Perhaps your organization has tried to create a more diverse organization but has been frustrated when those efforts came up short. We present this model as necessary in addressing the whole system of your organization to create space for underrepresented voices, whether that is women, BIPOC leaders, or people of different nationalities.

Imago Dei

First and throughout the process, becoming a belonging culture requires that we see the image of God in each other. Men need to see and recognize that God made women in his image and for his purposes and gifted them for that calling. Those gifts include leadership, preaching, and teaching. 

Women need to see the image of God in the men who have hurt them and marginalized them. It’s too easy to demonize a man who doesn’t know any better, who has been socialized in wrong beliefs about women and hasn’t been held accountable until now for bad behaviors. To borrow the title of Bishop Tutu’s book, there is no future without forgiveness.

Strategic Case

While it offends many women that this is required, it has taken “the strategic case” as a point to convince leaders that creating more diverse leadership and highlighting the influence of women is good for the organization and its performance outcomes. And there’s research to support that reality. Significant representation of women in leadership (35 percent or more) is not a “nice to have” but a strategic necessity.

Organizational Culture

You can see the image of God in each other, you can make the strategic case for why change is necessary, but if you don’t tackle the organizational cultures that were originally created by men to welcome only men, you will see women “check out” either emotionally or physically from your organization, exacerbating the likelihood that you’ll be able to recruit any in the future. How is performance measured, who gets celebrated, what toxic behaviors are supported or ignored for the sake of “more and better” ministry?

Human Resource Policies and Practices

From throwing the recruiting net to celebrating the exit and retirement of employees, there’s bias in the system that embraces male behaviors and diminishes women’s behaviors. This shows up in how women show up in interviews, views of what “leadership track material” looks like, and how women are judged for aggressively promoting themselves and negotiating raises, when those are expected of men. We can see each other as the image of God, understand the business case, and begin to address culture, but if HR practices and policies aren’t examined from beginning to end, the movement of the culture will be much harder.

Intentional Development

Even if all of these previous levers have been pushed, perhaps your organization has spent decades favoring the development of men over women when it comes to leadership and influence. Perhaps the message you’ve given is that women need to “show up” more like men—until they do and are admonished for it. A culture of belonging needs to intentionally develop everyone if it is going to rewrite the curriculum scripts on what good leadership and influence look like. Women too need to overcome mental hurdles by believing that the way God has equipped them for leadership is leadership. Not a mistake, not an accident. They are his beloved, called for his purposes, and equipped for his work.

Leadership Will

This lever is actually first and last. None of these changes will be implemented unless existing leaders have the courage and the will to recognize the image of God they have diminished in women, the strategic case for better performance of their organization, and understanding that the whole organizational system has been working against a belonging culture all along. Systems can be changed. But this requires much more than a heartwarming public statement of affirming diversity. It requires the backbone to start and stay the course to see it through to bearing fruit.

Does all this feel like too much? It shouldn’t. In our combined thirty-plus years in the sector, we have watched far more ambitious “global change” agendas executed in missional organizations with far fewer necessary outcomes. Creating a belonging culture will be the legacy you leave because it will forever change the positive outcomes of your organization. Everything else you do for the success of your organization and the communities you serve will pale in comparison to this endeavor.

Adapted from Creating Cultures of Belonging by Beth Birmingham and Eeva Sallinen Simard. ©2022 by Beth Birmingham and Eeva Sallinen Simard. Used by permission of InterVarsity Press. www.ivpress.com.

Among church leaders, the art of sacred storytelling has traditionally been confined to the pulpit and children’s classrooms. But today’s world is becoming increasingly post-Christian; placing story in sacred silos alone isn’t an option any longer. Instead, our churches must embody successful storytelling from branding to building, and beyond. 

We call this three-dimensional storytelling, a form of storytelling that transports and immerses guests into another world. The three dimensions are: 

* Strategic Storytelling, in which we use strategy to tell a story that reflects a congregation’s unique personality, DNA and journey. 

* Spatial Storytelling, in which the space is built to draw guests into a storytelling space through a number of disciplines, including architecture, interiors, landscape design and more.

* Digital Storytelling, in which we use technology, including websites, apps, virtual reality and augmented reality to bring a digital element to the storytelling experience. 

Film school taught me that story is based on plot (why), character (who) and setting (where). For a church to hone in on its unique story, the leadership team must reach a consensus on what those story elements are for their church. Your mission field, congregation, origin story and vision casting for the future all play a part in your unique, three-dimensional story. 

The Characters 

Who is at the center of your sacred story? Your unique character, relationships, identity and voice ultimately express value internally and within your community. As a collective, your church possesses spiritual, social, intellectual, emotional and physical aspects that make up your unique DNA.

“Your mission field, congregation, origin story and vision casting all play a part in your unique, three-dimensional story.” 

Here are some questions you can ask to begin determining your story’s characters: 

* Who are we as a church? 

* What sort of people make up our congregation? 

* Who are we trying to reach? 

* Who are our leaders? 

* Where did we come from, where are we now and where are we going? 

* What unique impact do we strive to have in our community, in the nation and around the world?

* How are we bringing others to Jesus? 

Once you’ve answered those questions, you’re a step closer to sharing your story beyond the pulpit and sharing Jesus in a broader way.

The Setting 

Where does your sacred story take place? Spend time thinking about the community you serve and its unique history. Consider your facility, and how it may or may not currently play a part in how you’re telling your story. In all of God’s creation, why have you chosen this specific place? 

Many churches are housed in rubber-stamp buildings that function in the same ways, regardless of where they’re located. They provide a needed meeting place for the congregation, but may not necessarily contribute to the story in a unique way otherwise. Other structures may be master planned and designed in order to be a functional part of that story. Regardless, it’s important to fully understand your space and the local environment as your setting. 

The Plot 

Your plot is the “why” behind your sacred story. Ultimately, the reason for your church’s story is leading others to Christ. This plot is made up of the who, where and what. Determining your characters and setting will naturally lead to your story’s plot. 

Once you have the plot, setting and characters down, you can begin to strip away elements of your space that are not essential to moving your plot forward. This can be as simple as removing unsightly flooring or using reclaimed materials in your building renovation. 

The Big Idea 

At the heart of your character, setting and plot is your “big idea,” a powerful concept that can help your church determine design and development decisions as you move toward telling your sacred story in a more powerful way. It lends itself to an internal consistency that, over time, will help you eliminate chaotic, contradictory elements from your physical environment. 

A strong example of this is the big idea we developed for Saddleback Church’s multiphase renovation, the first phase of which opened on November 13, 2021. Their idea is “Church Without Walls,” a concept Saddleback has embodied consistently in ways both big and small. It came about as a result of church closures in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic as Pastor Rick Warren and his leadership team worked to find new and innovative ways to allow their congregation to gather safely.

“It’s important to fully understand your space and the local environment as your setting.”

Before Saddleback had a permanent building, they were a church of over 20,000 members. They have pursued digital church and multisite strategies aggressively, even prior to COVID-19. And, they have seen more baptisms since lockdowns began in 2020 than in any time during their history.  

Saddleback’s team opted to open up the side walls of their main building (originally large windows), replacing them with four aircraft hangar doors that transform the auditorium into an indoor-outdoor venue. In addition, we revamped and upgraded the original metal stadium seats to terraced platform and theater seating along the back. We redesigned the north patio to flow and connect from the inside out, and walkways were transformed into “welcome portals” to help attendees along their journey from the parking lot to the welcome centers and an open lobby area.

This big idea blurs the lines between indoor and outdoor worship, creating a safer environment for members to gather as well as exhibiting better creation care in Southern California’s Mediterranean climate. The auditorium is just the first phase in a campus-wide makeover that will eventually shift the majority of Saddleback’s worship and event capacity outdoors into year-round protected, shaded space. 

Ultimately, your big idea will help lead people to Christ in whatever form that takes. Whether you’re creating a thriving city center, a virtual reality Bible experience or a jungle adventure for your kids’ ministry, you’ll be making an impact for the kingdom through the creativity given to us by the Creator.

Read more from Mel McGowan »

It didn’t take many days hunkered down at home for us to also realize we have a deep hunger to be with people outside of our nuclear family. Created in the image of God, we long for deep, close community. We need to be able to open our homes and be in public spaces, to be with people. While virtual community is important, it can sometimes lead to isolation. People can have thousands of friends online and still feel alone. We need communities to meet these neglected relational needs.

Millennials are especially looking for that connection. And they aren’t finding it in church. We know this partly because church attendance has been on a steady decline the last two decades and thousands of churches across America are closing their doors every year. While older generations highly valued “loyalty,” today’s young adults care about meaning and want to be a part of something that makes a difference. If the church maintains the status quo, America will soon become as unchurched as much of the rest of the world.

LIFE IN COMMUNITY

My friend Hugh Halter, a painter on some days and church planter on others, says, “We need a new model of disciple making, a new model of doing church.”

In 2002 Hugh and his wife, Cheryl, started a small group community in Denver prompted in part by their son Ryan’s severe epilepsy. Because of his disability, the Halters couldn’t leave the house much. Their home became the front line of their mission work; they had to create simple, reproducible rhythms so people could come do life with them.

Twice a month, the Halter family’s community would gather to study the Bible. Once a week, they would throw a party; and every week or so, they would serve the neighborhood together. In just two years, they had 45 people in four groups. They didn’t advertise. They just used natural ways of meeting people—at the place they had coffee every day, in their neighborhood, at their kids’ hockey program.

“I always tell people, don’t add anything to your life. See everywhere you are as a mission field and then just invite people to do life with you,” Halter says.

Eventually Ryan moved out-of-state to an adult assisted-living center. Hugh and his family never thought they’d leave Denver, but they moved to Alton, Illinois, to be close to Ryan. Halter had no idea what he was going to do in the Midwest, especially in a small, struggling community. Alton is a post-industrial river town with a rich Civil War history, located just outside of St. Louis. Its population has gone down from 90,000 to just 27,000 in the last 50 years, so there are a lot of deserted spaces. And with an average annual household income of $24,000, the area is very poor.

When Hugh and his family arrived, there was no coffee shop in the downtown area. No place for breakfast. No space for the multiethnic community to come together, and no relational space for personal or business development. Hugh and Cheryl felt a calling to bring beauty back to the broken town of Alton. And now being empty nesters, they could invite even more people into their home for small group community.

POST COMMONS

The Halters began to meet people in Alton, one of whom was a local businessman who cared deeply about the community. He took Hugh on a drive to show him different parts of the city. He pulled up in front of an old federal post office and after some small talk, told Hugh, “I think you should have this building. I feel like you will know what to do with it.”

Hugh was blown away by the generous offer. With funds donated by individuals and the city, he, his family and the community began transforming the 12,000 square feet of the former post office into Post Commons, a space that now serves as the living room of Alton.

On the main floor of Post Commons is a coffeehouse, kitchen, co-lab working spaces and an events center for arts and music. The floor beneath is home to Lantern Network. This nonprofit facilitates three microworks in the Alton community: microefforts, microbusinesses and microcommunities.

Dating back to the Civil War, Alton has been a prominent player on both sides of civil rights issues. A terminal for the Underground Railroad, Alton was a place of security and hope. The goal of microefforts is to promote reconciliation and restore hope, building bridges to bring residents together in caring for one another.

Obviously Alton cannot reproduce the steel plant of the industrial boom days, but microbusiness can serve as the incubator for new businesses in the city. These businesses are based not solely on profitability but also on serving others and intentionally developing relationships with people.

Microcommunities are for the individuals already connected and served through microefforts and microbusinesses. They are taught and encouraged in personal spiritual formation and find connection in Christ-centered community.

Hugh hopes Post Commons can be an example to other struggling communities on how they can work together for the common good. He encourages church planters to find out what the city needs and fill the gap, to be a part of redeeming the city to get to the hearts and minds of the people before doing anything else.

“It’s a way of doing church we will all have to do someday,” Halter says. “This is what Jesus meant when he said love your neighbor. It’s a hard sell to traditional churches. But if the church keeps declining like it is in the U.S., there won’t be many options left. It may be the only way that works 20 to 30 years from now.”

Read more from Mel McGowan »

1 of 4

Disney’s unrealized dying dream was to create a city on a hill (or at least above the swamps of Central Florida) that he dubbed the Experimental Prototype City of Tomorrow. This dream inspired Christian and me to follow in Disney’s footsteps by moving beyond our film backgrounds and stepping into the creation of spaces that would bring the future now.

Christian is the executive director and co-founder of the Grant Town Foundation, a U.S.-based nonprofit focused on building a world that works for every human. After developing a research center in the Amazon to study indigenous, plant-based medicines and building a vertical farm to help bring healthy foods to low-income families living in food deserts, Christian is leading the charge in creating a 21st century version of Walt Disney’s EPCOT vision.

As a child, I never imagined that I would get to live in Tomorrowland, much less design one—a place in which people could live, work and play in a self-contained community. Rather than focusing on just the hardware of sci-fi futuristic architecture and innovative technology (e.g., transportation), it is fueled by a sense of purpose. Our working title is an Ethos-Driven Experimental Neighborhood (E.D.E.N.). As a destination designed to contribute to the overall development, health and happiness of its residents, Grant Town Experimental Community (G.T.E.C.) embodies the Japanese concept of ikigai, or “reason for being.” It will contain a wealth of educational and experiential resources for people of all ages, including advanced science, technology, engineering and mathematics education and the latest in transportation and agricultural technology.

Instead of being defined by a futuristic urban skyline, the architecture of E.D.E.N. is designed to resemble God’s architecture, a gently sloping hill or volcano form. Hillside homes, inspired by Mediterranean terraced homes, are embedded into the exterior of the hillside. In the heart of E.D.E.N., we’ve designed an urban grotto inspired by a volcanic caldera that serves as the postmodern public piazza or public square. And like any classic piazza, ours will be anchored by sacred space.

FUTURE CHURCH

In order to grow as individuals on a holistic level, we must nurture the mind, body and spirit. E.D.E.N. takes all three into consideration, building upon the ikigai concept (similar to shalom). A community space for spiritual reflection is a necessity if we’re seeking to encourage spiritual growth. Our concept for this sacred space anchor is rooted in the story of a woman bringing her best alabaster jar and perfume to anoint Jesus’ feet and head. Rather than anchoring our CommuniCore, our community plaza, with a big box, windowless, multiuseless gymnatorium, a prime anchor spot will be donated to an organic landmark structure clad in a unique translucent concrete and alabaster bands. The curving entry gallery ascends and draws the eye upward toward the natural light in a futuristic interpretation of the timeless nave, which serves as an entry gallery to a controlled AVL environment for worship in which “Blessed are the flexible” serves as an additional beatitude.

Rather than the church of the future being relegated to isolated suburban campuses, anonymous industrial parks or in digital Zoom rooms, we are creating an opportunity for the community at large to gather and do life at the foot of the cross, represented historically by the cross-shaped transept floor plan of cathedrals. Outdated urban planning and zoning makes it difficult and illegal for sacred space to occur in the heart of our communities in much of America and the developed world. We are developing strategies and spaces to steal our spot back.

Read more from Mel McGowan »

1 of 6

A pioneer of global evangelism since 1961, Morris Cerullo’s wish for his legacy was to create a training center that would continue his ministry long after his passing. But the concept he was dreaming of wouldn’t just be a church and conference center. Instead, he wanted it to be a unique, experiential destination that would offer a taste of Israel, while inspiring visitors from all backgrounds with the impact of global evangelism. That would be a challenge, as the center would be competing with other area tourist attractions, including SeaWorld, LEGOLAND and the world-famous San Diego Zoo.   

TELLING HIS-TORY

As I got to know Dr. Cerullo, I was impacted with the power of his personal life narrative as a perfect case study of how God writes us into what we ended up calling HIStory: God’s metanarrative of his creation, the redemption of his people and his ever-present place throughout time.  

Dr. Cerullo’s inspiring story from a Jewish orphanage to the world stage was an inspiring opportunity for guests to walk away hyperaware of their own potential for impact as disciples of Christ. Our resulting collaboration is hard to describe: part World’s Fair pavilion, part presidential library and museum, part seminary, part resort/conference center and part theme park.  

Inspired by San Diego’s rare Mediterranean climate, we conceived of an experiential narrative journey, which would weave inside and outside from an upper level plaza into a high-tech pavilion featuring a dome theater, through an art gallery housed in catacombs and an international bazaar marketplace, and culminating in an homage to Jerusalem’s Western Wall (also known as the Wailing Wall). The former Mission Valley Resort was demolished and now includes not only the attraction, but also a four-star resort hotel and conference center, shopping and dining. One reporter dubbed the $200 million project “the inverted cathedral.”  

THE LEGACY CENTER

When guests enter the main complex, the first thing they see is a giant LED dome of the world that signifies the theme of global evangelism. This flexible first impression can be easily updated, such as transforming it into a digital snow globe at Christmastime. The theatrical pre-show to the rest of the attraction consists of four theater galleries with immersive screens on every wall that tell the story of the world in four parts. Once the pre-show is over, Dr. Cerullo in digital form provides a welcome and orientation to the main event.  

The 4D HIStory Dome is equipped with motion seats, allowing guests to experience two different “rides” inside. Walk Through the Bible allows guests to step into the story with all five senses, such as feeling the mist during the parting of the Red Sea and the gut-wrenching vibrations caused by the hammer pounding the nails through Christ to the cross.

Dr. Cerullo had a lifelong collection of eagle sculptures, some of which are on display at the center. After we went to Disney California Adventure and rode Soarin’ Over California together, I proposed that we create an attraction inspired by an eagle’s flight over the Holy Land and our shared experience on the ride.

An additional exhibit shows off biblical artifacts such as a rare 12-foot-long, 350-year-old Torah written on deerskin by a rabbinical scribe in Morocco. The scribe was specially trained to translate and transcribe the Torah. During the transcription process, he was required to carefully adhere to ancient Jewish traditions for cleanliness and holiness. The exhibit also features a 1657 Walton Polyglot Bible.

The theater opens into “catacombs,” an underground recreation of the Catacombs of Rome that serves as an art gallery. The gallery features 3D paintings by Kurt Wenner, which are styled after first century art pieces and tell the story of persecuted humans throughout history.  

Kids and families can enjoy the Legends of Lightfall interactive series, based on a gospel-focused comic book. Finally, guests can visit the Legacy of Nations, an educational facility created to train guests from other countries to return home and spread the gospel.  

From there, they emerge into the international marketplace, an indoor/outdoor setting modeled after Jerusalem market stalls. At the Western Wall, guests can insert prayer scrolls into the gaps in the wall. The wall’s courtyard opens to a dancing water fountain and Gardens of Faith plaza, which is designed to be a focal point for the region, especially during the holidays.  

The Legacy International Center is positioned to become an inspirational hub for evangelism for years to come. By focusing on the legacy of the early church and those who came before, guests will be inspired to reflect on how each of them can use their lives to impact the world for Christ.  

To learn more about the Legacy International Center, visit  TheCenter.LegacySanDiego.com. 

1 of 9

But for Ascent Community Church, it was an answer to prayer. They were growing rapidly and needed a larger building to meet in, but were having trouble finding the right space. Four years after Sam’s Club closed, Ascent Community began a month-to-month lease on the empty space.

The church uses just the front half of the building; the back is a furniture wholesale warehouse. The old Sam’s Club optometry office is Ascent’s nursery, and the former tire center is now where the elementary kids meet. To break down the large amount of space they don’t need, Ascent gets creative with black theatrical curtains.

UNEXPECTED CHANGES

Over the past six years, the owner of the property, which the city of Louisville had dubbed Parcel O, had priced it at $13 million because he hoped to sell to a giant grocery chain. When a potential sale would appear on the horizon, Jim Candy and Bill Stephens, co-pastors of Ascent Community, would begin looking for a new place to move the church, but then the property sale would fall through and they could stay put. This happened several times, making things a bit stressful for the church staff.

Eventually Ascent purchased another property and was in the middle of developing it when the owner of the former Sam’s Club asked Ascent leadership if they wanted to buy the property. They declined, saying, “We don’t have that kind of money. And we don’t need all the space.”

But after a lot of prayer, multiple property price drops, discussions with the city—and considering the church’s mission for everyone to be living and thriving in relational community in hopeful and surprising ways—Ascent decided to put in an offer on their current location and sell their other property. Ten years after the former Sam’s Club closed, God chose to surprise Ascent and they were awarded the property.

EVERYONE KNOWN AND LOVED

Ascent spends a lot of effort surprising the city of Louisville, the local schools and their neighbors with crazy generosity. They provide teachers with meals during parent-teacher conferences and offer Thanksgiving meals for families who can’t afford them. They also create meal trains for people who need them, provide snow removal, bless and support local businesses, and the list goes on and on.

Perhaps my favorite projects that Ascent undertakes are those where they partner with the Louisville Police Department. Police Chief David Hayes helps identify those people in the community in need of home repairs or housing complexes that need landscaping. Ascent and the police department then go together and get those jobs done.

They also join efforts to host Logan’s Christmas Shoppe at the church. This unique shopping experience allows underresourced parents and guardians to come in to a beautiful, Christmas-themed toy store and shop for their kids. “Elves” (volunteers from the church and police department) wrap the presents, and police officers and Hayes deliver them as Santa and his elves. Last year, Logan’s Christmas Shoppe gave out presents to almost 2,000 kids in Louisville.

TELLING THEIR STORY

Because the church is so community-focused, Ascent wanted to use the other half of Parcel O to serve Louisville. They came to us to help figure out what that might look like. They wanted the nonchurch space to bring in tax revenue for the city to replace the Sam’s Club income, as well as jobs for Louisville residents. It had to be a space for the community, a place where residents could go to hang out, work, shop, eat and more.

From medieval England to Western towns on the American prairie, the church was once the central hub of the town. But in more modern times, we have placed churches on the outskirts of cities, gated them or even made some like exclusive country clubs. We believe it is time to put the church back in the center of town because the role of the church is to bring life to every city, every school, every business and every neighborhood. We can’t do that if we separate ourselves. The church is meant to do what Jesus did—to be with people, love people, work with people, eat with people.

With that in mind, we created a space that would do just that. We began by deciding to incorporate the name Parcel O into the design. Members of Ascent gather in circles to share stories and be in community with one another. Louisville was founded in the 1800s as a coal-mining town, so we brought fireplaces into the space to lift the spirit and the warmth of hearth and home into the design. We have plans for a food hall, a collaborative workspace, an events center and possibly an art or sports district.

“The Blue Sky workshop with the PlainJoe team was beyond thrilling to us because it was a complete paradigm shift. The idea that our story could live and breathe in architecture and space just blew us away,” Candy says. “We used a different architect firm on a previous space, and they basically just asked where we wanted stuff, like what wall should go where, what a sign should say. We love that we can now share our story with our community.”

And we are excited to play a small part in this God-size story. I would encourage you to be brave like Ascent and surprise the community around you by adding story to your architecture. Even if you can’t go as big as they did, just start small. Leave the supersizing to God.

Read more from Mel McGowan »

1 of 14

The global pandemic has been a wake-up call for all of us in so many ways. Many of our clients that are in the people magnet/destination business are rethinking their “experience economy” model to figure out how to connect with their audiences and markets in new ways. Churches are taking hard looks at their missions, strategies and ministries, and reimagining their future. The impossible is now possible. Things we never thought would happen are now happening. Dreams aren’t just dreams anymore.

Approximately 32% of churches were streaming their services before March 2020. That means about two-thirds of our churches were scrambling to get their services online when they were forced to close their doors due to the pandemic.

Thankfully there was one ready-to-go resource they could turn to. My friend Pastor Bobby Gruenewald of Life.Church says, “In times like these, the church is an important place of refuge for those seeking peace, comfort and healing. We’ve seen more than 30,000 churches in 158 countries sign up for our free Church Online Platform since March 1. Through online services, the church continues to reach people for Jesus and build community. God is not limited by the way we gather because the church isn’t about a building. It’s about the people.”

I’m thankful that Life.Church was obedient to follow God’s prompting years ago by creating this resource and making it available for free to churches all over the world.

Some have raised ecclesiological questions regarding online church. A Roman Catholic Pontifical Council declared, “The virtual reality of cyberspace cannot substitute for real interpersonal community.” A former Disney CEO summarized it for me when he stated that the more we are digitally connected and “cocooned,” the more we long for face-to-face connection in real space and time. As many people have articulated recently, the church doesn’t need to reopen, because it never closed. Real community, outreach, serving and breaking of bread happens every day, not one hour on Sunday. Rather than assuming the false dichotomy of real vs. digital, the postmodern answer is both/and.

One of the greatest storytellers of the last century was Walt Disney. He understood how to tell stories in two dimensions through media, as well as in three-dimensional destinations. In fact, Walt Disney World began with his original vision of a “city on a hill” in Florida to be called EPCOT, the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. It was planned amidst the American civil unrest of the 1960s to provide a new way of doing life together. Similarly, Disney’s Tomorrowland attractions in theme parks around the world are designed for people to have “adventures that are a living blueprint of our future.”

Unfortunately, Walt Disney passed away before his dreams of EPCOT were fully realized. But the exciting part was that he dreamed of the future.

You may be thinking now isn’t the time to think about the future because you are just trying to get people safely back in the door. But I say now is the best time. We can’t go back to what we just used to do. Church attendance rates before COVID-19 were at an all-time low, but many churches found that more people were attending online church services than their actual physical church.

Gone are the days where a church website served as a digital brochure designed to get people in a physical door. Digital placemaking has the ability to allow the purposes of the church to move beyond the walls of a building.

If churches of tomorrow are going to survive today, we need to start thinking more in the future tense. That’s why my partners Blake Ryan and Mike Goldsworthy and I started a podcast called Tomorrowland.Church to explore innovative ways that transformational leaders are reimagining the church for tomorrow. The podcast will include guests who are piloting future-facing technologies, and conversations around ideas that could add value to your church or organization.

Guests will include former Pixar Technical Director Rich Hurrey, who recently joined our team to take his decades of experience to revolutionize digital discipleship and training. Conversations will include but also go beyond established Physical Placemaking (Architecture, Planning and Design) practice. For example, some of our current Digital Placemaking initiatives range from Q Media, which allows curated content to help navigate the complex intersection of faith and 21st-century culture, as well as Kitestring, in which students are currently developing a video game that will go to market (e.g., Playstation store). And tune in to hear about one of our current favorite projects, EDEN City (Ethos Driven Experimental Neighborhood).

Disney said, “All of our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” He also said, “Times and conditions change so rapidly that we must keep our aim constantly focused on the future.” May we make less time to get back to the normal and more time to get back to the future.

Read more from Mel McGowan »

1 of 6

The anchor tenant of Echo Park is Angelus Temple, built in 1923 by Aimee Semple McPherson, who also was a radio evangelist and the founder of The Foursquare Church. She filled the 5,300-seat church seven days a week, three times a day, making it the first megachurch. By 1927, 100 Foursquare churches had been established, and the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel was created.

Sister Aimee, as she was known, broke gender, cultural and media barriers. Back then it was rare for a woman to be divorced (she was three times) and rarer still to be a female pastor. She was the first woman to own a major radio station; she also started a monthly magazine, a weekly newspaper and an incorporated film company.

By the end of World War II, Aimee had died of an accidental drug overdose, and Echo Park was on a steady decline, a sad trend that continued all the way through the 80s. Yet The Foursquare Church and Angelus Temple remained, and at times offered residents more assistance than the city of Los Angeles could. It’s estimated that Aimee fed 1.5 million people in her time at Angelus Temple. With land cheap, the church continued to buy property in Echo Park, including the Citibank building where the church’s headquarters is today.

Echo Park was a victim of urban neglect. Bodies had been found in Echo Lake. Houses literally were collapsing, historic monuments were demolished by the city, graffiti was everywhere and crime was frequent. But activists came in to preserve the historical architecture and natural, green spaces. By the mid-90s, civic groups started to focus on public safety and youth activities. In 1994, Matthew Barnett opened the Dream Center in Echo Park, a place for homeless and impoverished families, human trafficking victims, former inmates and those fighting addictions. Nearly 500 people can be housed at the Dream Center where they can receive rehabilitation. In 2001, Barnett became the senior pastor of Angelus Temple.

In the new century, the revitalization of Echo Park has continued, and the culture is shifting to a trendy, upscale destination. Millennials and hipsters are moving in because of the affordable houses, authentic lifestyle and big city amenities. Recent data has shown an increase in income and education levels in the area. In 2015, The Foursquare Church made a bold move by selling 14 of their properties in Echo Park, keeping only Angelus Temple, the Dream Center and the Citibank building. They had decided it was time to use more of their assets for the mission of the church, and that it was time to revitalize their own buildings.

When they called me to master plan the property and to design their new global headquarters, they presented a unique design challenge. The church had strategically decided to lease out the upper floors of the Citibank building in order to generate revenue for missions work, to develop a new global headquarters and to create a satellite auditorium in the ground floor of a parking structure, to be accessed by an alley.

With that in mind, we gave the alley a Hollywood makeover. We designed a KSFG Studios entry arch to the pedestrian paseo to emulate the original broadcast ministry. Subtle Hollywood glam elements have been incorporated into the creative suites, environmental graphics and wayfinding of the new Foursquare global headquarters.

Both Echo Park and Foursquare have experienced not just a revitalization, but reconciliation and restoration. In a recent message, Glenn Burris, president of The Foursquare Church, reminded members of what Paul wrote to the Corinthian church: “God gave us the ministry of reconciliation,” putting things back together that have been ruined, broken and hurt. “Often times we see brokenness as something bad; and yet God brings wholeness and healing to that story, and then it becomes our story. And our story is God’s story,” he said.

Sister Aimee’s story is God’s story, too, and it’s been redeemed—just like my personal story and yours. Today, there are 85,000 Foursquare churches around the world with almost 9,000,000 members. And it all started in a little place called Echo Park.

Read more from Mel McGowan »

1 of 7

Of course, it is not we who decide what a thing’s purpose is or what reality is or what beauty is. God, as the Creator, defines these things. He is. Because he is, we can know what is true, what is good and what is beautiful. The more we know him, the more we both understand and experience these transcendental realities.

But in our age of postmodernity, we live in divided times. With fake news, Facebook facades and political debates, the universal ideas of truth, goodness and beauty are under attack. We need to seek things we have in common with each other, the things that hold us together.

Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky said, “Beauty will change the world.” A century later, another Russian writer, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, used the power of words to change the political climate of his country. He said the branches of truth and goodness grow straight and linear, making them easy targets to be crushed and amputated. But beauty is whimsical, unpredictable and can soar to a special place that does the work of all three transcendentals.

God introduced himself as an artist and an architect when he said, “In the beginning God created …” Great spaces, great art and great stories give us a chance to join God in reflecting his image in the ongoing work of restoring and reconnecting the broken shalom—the peace that connects us with each other horizontally, and vertically with the Creator and his creation.

A good friend who has taught me a lot about art is Jim Palmer. He’s the president and CEO of the Orange County Rescue Mission (OCRM), one of the most internationally recognized quality solutions for homelessness. And it’s filled with millions of dollars’ worth of art. Isn’t that incredible? When was the last time you heard of a homeless shelter that had millions of dollars of anything in it? Probably never.

The OCRM is not a place designed with your typical church budget of just get it done good, fast and cheap. They chose to aim higher, reflecting the same sense of self-worth that God has for the people who stay there. The OCRM shows people they are the beloved sons and daughters of a King.

Palmer says, “Art is not an option.” He knows that beauty, art and creativity are critical to elevating those with broken spirits. The OCRM intentionally designs their campus around art aesthetics. The Ahmanson Family has generously donated an exquisite art collection to the campus. Roberta Ahmanson is a writer who focuses on religion, history and art. She believes beauty is essential to human life and uses Psalm 145:9–12 to explain why we need beauty.

“The Lord is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
All your works praise you, Lord;
your faithful people extol you.
They tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,
so that all people may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.”

Beauty tells us who God is. And we know our world is searching and longing for this beauty. The Art Market 2019, a report produced by Art Basel and UBS, shows global art sales reached $67.4 billion in 2018, up 6% from 2017.

The OCRM’s mission is to show the love of Jesus Christ to the least, the last and the lost of their community. These men, women and children have been disregarded by society. They have been left to live under bridges or on streets, getting food from trash cans and not getting clean water for showers. Taking them out of the dirt and putting them into a place of beauty allows them to aspire to a higher level of existence for their future.

When PlainJoe Studios was asked to do some Spatial Storytelling℠ for Restoration Café at the OCRM, we followed Palmer’s vision of surrounding the residents in beauty. Most people think form follows function, but I believe form follows fiction. Storytelling in design evokes emotion, shares ideas and can even give a person a sense of self-worth. That self-worth can be invaluable to someone who is poor or homeless, looking to overcome an addiction, to complete their education or find a job. The result is not at all like your idea of an average homeless shelter cafeteria, but a beautiful, engaging and empowering space.

I encourage you to take a look around. What beauty is in your space? Does it evoke emotion, a sense of self-worth or an idea? What story is it telling? If it’s not inspiring, maybe it’s time to rethink your space.

Read more from Mel McGowan »

1 of 9

In Las Vegas, Nevada, I recently talked with my longtime friend Benny Perez, pastor of the ChurchLV, who’s transforming a Kmart building into a new sanctuary. Here’s what Benny said about the experience:

“We decided to buy a 90,000 square foot Kmart building three minutes from the Las Vegas airport for our second campus. After looking at buying land and building from the ground up, we realized the cost factor was too great. So we began to look for big-box buildings which we knew we could build for half the cost of building. We got an amazing deal on a piece of property and after doing our due diligence we purchased the building. We will have a state of the art campus with all the parking we need because of the building being in a shopping center. So it was a no brainer based on cost, parking, build out and visibility. The church also gave more readily to a building they could already see and with renderings, we were able to raise millions of dollars. I encourage every pastor to look for buildings in your city you can buy as big-box stores are going out of business.”

Pastor Benny Perez has it right. Someone once said that when the economy struggles, it’s too late to advertise. The same may be true of facilities. Always be looking at unusual places, because I’ve seen over and over again how God used an unusual building to help a church grow.

Read more from Phil Cooke »

This article originally appeared on PhilCooke.com and is reposted here by permission.