From Empty Rooms to Community Impact: Simple Activation Wins You Can Implement This Year

Activating untapped and underutilized church spaces can revolutionize a ministry’s impact. In an era where church campuses are often isolated from communities, activated spaces encourage people from your community to visit your church buildings. Even better, it creates positive associations with your campuses by connecting them with support for felt needs across your community.

Whether it’s a safe place to drop your kids off before work on Monday, a quiet coffee shop oasis to get some work done on a Wednesday afternoon, or an escape for a round of pickleball on Friday night, your church spaces can have a powerful community impact throughout the week.

Here’s the best part. You don’t have to wait to start activating your spaces. Here are seven ways you can start transforming your empty rooms into ministry support outreach tools this year.

1. Ask the Right Questions

It’s never too early to start asking questions. Here are a few to get started:

• What spaces are sitting idle during the week?
• What building activation projects align with your church’s vision?
• What groups in your community do you want to serve better?
• What kind of timeline would you need for the kind of building activation projects you’re thinking about?

Questions get the ball rolling and can lead to insightful conversations. Use them to get some initial momentum.

2. Shift Mindsets and Culture

As you build a strategy, think about your team. What cultural shifts need to happen before you start radically changing how you use your building between Monday and Friday? How can you shift mindsets, send messages, and generally prepare your staff and volunteer culture to embrace a ministry-mobilizing activation project?

3. Attend Local Town Halls, Public Forums, and Similar Gatherings

Your church is part of your community. This should be a two-way relationship, which means you should be taking the time to visit local town hall meetings, public forums, and similar gatherings. Use these occasions to take notes and see where there are pain points, felt needs, and struggles in your community.

4. Build Connections With Community Leaders

From local politicians to non-profit organizations to CEOs, look for local leaders you can connect with. It’s easy to cross paths with them at events both inside and outside of your church. Some might even attend your church every Sunday. Whenever the opportunity arises, build those bridges. Similar to the previous point, this can help you put your finger on the pulse of your local community. It makes it easier to identify needs and explore partnerships that can help with future building activation projects.

5. Assess Your Spaces

Before you initiate any projects, you want to understand what you’re working with. Audit your spaces — and be detailed about it. Consider each area of your ministry, what it offers in physical space, accessibility, and availability throughout the week. This can help you match community needs and opportunities with actual inventoried church space.

6. Review Your Finances

Finances aren’t the reason churches exist, but it doesn’t change the fact that a healthy balance sheet keeps the lights on. If you want your building to help your budget, you need to understand your finances before you start spending on new initiatives. Are your guests giving? Are you struggling to cover expenses? How often is your bank account blocking your outreach efforts?

7. Use Spaces for Temporary Impact

As your building activation takes shape, start looking for ways to use your spaces in the short term. Try renting your space out as an event venue. Repurpose spaces for classes or gatherings. Look for ways to redefine your church building from static spaces to flexible ones.

Explore Your Options With Ministry Solutions Group

There are many ways to prepare your church for building activation. You don’t have to go into this process alone, either. Having the Ministry Solutions Group team by your side can provide an informed and holistic view of your options.

Our team has helped with over $1.4 billion in church activation projects. We’ve seen it all, and we can put that experience to use helping your church amplify its impact across your local community. 

Your ministry shouldn’t exist to support your church building. It should be the other way around. Reach out for a free analysis, and together, we can chart a Clear Path Forward where your building once again fuels your church growth.