The following was a presentation made at a conference, explaining the process of moving into a newly-built church building. The PowerPoint is available at the bottom of this page, complete with photos and samples of graphics.

Develop a Move-in Plan

  • Revisit the plan often
  • Remember the Owner’s responsibilities: A/V, Lighting, Furniture, Landscaping, etc.
  • Recruit volunteers for the final setup
  • Key Question: When do we announce the move-in date?

Move-in Issues

As with anytime you move into a new building, we had many unexpected issues to deal with as we moved in. We dealt with:

  • Massive roof leaks
  • A/V and Lighting took a while to adjust
  • HVAC problems
  • Leaky baptistery
  • We were still working on issues six months after move-in

Move-in Surprises

  • We hadn’t realized the amount of increase we would incur in our electric bill after building a new Worship Center:
    • 2006 electric bill – Q1: $9,087
    • 2007 electric bill – Q1: $44,415
    • 488% increase!
  • Fire Alarms went off in the middle of the night until we got the “bugs” out of  the new system
  • We failed to budget for renovations that needed to be made in the current building

Move-in is a Great Time to Rebrand

  • Developing the brand
  • Discover your identity; Don’t invent it
  • Mantra, Mission, and Values
  • Logo
  • Rollout to other pieces

View the entire presentation and see the graphics in the PDF: Moving into Your New Facility