Remember, the faith community is not the building, it is the people, even when they are at their own homes. Our job as designers is to create a building that is an effective tool to support the congregation. The coronavirus is not just a health crisis; it is a design problem, and every day we come up with solutions to solve problems through the built environment. So how are people using the physical worship building to help address the new challenges we face during the pandemic?

Architects are often called, or called upon, to serve as “citizen architects,” a role that engages our unique problem-solving skills and knowledge to fill a need or address a community issue. For those who are interested in exploring international service opportunities, Engineering Ministries International (eMi) is an excellent avenue to pursue.

LS3P’s Faith Studio begins every project by listening intently to understand each church’s unique ministry and vision. Our team adheres to the premise that we partner with the churches we serve to create a structure that will ultimately serve as a tool to amplify their ministries. Our “Canvas Session” workshops allow us to understand our clients’ needs, goals, and vision. Once we have a grasp on the vision, our design team uses a variety of tools to enable the churches we serve to more effectively cast this vision to their congregation. Each church’s journey is different, so we work with each on a case-by-case basis to help provide information, images, videos, models, and immersive experiences that allow each congregation to tell its unique story.

Today’s churches are more than just a place to worship; they are also a place to connect and build a community. Church projects often have tighter budget restrictions and want to balance function and form; recent trends in church design focus on creating spaces that are welcoming as well as practical.