Most architectural firms provide some sort of a planning process. Typically, they hold a number of focus meetings, with various groups and leaders, to learn of everyone’s needs and desires when it comes to modifications and changes to the current facilities. This is often referred to as developing a “space” vision.
Evans/Davis provides a program that develops a vision for “ministries and mission.” It is important that a vision that takes in a long-range look at those ministries that need to be developed, improved upon or expanded is completed before a “space” vision is developed. The old rule of thumb – “function before form” – applies in most cases. A visioning retreat of church leaders that determines ministry priorities is usually the best course of action prior to an architectural firm developing a long-term space vision.
This is why the firm recommends that fund-raising counsel be brought in first followed by the architectural firm. Working together, the two companies are best able to come up with a vision plan that emphasizes ministries and how church space can be arranged to foster and enhance these ministries.