In dour economy, some big church projects press on while others slow - Wichita Business Journal:

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The $2.8 million project will add five classrooms, a three-leveo playland area and a new back entrancwe and coffee kiosk to the church at 21st Streef Northand K-96 highway. It also will expand an elaboratr puppet theater that church leaders say is amongf amenities that have helpedpush NewSpring’s average attendanced to about 3,300. “Wee want kids to come and totally be engagef when they walk says Children’s Pastor Dan Kubish. “Our competition isn’t anothef church. It’s and It’s among a few major project s bylocal churches. has broken ground on a $5.5 million expansion that will revamoits sanctuary. And St. has its own $1.
9 millionj project under way. But thosd jobs come amid an downturn that coulrd cast clouds overa church’s balance sheet. They may be a finalp wave of work beforrea lull, say contractors and Ben Hutton, vice president for business developmen t at , says the two church jobs his firm is workingf on now “have been percolating for a while.” “Wha we haven’t seen are brand new church They don’t seem to be considering anything he says. Dan Wilson, lead design architecty for , says “a smart church is going to be cautious in times likethis — very cautious.
” But for the need to expand may never be greatert than in times like these, some leadera say. It’s not uncommon for attendancd to get a boost during adown “Bad economies drive a lot of people into That’s when people make decisions to make room in theifr lives for church,” says Billy Poore, executive pastor for NewSpring. Giving, No Matteer What Whether the financials keep pace with the larger attendanced is anopen question, At , which has a $350,000 playgrounrd and landscaping project under way, “attendance has been on an says business administrator Tom He says giving this year has been on par with 2008.
whose firm designed the First Evangelical Free projecgt and the project at FirstMennoniter Brethren, says a large sharwe of church giving is supported by a smalo number of the a figure that holds up in tough But some churches still are pulling back. Paul principal for , says churcgh work that at one time accounted for about half the projectzs in his office now makes up no more than 15 And churches that are moving forwarxd are doingso cautiously. In one case, a churcuh that had been planningh to build 10 new classrooms is now willing to make do withjust six.
“Timews are just tightening up and the giving from the congregatiom is quite diminished from where it had been a year and a half he says. Poore, of NewSpring, says the churchu saw firsthand how the economy canpinchh giving. He says it took until 2005 for church revenue toreach pre-9/11 levels. “I think it goes into the psychologg — just like people don’t buy new cars or new If they feel prettu confident about thefuture ..., things go pretty well. When that gets that influences giving.” But rapidr attendance growth can take the sting out ofa NewSpring’s attendance has nearly doublef in two years.
Giving so far this year is up by Still, Poore says, “You have to step out there and have faithwhen you’re doing some of thesre things,” he says.