In this piece, we’ll look at the mechanics of building activation. We’ll dig into some of the details and explore why it’s important to align your decision makers with your plans. Having a vision for building activation is great, but you need to understand the details that make it work if you want to turn your spaces into financially viable, mission-driven assets.
Let’s dive in.
Building activation is the concept of activating your physical building’s untapped potential. This is most effective when you bring in experienced, third-party operators who know how to bring traffic to the site during the week when the building would otherwise not be in use.
In the past, we’ve compared this to Apple Inc. The tech giant’s stores are the highest-grossing stores per square foot in the world, despite the fact that they don’t sell anything in the store that you cannot get online. Rather than create transaction-focused stores, Apple has steered into experience-focused spaces. These cater to the needs of those who enter them rather than pressuring them to achieve a specific goal.
Churches have an opportunity to see their buildings serve a larger purpose than purely using them for Sunday services. While Sunday morning is a prime function, being good stewards calls us to care for others and reach the lost, which means looking beyond Sundays.
To us, this is the modern-day Jacob’s Well. It’s where we can meet people on a Tuesday afternoon who are not coming on Sunday morning.
Most churches stand empty for over 90% of the week. Activating these spaces on the weekdays can create the opportunity for a number of things, such as:
These are mutually beneficial initiatives. When done thoughtfully, they meet genuine community needs and help your church’s local neighbors feel seen. They improve your church’s reputation as a great church for the community and not just a great church in the community. They also facilitate outreach to the local community and have financial benefits (more on that in a minute).
It’s important to establish the purpose of building activation with church leaders. This sets the tone for the conversation and establishes that you are looking for a solution that is a win-win for everyone involved.
The good news for churches is that they don’t have to choose between mission and monetization. In fact, typically, the businesses that generate the highest amount of use and traffic also create the most income. More margin creates opportunities for greater mission.
That said, it’s important to underline the financial benefits and purpose of building activation. When you utilize your spaces for community initiatives throughout the week, it can bring certain financial advantages.
One of these is additional revenue streams. A cafe or childcare center can generate income that offsets the costs of the buildings that house them.
Another, harder-to-track impact is church attendance. If a pickleball court or community center brings the potential of hundreds or thousands of people onto your campus, it can increase attention and draw more people to become part of your church. When done intentionally, this exposure to the community can lead to more growth.
Chase Oaks Church in Plano, Texas, is a great example of this concept in action. When we helped them open a number of community-oriented facilities, it led to between 2,500 and 3,000 unique visitors per month. This increased foot traffic was specifically coming in to use those utilities, but it brought greater awareness to the church as a whole. Chase Oaks also had almost 70,000 unique credit card swipes in its Local Good Cafe, which serves its Local Good Center.
Activating your spaces makes sense in theory, but you still want to proceed with caution. There are many things that are easy to overlook or underprioritize, like:
This is where the Ministry Solutions Team can help. Our experience in helping activate over $1.4 billion in church real estate initiatives has given us detailed insights into what does and doesn’t work.
Our Clear Path Forward process is designed to put everyone at ease when it comes to building an activation strategy. We invest time in on-site assessments, targeted research, and informed strategic vision so that your entire leadership team can invest in each activation project with the confidence that it is the right choice for your church, your community, and your finances.
If you’re considering a building activation project, reach out. We’d love to connect and meet your leadership team. Together, we can explore your options as you look for ways to help your church building support your ministry — and not the other way around.