Why Some Activated Space Strategies Work and Others Drain the Team

Your church is a thriving place on Sunday morning, but then it sits empty for 90% of the week. What do you do? You decide to activate some of your spaces.

But what do you commit to? There are many ways to activate under-used church space. You could rent it out, create a cowork spot or coffee shop, or bring in a third-party child care program.

How do you know which strategy will help and which ones will just burn out you and your staff? If you’re struggling with how to start the building activation process, here are some questions you should ask to make sure you’re investing in the right areas.

Are you following opportunities or strategy?

Too often, opportunities crowd out strategy. Imagine a great property becomes available in a spot downtown. The location is perfect, but it has minimal parking and a funky layout. You decide to compromise on your original growth expansion plan because this is a better financial and geographic opportunity. But now you can’t have as many seats, and no one can park. 

Forcing opportunities into your vision is never wise, and the principle applies when you’re trying to set up an activated church space, too. You always want to clarify and align your vision with your building activation before committing. Simply looking for something to fill a space or focusing on a practical thing, like generating revenue, isn’t enough. You want to make sure you’re using the space to support the main reason your ministry exists.

Are you balancing vision and stewardship?

The Ministry Solutions Group regularly works with church leaders who have visions twice the size of their budgets. That’s one of the top reasons activation and renovation budgets break. 

If you want to activate a space properly, you have to think about what you can responsibly afford. Once you’ve exercised good stewardship to refine your options, consider which ones align with your vision …and meet a real need.

Are you meeting a real need with your building activation?

When you plan out a building activation strategy, are you listening to staff ideas? Are you “following your gut”? Or are you finding out what the local community actually needs that you can accommodate?

Run surveys. Attend town hall meetings. Meet with community leaders. Gauging community needs ensures that you’re activating a space that will genuinely impact and add value to the people who need it.

Are you looking at your building the wrong way?

Sometimes building activation fizzles or backfires because the people overseeing the process don’t understand the role of a church building. If you want your church facility utilization to support your ministry (and not the other way around), you need to understand something:

Your building is a tool.

It isn’t the destination. It isn’t the end goal. It’s a tool you’re using to build a ministry. Are you investing in your real estate as a piece of your strategy, or are you treating it like it is the strategy?

Are you addressing usage or inventory?

Activating a space is a usage solution. Adding on or buying a new space? That’s an inventory solution. 

What are you trying to accomplish by activating your space? If you’re trying to use the same space more efficiently, that’s an achievable goal. It acknowledges the primary use of the space while looking for additional ways to get more out of what you already have.

Are you finding intentional purpose in your new space?

A multi-purpose space doesn’t mean a purposeless space. You want to anchor your activated spaces in a clear understanding of the main reason it exists within your church operations. This makes it easier to add intentional options for alternative ways to use it. 

If a lobby helps you welcome people on Sunday and during an occasional weekday ministry event, that’s the key function. Putting in a coffee shop allows you to invite people onto your campus Monday through Saturday who can also become more aware of and comfortable with your church in the process.

Activating Your Spaces the Right Way

Activating underused spaces in your church has the potential to help with things like expenses, outreach, and impact. But it isn’t a given. 

You have to activate your spaces the right way. That means being intentional, maintaining vision and stewardship, and many other factors that make building activation possible.

If you’re unsure how to use your unused space without compromising its primary role in your ministry, it’s important to find clarity before you commit. Reach out to the Ministry Solutions Team for a Free Analysis. Together, we can review your financials, your attendance, and the potential to activate your spaces to support your ministry and mission. That way, when you invest in building activation, you can do it with a Clear Path Forward to guide you each step of the way.