Concession after concession, until the building is not good for any one of the desired functions.
It is not great for athletics.
It is not ideal for worship.
It is too big for intimate settings.
The sound stinks.
Line of sight is not great.
It feels utilitarian.
Multi-useless!!!!!
On top of that, the typical facility, with the above as the premise, is designed with the multi-useless room in the center with a narrow corridor system bordering three to four sides of the room that serves more as a cattle shoot than a place for people to connect and do life.
It is only a means by which you funnel people in and out of the building … forget trying to stop to have a conversation. They are usually fairly plain architecturally with one of the most significant misnomers of all … we can put this design anywhere/everywhere.
Really?
Does the uniqueness of your community and ministry not matter. Do we really think that the same multi-useless building is as equally contextual in Miami as it would in Boise or Detroit or L.A.?
The fallacy of this thinking is that the local context (the Story) is irrelevant … raw space is the only motivator and, as such, the uniqueness of our body of believers and our local community is a factor not to be considered. Wow … if you really believe that, I have a good book you should read.
So what is the answer? We still need space to fulfill our vision and mission, so what do we do?
Great question … and we will deal with it next time.
