10 Effective Development Partnerships for Church Spaces
Seasons change. Chapters close. Life cycles repeat. There is a time for everything under the sun. There is a time to start new churches, close old ones, and revitalize declining churches. Tragically, many churches don’t recognize their current stage in the church’s lifecycle. John Bussman reports that churches can dramatically overestimate their health. His research found that: “LCMS congregants are three times likelier to report growth than official attendance data suggests, and 70% less likely to report decline than official attendance data suggests.” This phenomenon is not unique to one denomination. Churches of all flavors can misread their situation – [...]
Bring Your Vision to Reality with a Multilayered Church Construction Process
DIY is all the rage. YouTube tutorials promise to make everyone an expert. That’s great in some cases. Why not learn how to craft, paint, or upcycle? In other cases, DIY can be disastrous. Take whitewater rafting as an example. You can read blogs, watch videos, talk to experts, and even take a class. But you need a guide if you’ve never physically gone through rapids on a raft. Once you’re in the water, there's no time for second-guessing or revisiting your notes. The unpredictable rocks and rapids demand split-second decisions. They won’t offer a second chance. Without an experienced [...]
6 Steps to Maximize the Impact of Your Church Construction Process
Do you know how long it takes to become an expert in a given field? Most researchers suggest you must invest no less than 10,000 hours of intentional practice to become an expert. For those leading their church through a church construction process, no one will blame you for not being an expert! But they might blame you for trying to be. You don’t have to make your own mistakes. You can benefit from what others have already learned the hard way. If you’re considering taking on a church building project, your first decisions will determine the difficulty of your [...]
5 Common Communication Mistakes in Construction Projects
Have you ever hit “send” on a text message without double-checking it? And has the “autocorrect” function ever failed you so miserably that what you sent completely confused the message? Communication is as basic and essential to humanity as breathing. Unlike breathing, though, sending and receiving messages can get complicated. When it does, progress of all kinds can grind to a halt, including construction projects. Effective communication is the backbone of a well-executed construction project, from coordinating tasks and ensuring safety to managing timelines and budgets. With over 17 years of experience and roughly 45 projects completed each year, we [...]
The Successful Groundbreaking Ceremony & How To Plan It
The atmosphere was electric as the groundbreaking ceremony got underway. The warm sun beamed down on the group, illuminating the glimmering shovels they held in their hands. The team members stood shoulder to shoulder in front of a sea of excited faces, ready to start the next chapter of this long-awaited project. There was a palpable sense of anticipation and possibility in the air as they began digging into the ground, marking the beginning of something truly special. As the dirt was lifted and moved aside, the group felt a swell of pride and accomplishment wash over them. It was [...]
Trimming Down Your Commercial Construction Budget
Catalyst Construction has completed projects for some of the Midwest’s most affluent, financially stalwart clients but we have yet to take on a project with an unlimited budget. When it comes to commercial construction projects, saving money and cutting costs is something everyone can get on board with regardless of the size of the numbers involved. Arguably the best way to ensure your budget maximizes cost efficiency and you’re getting the absolute most for every construction dollar spent is to partner with the amazing people at Catalyst and let us use our expertise, insight, and long-standing industry relationships to find [...]
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 [...]
4 Tips For Creating The Perfect Floorplan For Your Commercial Space
The work that goes into designing and constructing a commercial building involves a litany of complex and multifaceted plans, processes, and protocols carried out in carefully managed synchronicity to produce a practical and, hopefully, an aesthetically pleasing structure. One of the plans that stands out as among the most important in terms of life-after-construction is the floorplan that you use for the new commercial space you, your colleagues, your employees, and your customers will occupy for the foreseeable future. But how do you create the ideal floorplan for your space and your needs? You want to create a smart floorplan [...]
Decisions, Decisions: Knowing Your Options For Your Mass Timber Construction Project
After some brief initial skepticism across the industry, mass timber framing is quickly becoming the new gold standard in building systems technology for the commercial construction sector throughout North America. Reasons for this are many and varied but some of the most advantageous features for mass timber’s ever-increasing popularity including improved construction speed, labor and noise reduction, and of course, sustainability. Mass timber projects have seen a roughly 25% reduction in superstructure completion time as compared with concrete, steel, or light wood framing systems. Such a substantial improvement in the overall project completion time is almost invariably accompanied by a [...]
3 Techniques Construction Companies Can Use To Make Buildings More Energy Efficient
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, buildings consume 39% of all energy produced in the United States and 15% of the country’s total energy use can be attributed to heating and cooling the average home or office building during the winter and summer months. In an effort to reduce their impact on the environment, businesses and real estate developers are turning to green design principles that not only boost energy efficiency but also save money by reducing energy costs while simultaneously improving the comfort, productivity, and well-being of the employees and residents who occupy their buildings. The following are [...]
