The Cooper & Company family has always had a passion for assisting in the growth of communities of faith.  We truly believe that these communities are vital to the success of the areas where they serve because they provide the foundations for both families and individuals of all walks of life in the community.  Having the appropriate facilities to allow a congregation to worship, disciple, and serve others is critical to the mission of the church.

Cooper & Company understands these things because we have built numerous houses of worship during our history.  Some of our very first projects where houses of worship because of the passion the company founder had for helping to further the mission of the church.  His philosophy centered around being honest, open, and fair to the owners we work with on projects.  Those values have not changed during our fifty plus years of operations.

Church Construction Planning

Creekside ChurchOur experience has taught us that worship facilities are long term spaces within a community.  Therefore, when it’s time to build a new worship space, it is wise to plan for a long-term growth strategy. Today’s Church leaders have to consider age demographics, health concerns, multi-functional spaces, and site logistics.  Cooper recommends starting with some simple questions:

  • What is the current average attendance now?
  • How has your church grown or changed?
  • How do you think your attendance will change in the next year to five years?
  • Are the demographics of your congregation changing?
  • What rooms will you need for ministries, services, and programs?
  • Does this facility and floor need to be able to work well in multiple locations? Does this building need to interconnect with existing structures?

The future growth of a church can often be tied back to the space available and the ability to finance new construction projects.  Fundraising within a congregation and the good stewardship of those funds can often be challenging. Our experience with helping our clients reduce their cost by finding the best-priced items such as HVAC systems, electrical components, and building materials can help with lowering the overall cost of the project.  Finding valued solutions for our clients is why we often suggest using the construction management or design-build process for worship facilities so that we can assist with design elements early in the process to provide the best cost at the end of the project.

Church Construction Experience

Cooper & Company has completed numerous worship facilities for multiple denominations over the years with most of them being in the Metro Atlanta market. Some of these projects include:

Even though the denominations may be different, the method is the same.  We sit down and listen to the decision-makers, understand the needs, and find affordable solutions that can be completed within the time frame required by the congregation. During this part of the process, we typically find that the most complicated part of the process is often the finishing touches.  We can help speed up the process by beginning the project while final decisions about lighting, furniture, and signage can continue to be discussed.

We can work with small congregation expansion projects as well as large assemblies.  Our projects have been as small as 1700 sf parking lot expansions to 150,000 sf new construction projects with accompanying park deck structures.  Our diversity with different sizes of projects, denominational structure, and church planning committees makes our team equipped to face any of your worship planning needs.

Getting Started

Cannon ChurchIt can often be overwhelming knowing how to start a new worship facility construction project regardless of size.  In our past experience, we have found that the following suggestions can be pivotal in the success of your project:

  1. Consider the Ministries You Feel God Has Called You to Do
  2. Understand Your Available Funding and Beliefs
  3. Consider Available Resources
  4. Cost Planning is Critical
  5. Understand Your limitations beyond finance from landing planning, zoning, etc.
  6. Create and Follow a Master Plan
  7. Reanalyze Your Cost again as Material Pricing Can fluctuate
  8. Pray and Trust the Relationship

 

Cooper & Company General Contractors

Cooper & Company employs a staff of experienced worship construction personnel that understand the mentality to work with Church Planning Committees and executive teams.  We are here to help guide and assist you during the planning phases to help bring construction expertise to the conversation.