3 Great Ways To Get Your Congregation Engaged With Your Next Church Construction Project

In Chapter 12 of the first letter from Paul to the Corinthians, the Holy Spirit of God speaks through his prophet about the myriad spiritual gifts that He has given His people in order for them to perform tasks and produce fruit that please and glorify Him and which edifies His Church and His coming Kingdom. The quintessence of this chapter is God’s desire for His people to amalgamate these varied gifts, talents, and abilities that He has given to us in collaboration with each other toward the production of great things. For your congregation, your next church construction project could be the ideal way to exemplify this chapter of Scripture and bring your congregants and your community closer together.

Sometimes, however, that can be easier said than done. Or at least the conventional thinking is that it is challenging. But it shouldn’t be and it doesn’t have to be. We are created to collaborate with one another and to glorify our God to the fallen world around us by working together toward common goals. With that in mind, here are 5 ways that you can tap into that deep desire within the hearts of your congregants to serve God and get your congregation engaged with your next construction project.

Get Your Congregation Involved Early On In the Planning Process

Bringing on volunteers from your congregation for your church construction project when it’s already well underway, or worse, nearing completion, is one of the best ways to alienate them. Conversely, by bringing them on at the earliest stages of the planning process, you are doing to very important things, 1) creating a strong sense of involvement and cooperation among your congregants which fosters a more enjoyable and more productive work atmosphere, and 2) giving those involved a chance to express what your church needs from various perspectives and help design a new space that accommodates those needs.

It is simple human nature for each of us to feel needed. By getting your congregation involved as early as possible in the process, you help satisfy that need for your members, some of which may not have that need satisfied anywhere else.

Feature Your Project and Its Goals and Track Its Progress on Your Website or Social Media Platforms

Most churches in 2022 have a website and for those that do not, your next construction project is the perfect opportunity to start one. The point here is to make your project known publicly as a means of getting both members and non-members excited about what your church is doing and generate some buzz about potential member involvement.

This is not merely to the project out there for the sake of public awareness, but also to track its progress as a means of keeping both the public and your congregation in the loop. Making the work your volunteers are doing for their church visible to the community both online and offline amplifies the sense of contribution and accomplishment each of those volunteers experiences and makes them feel that they truly are an integral part of something bigger than themselves. Maintaining a strong online presence is important for any church in this internet era and seeing your next construction project on display on your website and your social media platforms will work to increase the desire in your congregants to bring their gifts and talents to the project table.

Blend The Project and Its Goals into Your Services and Sermons

Ideally, the ultimate goal of your church construction project should be to expand and upgrade your ministry facilities in order to enhance worship, foster and encourage fellowship, and improve service to your community. Finding creative ways to blend those and other goals you have for your project into the messaging and sermons being delivered during your church services is a great way to inform your congregation about the project itself and their collective role in executing it, and how doing so serves the community and the Kingdom.

Providing your congregation with an understanding of the “why” of your project and their place in that bigger picture can work wonders in inspiring individual involvement and commitment and motivate those with appropriate gifts and talents to share them with the ministry through their participation.

Moving forward with a church construction project for your ministry is of course a major undertaking and as such you need all the help you can get. Still, it can be challenging to engage your ministry in the work even though most congregants have a desire to help. The entire process can seem daunting but you don’t have to go it alone. The Catalyst Ministry Solutions team specializes in working with church leaders to realize their vision for their new, expanded, or updated ministry space and we can help you find ways, beyond what is shared in this blog article, to get your congregation involved and make your next church construction project a genuine team effort. Click here and let’s talk about what Catalyst Ministry Solutions can do for you and your church.