provides an outline - please adapt it to your own context;

section numbers [0.1] link to relevant sections on the websitetask tools people

. . . elements of a journey

www.churchbuild.co.uk

• 1. Principles ◦ 1.1 What’s the Theology? ◦ 1.2 Purpose ◦ 1.3 Briefing ◦ 1.4 Timelines ◦ 1.5 A Long And Winding Journey ◦ 1.6 What’s the Story?

• 2. Partnerships ◦ 2.1 Community Engagement ◦ 2.2 Local Politics ◦ 2.3 Possible Partners ◦ 2.4 Cafés

• 3. People ◦ 3.1 Building a Client Team ◦ 3.2 Choosing an Architect ◦ 3.3 Building a Design Team ◦ 3.4 Find the Right Builder ◦ 3.5 Contracts

• 4. Processes ◦ 4.1 Strategic Plan ◦ 4.2 Governance – Who Are You? ◦ 4.3 Land Acquisition ◦ 4.4 Construction Process ◦ 4.5 Communication – the Message ◦ 4.6 Brave New World

• 5. Technical ◦ 5.1 Acoustics ◦ 5.2 Multi-Media ◦ 5.3 Environmental Issues ◦ 5.4 Permissions – New Buildings ◦ 5.5 Permissions – Historic Buildings ◦ 5.6 Statements of Significance ◦ 5.7 Statements of Needs

• 6. Finance ◦ 6.1 Fundraising Theology ◦ 6.2 VAT and Church Buildings ◦ 6.3 How Much Will It Cost? ◦ 6.4 How to Raise the Money ◦ 6.5 Borrowing

Consensus building

Millstone or Springboard

The Pizza Mat

The Art of Compromise

You will never achieve everything you

want, and the act of choosing helps define

the point of the project - always compare

this with your vision.

With that in mind,

Yes Please! What are the key things to

achieve...?

No Thanks! What are the key things to

avoid...?

Who Are You, Anyway?

Think about how you are going to

organise yourselves. What skills do you

already have within the church, and what

might you need to buy in from outside?

Who has ultimate responsibility for

decisions and how do you reach

agreement? Which one person will be

given the authority to represent the

church within the project team?

Current ConstraintsIn what ways do your existing buildings prevent you realising your vision? Download the Springboard or Millstone Health Check from ChurchBuild to help people explore their perceptions. This can be a great tool for building consensus around the need for change.

Start Here...This sheet provides a playful way of grappling with some of the serious issues that need to be considered before launching into a building project - the things you need to think about before you appoint an architect and other professionals. The aim is to achieve at the outset the clarity you will need for a successful outcome. How you use this sheet does not matter - the key thing is to focus on the important issues, so that you can define the problem you want to address.So use this sheet in whatever way suits you. Doodle! Brainstorm! Make a Mess!

Church Building Projects -Where to Begin...?

Other Resources Archangel & ChurchBuildChurchBuild is an initiative of Archangel Architects to help the church make better use of its buildings to further Godʼs kingdom. You can find other resources and further information at www.churchbuild.co.ukIf this exercise has raised issues or you would like to speak to me or one of the team please call - there is no obligation and we will be delighted to help.01223 474817# [email protected]

Where To Next...?How do you move on from here? The point of this stage was to get all of the issues out onto the table - if possible into the middle space on this sheet. Out of this you can develop a formal Brief, which defines the key questions you want answered - an architect can help you to refine and improve this.With a Brief defined, you may then commission a Feasibility Study, which would look at whether the vision can be achieved within the practical limitations, and give a broad indication of cost. The Feasibility Study may well help revise the Brief.Only once you know the project is a) feasible, b) in line with your overall vision, and c) necessary to achieving that vision, should you appoint an architect to begin designing you a building.

... scribble away!

How Well Do You Know

Your Existing Building?

Do you know what you are dealing

with? If the building has any historic

value, have you prepared a Statement

of Significance?

What are the known limitations?

Consider archaeology, conservation,

planning, trees, legal etc

Feeling (Dis)Connected?How does your community see you?

Who thinks the church is important?

Are there people who feel excluded?

Are there people who feel they own

the church?What on Earth Do You Think Youʼre Doing? Who are you as a church, and what are your core values? How does what you do relate to those values? What 2 or 3 things make you distinctive in your local community?

Where Do You Think Youʼre Going?Do you have an overall vision of what God is calling you to be and do in this place? Leaving building projects to one side, what are you hoping to achieve as a church - what is your dream?

What Does Success Look Like?Imagine you have

completed your project;

how will things be different?

How will you recognise

success when you see it?

What does it feel like? What

can you do now that you

couldn’t do before?

Q&ADon’t worry! At this stage you don’t need to have all of the answers - in fact you don’t want them, as better answers will unfold as you better define what you want. What is important is to have a clear focus and a sense of purpose, so that you can formulate the best possible questions...

ʻWe shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us.” Winston Churchill

afterwards our buildings shape us

Church Building Seminars - from time to time we help organise regional seminars for churches - a great place to come for ideas and information. Details from www.churchbuild.co.uk

The Gate of Heaven - How Church Buildings Speak of God, by Nigel Walter. This booklet examines the principles of what is a key relationship for any church and suggests practical means of forging a better partnership. Equally relevant whether you are struggling to maintain a historic building, considering a substantial reordering or contemplating a new building. www.grovebooks.co.uk

Re-Pitching the Tent, by Richard Giles. Subtitled ʻThe definitive guide to re-ordering church buildings for worship and missionʼ it does what it says on the tin. Includes appendices with good practical guidance.

How To Use ThisPrint this out at A3 for use by a small group - the central section can then be copied at A4 if needed. Or contact us and we will happily print this for you at A1 size for putting up in the wall, or for a larger round table discussion.01223 [email protected]

Nigel Walter

Play Time!

Church Buildings Audit!

!

Church Buildings Audit 1305!1/8!

www.churchbuild.co.uk

Here’s the church

Here’s the steeple

Open the doors

But whereare the people...?

Put your Churchat the centreof your community

Church Buildings Auditwww.churchbuild.co.uk

Welcome to the Church Buildings AuditChurches are increasingly rethinking their worship and the buildings in which that worship takes place. New patterns of worship make us increasingly aware of the conflict between what the building proclaims both in its external appearance and its internal arrangement, and what the worshipping community believe and wish to express; sadly, many of our churches are suitable only for Victorian worship.

If a church discussing these issues is to move beyond an expression of personal 'likes' and 'dislikes', then it is important to have a tried and tested process for making good decisions. That process needs to balance changing uses with continuity of purpose, and to provide criteria for the development and re-ordering of churches that look beyond the merely utilitarian questions of function to what a church building really is.

That’s what this audit aims to provide. We have written this material for use in small groups, with each session providing sufficient material for an evening of discussion, but you may find other means of using it, perhaps in other settings - we would be keen to hear. The issues you will discuss are serious and important, but we hope the process of discussing them will be exciting and enjoyable - please make that process fun!

We have created this resource to be used, and are very happy for it to be copied and circulated, provided the content is not altered and the authors are credited. We would be pleased to receive feedback on its usefulness and any suggestions you may have for improving it.

We hope this Audit will be of relevance to a wide range of churches across the denominations. Where we have had to choose, the terminology used is from the Church of England (eg ‘PCC’); if you are from another tradition we hope you will not feel excluded and will be able to do the necessary translation.

David Stancliffe is the former Bishop of Salisbury and the author of The Lion Companion to Church Architecture (2008); in the early 1990s he oversaw the reordering of Portsmouth Cathedral.

Nigel Walter is an architect based in Cambridge with a specialism in the church sector. He is the author of The Gate of Heaven - how church buildings speak of God (Grove Books, 2011) and blogs at churchbuild.co.uk.

The authors can be contacted via [email protected]

Structure of the Audit:1. Where have you come from?

a) Talkative buildingsb) How would you describe your

building’s character?c) Engaging with your story

2. Where are you now?

a) How does the worshipping community express its faith today?

b) How does the wider community see the church?

c) How do you believe the church should be used?

3. Where are you heading?

a) Dreaming the future...b) Three key principles for

delivering changec) Conclusion

! !

Church Buildings Audit 1305! 2/8! www.churchbuild.co.uk

1. Where have you come from?a) Talkative buildingsYour church building is talking all the time, but what is it actually saying?

1. About its history?

2. About the community for which it was built and those communities that have made adaptations since?

3. About the purpose for which it was built and the reasons for any change?

4. About its purpose today - how do you use it now?

5. Is it cared for? And therefore will I be cared for?

What does that teach us about the relationship between

• God (theology)?• worship (liturgy)? • the community (social history)?

Does the building suggest that God is absent, worship irrelevant and the community excluded? Or does it speak instead of relevance and the integration of God, worship and community?

b) How would you describe your building’s character?1. What are the general characteristics of the building - large, small, cold, homely,

spacious, light, cluttered, dark, tidy ... ? What are the shapes of the 'rooms'? What spaces and levels? Can you see what is going on?

2. Furniture and fittings - do they help or hinder? Are they in the right place? Could some be discarded or used elsewhere? Which should be retained?

! ! 1. Where have you come from?


I’m talking all the time......but do you like what I’m saying?

Did she really just say that?

What is your Church saying?

God’s gone fishing

You’re not welcome

Go away !

No-one cares for me ... or for you

3. Lighting and acoustics - are the lights in the right place? Can they be used to highlight a particular part of the service or building? Can the units be controlled flexibly and independently? Can you hear clearly? For the spoken word, and for music?

4. Heating and access - Can you get into the building and move about in it safely, or is it just an auditorium? Is it adequately warm? Does the heating restrict movement or clutter the space?

c) Engaging with your storyWe understand the world in terms of story. But have you ever stopped to think about your community’s story? Has the building always been like this (very unlikely) or has it changed over the years? Who has been associated with the building in the past, what do we know about their lives, and how does that relate to the Christian story?

God invites us to be a part of his story in our particular place. Understanding that narrative is really important - it enriches the present by uncovering our past and opening up our future. Church buildings are a physical representation of that narrative, and like that narrative, they help to form our character and root us within our tradition.

Remember, tradition needn’t be dry and boring! Tradition can help us understand where we’ve come from and what God is calling us to be. Tradition can be radical!

Get help! There may be other people interested in your building who would be keen to help, such as a local history society. www.churchplansonline.org might have drawings, if the church was changed by the Victorians. And you could try the county archive.

Resources:

• What Can Churches Learn from their Past by Neil Evans and John Maiden (Grove Books, Pastoral series, P131)

• The Lion Companion to Church Architecture by David Stancliffe(Lion, 2008)

Activity: Dig into the past and find something relevant to the present & future.

! ! 1. Where have you come from?


a) How does the worshipping community express its faith today?'Any person or body carrying out functions of care and conservation under this Measure or under any other enactment or rule of law relating to churches shall have due regard to the role of a church as a local centre of worship and mission.' Care of Churches Measure (1991)

1. How does the PCC understand its 'worship and mission?

2. What models of being the church do you resonate with?

• The house of God • The house of the People of God • The gate of heaven • The Body of Christ • The People of God • A Temple of the Spirit • A sign of the Kingdom• Pilgrims on the Paschal Journey• Something else...

3. Has the PCC considered how their preferred model(s) of the church can be proclaimed and expressed in its worship?

4. What should the church be proclaiming about its nature and mission by its liturgy and the arrangement of furniture and fittings, with special regard to:

• Corporate worship and the Eucharist • Proclamation of and reflection on the Word of God?• The relationship of the members of the community to one another?

! ! 2. Where are you now?


2. Where are you now?• Personal commitment and initiation, especially the sacraments of Baptism and

Confirmation? • Personal growth and the spiritual life? • The church's ministry in relation to the community?

b) How does the wider community see the church?Where is the centre of your community?

Is the church seen to be at the centre, or on the outer edges? Have you asked the community what they think?

To outsiders, does the church demand that you belong before you’re ‘allowed’ to enter?

Or is the church so active in its community that it makes the place tick?

c) How do you believe the church should be used?

Resources:

• The Gate of Heaven - how church buildings speak of God by Nigel Walter (Grove Books, Spirituality Series, S118)

• The Community Planning Event Manual by Nick Wates (Earthscan, 2008)

! ! 2. Where are you now?


3. Communitya) as a community gathering space,

Parish hall or meeting roomb) as a Day Centre, for a Lunch Club or

other social activity c) for a Library, reading room, Post

Office, cashpoint or charity shopd) for casual visitors - what tourist /

cycling / rambling routes are you on?

Activity: Put down your honest thoughts about the status quo. What would it take

for this to improve?

1. Liturgical a) Sunday worship, of a variety of kinds b) Weekday worshipc) the Pastoral Offices, eg weddings,

funerals d) Special services and eventse) Personal prayer (how is it to be kept

open?)

2. Educational a) Workshops, lectures and discussion

groups b) Drama and music - plays and

concertsc) Art displays and exhibitionsd) A place to discover local history

3. Where are you heading?

1. Bearing in mind all that you have discussed together, in what ways is the present building a help or hindrance to your worship and the Church's mission in the community?

2. Think of consulting the Diocesan Advisory Committee or similar body about your worship or building. Consider arranging a Study Day or a visit to another church.

3. Make a large plan of the church, showing all the attached buildings like vestries and halls, removing all the furnishings and fittings, so that you can see what the spaces are and how they interrelate. Think of a large service with lots of visitors, and a small weekday service, and think about the different ways the space would be used:

• How are people welcomed? Are visitors ‘ambushed’ with information, or can they find their own way?

• Is the action visible? Can the congregation move, or use different parts of the church at different stages? Where will they sit, for which part(s) of the service, and on what? Check lighting as well as sightlines.

• How is the music led, and accompanied, and by whom and on what?• Where will the children be, and for which parts of the service? • How easy is the building to navigate? Can the visitor find the toilet, or the meeting

room?• Consider other Sunday activities - socialising, teaching, study or prayer groups, the

ministry of healing - in relationship to what you have put on the plan.

b) Three key principles for delivering change:

• Narrative: Understand your (plural) story.• Vision: Understand what you believe God is calling you to be; why should I believe

in (and give to) this?• Delegation: Get organised - Who is going to be responsible for what?

! ! 3. Where are you heading?


a) Dreaming the future...

c) ConclusionOnly when you have thought through these issues will you be in a position to begin to brief your architect. This process should result in lots of discussion and ideas, but it is helpful if you can summarise your main conclusions in written form - brief bullet points is probably best. By following this process we believe you will make wiser and creative decisions and arrive at an overall plan that is an expression of your ministry, rather than responding to individual issues in an incoherent and piecemeal fashion. Once you have that overall plan, you can then choose how it is to be implemented.

Some architectural/liturgical principles to guide you1. Churches are different from our homes -

avoid the soft furnishings, potted plants etc

2. All design, including movable fittings, altar ornaments, vestments, etc should be related to the overall plan of the building and its architectural character.

3. Churches are not furniture stores, and should be kept uncluttered; try to dispose of at least as much furniture as you might add (following the appropriate processes).

4. Architectural, liturgical and social needs should be allowed to interact, eg the position of the Font and Altar, but then priorities must be chosen and the reasons made explicit.

5. Churches are often made up of different interconnecting ‘rooms’. Use different spaces for distinct functions: lighting can create spaces as can changes in floor texture.

6. Aim for as much open space as possible, flexibility as regards seating and emphasis on the fixed points of key liturgical and mission significance, eg Font, Bible and Altar.

! ! 3. Where are you heading?


Activity: Dream your future as described above, and then summarise your main

conclusions in bullet points...

Resources:

• Re-Pitching the Tent - The definitive guide to re-ordering church buildings for worship and mission’ by Richard Giles (Canterbury, 2007)

• Prayer...

...‘and here are the people!’

Nigel Walter

www.churchbuild.co.ukwww.archangelic.co.uk

Thank You

ʻWe shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us.ʼ

Winston Churchill

Way of Life - Jonathan Clarke

buildings for mission - the diocese of canterbury · 2017-01-06 · buildings for mission...

Documents