What is Building Activation?

There are a lot of terms that refer to brick-and-mortar church structures. Church real estate, sanctuaries, campuses, and parsonages all come to mind. But what about “building activation”?

Ministry Solutions Group coined the phrase as a term for tapping into your church buildings’ dormant potential — something that has a uniquely important meaning for ministries operating in the post-pandemic era. 

If your church is under the weight of a hefty mortgage, struggling to pay for maintenance costs, or feeling the pressure of property taxes, this resource (and Building Activation) is your next step. Let’s take a closer look at Building Activation, how it has impacted other churches already, and what it can do for your ministry, in particular.

What Is the Goal of a Church Building?

Before we define Building Activation, we need to answer one question: What is the purpose of a church building? On a practical level, it is a place where your church can gather on Sunday mornings, but in most cases, the building stands open for most, if not all, of the rest of the week.

Here’s another question: How do you pay for your church building? The answer in most cases is that people give toward your church building expenses through tithes, offerings, and similar donations. While this is a healthy process, let’s be honest:

The real goal of your church isn’t generating income. It’s having an impact. Is your church building helping with that process right now?

Whether you’re actively expanding your building or struggling to keep the doors open, your ministry’s structures exist to serve your church — and, if you’re willing, to influence the rest of the local community that surrounds you.

Building Activation: Buildings That Fund Ministry (Not the Other Way Around)

Did you know that as recently as 2022 — i.e., since COVID — the team at Ministry Solutions Group was hearing story after story of Church buildings that were coming in 40% to 50% over budget? 

Some of that was from COVID pressure, and it’s true that costs for commercial structures have come down since. Even so, interest rates remain extremely high, inflating payments and keeping pressure on countless churches just trying to stay afloat.

At the same time, attendance has remained low for many churches and inconsistent in other cases. This doesn’t necessarily mean people aren’t attending — that is still happening. It’s just taking place online, making the need for a massive structure less significant than in the past.

This is where Building Activation comes into the picture.

Building Activation is the concept of activating your building’s untapped potential. 

It takes a building that your ministry is funding and turns it into a relevant asset that funds your ministry.

How does this happen? By finding ways to use your building to meet community needs. Many churches are already utilizing their buildings for ministry like this.

Liquid Church in New Jersey created the Clean Water Cafe, a coffee shop open to the public Sunday through Thursday. Dallas-Fort Worth ministry Chase Oaks opened a coffee shop, pickleball courts, and a community center. Churches are adding concert venues, launching daycare centers — the list goes on.

While Building Activation is straightforward in theory, it isn’t a simple decision. To be effective, it requires time, vision, planning, and experience.

What Does Building Activation Look Like for You?

The challenge of impactful Building Activation comes from identifying what your church can offer and matching it with the current needs of your community. You can’t just walk into your children’s wing one day and decide, “Hey, we could have a daycare operate out of here. Let’s do it!” 

You need to gauge the interest and need for daycare in your local community, assess the legal complications that come with that kind of work, decide if you should hire and run the daycare yourself or work with a more qualified third party, market the daycare, manage financials, and so on.

That’s just one example out of many, each with its own nuances and considerations. This is why so many churches have used our Building Activation service in the past. 

The good news is that you don’t have to commit without seeing how it would work. We are firm believers in investing in relationships before asking for commitments.

The first step is taking a FREE analysis.

We’ll ask for a few basic things, like the history of your church and some financial info. From there, we will assess your situation, and you’ll get a one-on-one call with our founder, Nathan.

This is the point where we will talk through whether your ministry is a good candidate for our “Clear Path Forward” service. This intensive service dives deep into your church’s financials, takes measurements of your building, and provides a detailed analysis of everything your ministry’s brick-and-mortar structures have to offer your church and local communities.

It’s at this point that we can start talking about coffee shops and pickleball courts. Don’t worry. We won’t give a recommendation and leave you hanging, either. We have support and consultation options that can extend throughout the entire process of activating your building.

That’s Building Activation in a nutshell. If you’re reading this and you see the value that this can provide for your church, we encourage you to fill out the analysis. We look forward to meeting you and starting the process of activating your building, transforming your community, and building God’s kingdom together.