7 Steps to Cast a Compelling Vision for Church Construction
If your church ceased to exist, would anyone notice? Most pastors enter the ministry out of a devoted love for God, a sweet desire to bless His people, and a drive to adorn all creation with God’s beauty. Why is it, then, that phrases like this are all too familiar: “I only hear from the church when they want money.” “I like Jesus, but not the church.” What if your congregation could write a better story for your community? Do you have the necessary courage and faith to lead your people to follow Jesus to bless your community? Pastor – [...]
4 Costly Mistakes in Your New Construction Project and Expansions
Over the last several years, I have met with a handful of clients who have realized well into the due diligence phase that the vision they set out to achieve for their new construction project or expansion project would not happen. I was brought in to help set up a new course to raise the project from the ashes before the entire vision was either put on hold or canceled altogether. By closely assessing the situation, I uncovered an unsettling reality that the project was stalling out. Unfortunately, this is a situation I have seen far too many times in [...]
Challenges Around Funding a Church-School Construction Project
Kicking off funding for a church-school project is never easy. At Catalyst, we’ve seen firsthand how challenging it can be for these entities to find the right path to fundraising. Often, churches and schools fall for the same mistakes repeatedly. We sat down with Eric Hamsho, Generosity Strategist and Campaign Specialist, to highlight some of these challenges and find alternative solutions. We explored some of the most common challenges around funding a church-school project and laid out tips and strategies to complete a successful fundraising campaign. How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the way people contribute to fundraising calls? Surprisingly, [...]
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 [...]
Groundbreaking 101: The Ins and Outs of an Intriguing and Perennial Architectural Custom
This article is part 1 of a 2-part series Breaking ground on a parcel of land that has been designated as the foundation for a construction project is a tradition that is as old as time immemorial. Literally. The consensus in academia is essentially that the groundbreaking ceremony as we know it today predates writing. It actually predates the written word. That’s the general claim anyway. Now whether that’s entirely accurate or not doesn’t really matter. The point is that groundbreaking ceremonies have indeed been a mainstay in the world of architecture and construction for a very long time. But [...]
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 [...]
3 Ways to Hire the Wrong Commercial Construction Firm
"In the construction sector, hiring the right company is easy, but hiring the wrong one is even easier..." Anonymous So you and your staff have made the decision to build a new facility for your organization or to renovate or add onto your existing one. That in itself is a significant accomplishment and is a decision that, once made, marks the commencement of several months (and possibly years, depending on the scale and scope of your project) of concerns that will need to be addressed and questions that will need to be answered. The very first question that needs to [...]
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 [...]
