Studio Four Design has been privileged to design more than 90 church projects in its 20-year history to complete expansion projects, renovations, and new builds.
One of those ministries, Faith Promise Church, has partnered with Studio Four Design in a number of projects to accommodate its remarkable growth and to accomplish the opening of new campuses in East Tennessee.
Aaron Goin, executive pastor at Faith Promise, described their decision to choose Studio Four Design, saying, “The thing that stood out to us was the designs by Studio Four displayed an in-depth understanding of ministry and what would work best for us. We wouldn’t have to spend a lot of time providing context and obstacles for ministry.”
The leadership of Faith Promise Church, centrally based in Knoxville, Tennessee, is no stranger to church expansion.
After their humble beginning in 1995 in a rented hotel venue in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the growing numbers of attendees and young families quickly spurred on the need for a larger, permanent space.
After acquiring property located in Hardin Valley in 2000 and constructing its first permanent building, the Faith Promise church family continued to see rapid development and increasing crowds in attendance each week.
With a vision to “win the world by equipping Christ followers to win their world starting with 1% of the state of Tennessee,” the pastoral staff and leadership team didn’t stop there. They moved ahead with their long-term strategy to reach more people in the greater Knoxville and East Tennessee area with a precise focus.
Since the construction of the original building, Faith Promise Church has expanded to 11 locations across East Tennessee, including three in Knox County, with additional church homes in Blount County, Anderson County, and Bristol.
As with many church plants, the new campus locations were found in a variety of settings when they were first acquired, including rented and purchased space, previous retail environments, and more.
With a desire to utilize each location to its fullest potential to house the growing church, each project required a purposeful layout and design. Faith Promise Church sought the help of the Studio Four Design team to help implement a functional plan yet maintain cohesive branding throughout so that visitors and attendees would easily recognize the Faith Promise presence regardless of the campus.
Goin said, “We have a lot of ideas about potential campuses or spaces, but it is always so hard to know the right direction to go. Studio Four always provides us with multiple options to consider with cost impacts that help us make the best possible decision.”
To date, Studio Four Design has partnered together on the Faith Promise campuses in Anderson County, Farragut, and Bristol, in addition to master planning and renovation work at the original Pellissippi Parkway location.
Modern church design requires careful thought and elements that are crucial to the success, safety, and effectiveness of the ministry activities that happen during on-site gatherings.
Elements like children’s ministry space, security, traffic flow, parking, quality audiovisual equipment, and acoustics all contribute to the visitor experience.
At the newest Faith Promise location in Bristol, Tennessee, Studio Four Design helped transform a former retail space into a welcoming, functional, secure, and quality space consistent with the visual look that the church has established.
“We had always done traditional signage, but they sent us a design that was fresh and beautiful but still aligned with our brand. It is honestly our favorite feature on any exterior of all of our campuses,” said Goin.
As any church leader would agree, the balance of church growth and expansion, while responsibly managing budgetary needs, is a delicate balance.
The exciting growth experienced by churches can quickly create a lack of space to accommodate current members and regular attendees, while still comfortably offering room for visitors.
With many church plants beginning in rented, temporary spaces, the decision of building or redesigning a space for permanent use can be a daunting prospect.
Studio Four Design has extensive project experience working with churches and is privileged to work with staff from the initial phases of master planning to the finished space where the ministry can continue to grow and flourish, www.studiofourdesign.com.
