Move.

August 11th, 2010 | Author : admin

Churches spend a good portion of their time focused on the here and the now. Why not? We know our Savior can come at any time, right? Sarcasm aside, ask yourself this question, have we forgotten to move and are we stuck in preservation mode? Preserving seems to be the key word today. This happens when we become so caught up in the history, the people and the “expected” order that we have forgotten how to move.

What do we mean by moving? It’s right here in the Great Commission. Matthew 28:19-20, ¹⁹Therefore GO and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Jesus told us to move. He told us to GO and make disciples of ALL nations. When you hear about church movements do you ever focus on the word, movement? This word encompasses everything but the word “preserve”. In fact, the dictionary’s meaning for preserve is to, “keep-up or maintain”. Is that what we’ve been called to do? Maintain the church that God has given us? No, we’ve been told to be on the move introducing others to Christ. Many churches have maintained the norm for far too long and its’ people are exhausted and losing hope. Why?  Well maybe, the church is stalled and it is not moving.

How can we move? First and foremost, ask God to lead you and your church to GO where He wants you. Here’s a guarantee, you ask for His leading and He will move you in ways and to places that you would have never even imagined.  PBS wants to hear about your movement. It is an encouragement to our team when we have the opportunity to partner with Christ followers in churches that are reaching into new and different places, and who have designs to do so in creative and exciting ways.  

If you decide to continue in preservation mode, make sure you are only preserving God’s command to move.

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NACC Experience

July 26th, 2010 | Author : admin

PBS strives to be accessible to those who are interested in sharing their vision for building or expanding their church or ministry space. We had the opportunity to be accessible in this way to many this month at the North American Christian Convention (NACC) in Indianapolis, IN. This four-day convention featured multiple exhibits from organizations such as, Bible colleges, Christian publishers, church planters, as well as many other mission organizations.

We asked some of the staff who represented the PBS Church Visioning Group to share their comments and experiences from the NACC;

Vice President of Project Development, Chad Charon:
“The NACC was an opportunity for many within the Christian Church to reunite, refuel their enthusiasm for their respective ministries and discover resources for their ministries. PBS had the opportunity to interact with many church leaders who were looking to advance their ministries as they sought council for the often times exhaustive task of finding the appropriate tools to accommodate their ministry’s growth.  PBS considers it a humble honor to be a resource for the design, renovation and construction needs of these ministries.”

Senior Project Manager, Jeff Dekker:
“The importance I see for PBS’ participation in events such as the NACC is providing solutions and opportunity for our partners. We are able to share our interest in ministry and become familiar with current issues and trends”.

We want to be accessible to you too! Let us know if you would like to schedule a time to meet with the PBS Church Visioning Group or to exhibit at your next conference or convention.

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The Function of a Church Building

June 8th, 2010 | Author : admin

An article was recently published in the Chicago Tribune about a Chicago area mega church that served as the facility for a local public high school graduation. Some community members and even students felt outraged that this worship facility was being used as the site for their academic ceremony. They felt that the school district was crossing the boundaries of the separation of church and state.

This article was a reminder that a building is not what makes church or brings God to His people. God meets us wherever we are and however we are.  There is certainly something sacred about a church sanctuary or any place of worship. At PBS, we strive to help meet the needs of the church who desires the multi-functionality of a worship space as much as the church that solely uses the space for worship and religious ceremonies. We want to help create the site where un-believers find community in Christ no matter how the building is built to suit the church.

As a side note, it would be interesting to know if there were any guests who attended this graduation ceremony that decided to visit the church after the fact. Is it through these unordinary opportunities that we can reach those who might not have ever visited our churches? This trend for silent ministry opportunities is on the rise and it might just be the ticket to reaching hearts for Christ.  

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Summer Slumber

May 18th, 2010 | Author : admin

School is out, the sun is out, and the summer slumber is coming into view. The summer offers the R&R that we have looked forward to all year long. Long evenings, weekends away, and plenty of gatherings seem to flood our schedules. Does this sound familiar in your summer plans?

By all means, we should enjoy this wonderful time of year and the activities that it brings. For us Midwesterners, God has granted us only a couple months to enjoy the warm season. For that reason, the summer slumber schedule seems to hit right on time every year.

As our summer schedules take over, maybe we need to step back and think of The Kingdom. Have we thought about how to prioritize some of our own plans and objectives and not lose sight of how we can still influence others for the Lord?  We should use this time to rest our minds from the daily urgencies, but also consider what can be done in our mission to serve  Christ.  So often we use our busy schedules to excuse the lack of attention we put into this area. Summer should bring renewal and rejuvenation to the many commitments to ministry that we have. Maybe though, we can utilize a piece of our summer to re-purpose our ministry efforts when summer wanes and fall sets in.

Whichever category you fall into, take the time to stop and listen to God. Treat this time of year as a gift but do not vacation from your giving no matter what your schedule has in store. Make a habit of thanking God and asking Him where you can make additions and subtractions to your schedule for Him.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under Heaven.

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Enhance to Engage

April 27th, 2010 | Author : admin

You’ve probably seen it, drank from it, heard about it, wish your church had it, or even considered it. We’re talking about the new solution for bringing community inside church doors – the Church Café. Does your church have a need or perhaps the desire to step outside the “Welcome Center” box? Have you considered the idea of gathering your members in a casual environment where they can find community over a hot cup of coffee or tea? Do you even know where to start?

PBS Church Visioning Group offers a design, renovation and construction approach to taking an existing dated space and turning it into an attractive, functional, gathering space. Maybe you’re considering other renovations such as the addition of a Café or bookstore to your building, a re-facing of the exterior, or maybe a complete renovation of your sanctuary or children’s area. PBS will see your project through from the design to the first day of use.

What is your church personality? Where are you lacking and what can you do to enhance and engage community? Sometimes it takes some new ideas and the implementation of a new look to get members and guests re-energized about the church’s ministries.

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Churching the Un-Churched on Easter

March 31st, 2010 | Author : admin

Have you ever paid attention to the emphasis that your church puts on Easter Sunday Service? Between changes in service times, location changes, breakfast receptions & additional seating  – it’s clear that the church is in search of a new crowd to welcome and share the “Good News” with.  The church does their part in preparing a place and experience that is bound to touch the hearts of the un-churched. The question is, have you done your part? Have you taken the time to invite your neighbor, co-worker or friend at the gym?

According to the Barna Research Group, 31% of active churchgoers said that they would be open to inviting others to church on Easter. David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group, wrote, “Realistically, if all of the people who said they would bring unchurched people with them on Easter were to follow through, America’s churches couldn’t handle the overflow. The statistics project to something like 40 million church regulars who claim they are likely to bring someone as their guest. If each of those people brought just one adult as their guest, that’d be the equivalent of adding 115 new people per Christian congregation. That would more than double the size of the average church!” This is clearly, not a bad problem to have.

The challenge this Holy Week is not to add more bodies and numbers to Easter Sunday Service. The challenge is to extend the invitation to those who need Christ the most.

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The Invisible Church

March 17th, 2010 | Author : admin

It can be easy to walk into a church service, sing the songs, shake hands, listen to the message and head off into the work week without any consideration to use the gifts that God has given to each of us individually.  This syndrome can be referred to as, “The Invisible Church” – where we come and get our weekly “dose” of the Holy Spirit without taking any personal responsibility toward sustaining the unity or the purposes of the church.

Is this what God meant for His church?

What is a church, really? Some refer to a church as the building in which believers gather to worship.  The Greek meaning of the word “church” is an assembly of people. If we were to consistently think of the church as a building in which we worship then it seems that we would be missing the point and true purpose for the church.

Paul wrote about the true meaning of church in Ephesians 2:19-22. ”…And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit” (22).

The question is how do we become “built together as a dwelling”? Most churches offer diverse ministry opportunities to build community as a church. When God’s people come together to serve His purposes, He blesses those efforts. Whether as volunteers who serve in the nursery, or those who plow the snow in the parking lot – the efforts by those of us who do this, are made to serve the Lord, and through this, the dwelling of a church is built.

For PBS, it’s important to note, that we do not build churches – the Lord works through His people to build churches.  At PBS, our calling with our ministry partners is to provide the best possible place and space for us to meet the mission of the local church and minister together. Let’s not dissolve into that space, let’s build an assembly of people who are working together in unity to openly fulfill His purposes.

How different it can be if our time at “building the church” is spent in this way!

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Competition to Collaboration

March 9th, 2010 | Author : admin

It is a unique opportunity for organizations to share a common mission. You often find companies, organizations or institutions with common goals, but not all share a common mission. PBS is fortunate to share a common mission with many other businesses and organizations. Over time you learn that mission goals cannot be reached without a common vision and collaboration of others. In Richard Longworth’s book, “Caught in the Middle” he describes the trouble of competing companies and organizations in the Midwest who solely work to become the ultimate winner. This idea of “winning” is a prescription for disaster if we do not grasp the idea of working together collaboratively toward common missions and goals.

I write from the perspective of working for a Christian University where the institution shares a common mission with PBS.  This mission is to serve in various capacities to reach others for Christ. Granted, business and education are different disciplines that do not necessarily suffer from being in competition with each other.  Having noted that, it could also be said that these two areas of discipline could not be any further unrelated in their organizational processes. However, when you consider the similar mission of educating students to become leaders or designing a church for leaders to serve, the ultimate goal of serving Christ is accomplished.

Seeking a common ground and purpose to serve can produce great results!  How can you begin to collaborate toward a common mission? The possibilities are endless when we put aside the competitive spirit and begin to share with others.

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New Year Resolutions or Revelations?

December 31st, 2009 | Author : Barb Kouba

At the beginning of each new year we all have a tendency to think about our New Year Resolutions.  We define our resolutions based on what we believe we didn’t do well enough in the previous year.  Probably the most popular resolution is to “lose weight” or “get back in shape” — usually as a result of our making rather merry through the Christmas celebration!  The problem with resolutions is that they tend to be very self-focused and we generally depend on our own strength to fulfill the plan.   “What am I going to do for me this year?” is usually the question at hand.  Not to mention the fact that most resolutions tend to fizzle out and never become realities because we easily fall back into our own bad habits.

The good news is that we don’t have to live that way!  God doesn’t want us to fail! He wants us to grow by tapping into His power and His plan for our lives.  As a Christian,  I have found that seeking a New Year Revelation provides a better foundation from which to launch the onset of yet another year.  The better question is, “Lord, what do you have for me this year?”  Whether the question addresses our personal lives, our ministry efforts, or even a building project, we would be wise to place our focus on where God wants to take us rather than where we think we want to go and trust Him for the results.  Once again, I will ask Him, “Lord, what do you want to reveal to me this year?” and I will anticipate with expectation His perfect answer.

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Two Realities for the American Church: Stability and Change

November 13th, 2009 | Author : Barb Kouba

On a recent tour of Ocho Rios, Jamaica, I couldn’t help but notice a delightful church structure that was a true reflection of blending the stability of a traditional church building within a unique environment.    The building belonged to the Baptist Church and was easily identified by its very traditional shape—a long, rectangular building with a tall steeple.  What made it such a wonderful find was the way this traditional structure incorporated unique design qualities making it exceptionally well suited for its tropical environment.  Made of concrete, the church had many windows to aid in the cooling of the building as well as a large cross set above the door.  These openings allowed natural light to pour into the church and created an air of tranquility that is common in older churches.

Viewing this church made me realize that both stability and change are realities for today’s American churches.  The church buildings and the neighborhoods they occupy provide stability, yet our contemporary culture creates new needs for ministry space, updated technology and sustainability. Churches facing these challenges might consider the concept of adaptive reuse as a solution to blending the realities of both stability and change.  The National Association of Church Design Builders (NACDB)* is a great resource to provide information to help churches navigate through the changes they need to make to create ministry space that will align with their vision. Visit their website at:  www.nacdb.com

*PBS is a member of the NACDB and can provide your church with a team of NACDB Certified Church Consultants to assist in defining your building/ministry needs.

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Serving New Hope

October 9th, 2009 | Author : Jeff Dekker

There is no aspect of the construction project that I don’t find exciting. But of particular excitement is the project completion. Recently we completed the construction of a facility for New Hope Center. The training center will soon be buzzing with the business of daily operations as they complete their daily assembly and packaging contracts.

It is a pleasure to be associated with New Hope Center, the organization was established in 1960 by parents of developmentally challenged young people, their goal has always been to provide opportunities for their residents and clients to be engaged in productive and stimulating activities. In 50 years they have grown to provide services for 400 individuals in communities across the south suburbs and to provide housing for 75 participants in a dozen houses.

The facility we’ve completed for them is over 38,000 square feet comprised of meeting spaces, offices, assembly areas, break room, conference rooms, and activity areas, Integrated into the building are state of the art security cameras and truck docks to facilitate efficient handling of materials received for contract work.

It has been an honor to be chosen to be New Hope’s Design Builder because their mission is one in which we all should share, “To provide services that enhance the quality of life for individuals with developmental disabilities, and to promote community integration.” This mission brings to mind the words of Jesus when he said “In as much as you have done unto the least of these you have done it unto me.” At one time we have opportunity to be the feet and hands of Jesus and to serve those in need and while doing so to serve Jesus himself.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: developmentally challenged, hands and feet, New Hope, project completion, service, training center | No Comments »

The Road to Excellence

September 25th, 2009 | Author : Barb Kouba

When God created the earth and all things in it, he said it was “good”. In this case, “Good” is not the low man on the totem pole, behind “Better” and “Best”.  This perfect balance of life was intentionally designed to be honorable and pleasing to God.  This design was not just “good enough” it was eminently good and overflowing with excellence.

As I think about applying God’s standards for excellence, it occurs to me that high standards of excellence are desperately needed in all areas of life—at home, in our churches and in the workplace.  In doing so, we have the opportunity to honor God moment by moment.

Here are three thoughts on developing a mindset of excellence:

1. Start with an intentional and strategic plan. The world was created with a set of logical steps that led to the final big picture.
2. Pay attention to details. Our complex eco-system would not exist without the inclusion of the tiniest details, right down to the cellular level!  As we become big-picture thinkers, we build our awareness of the details that embrace excellence.
3. Walk the Talk. Excellence requires that we reflect our commitment to our faith in everything we do.

When it comes to excellence, we should live, play and work in a consistent pursuit to uphold our Christian values.  Anything less can lead to a perception of something other than excellence and be less-than honoring to God.

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Not So Common Unity

August 19th, 2009 | Author : Barb Kouba

North Scituate, Rhode Island.  Most of you probably can’t even pronounce the name let alone find it on a map.  However, Money Magazine has named this little New England village as one of the top 100 best small towns in America in 2009. 

 In a society where our search for community leads us to spend more time engaged in technology rather than face-to-face encounters, the value of true community is still alive and well in North Scituate.  With a volunteer fire department and rescue squad, this town prides itself on having passed on the importance of common unity among its residents.  It is truly a good and pleasant place to be.

 The dynamics of this town can teach us an important lesson about developing a greater sense of community within the church.  A stroll through one of the town’s quaint neighborhoods reveals a true sense of regard for one another along with authentic hospitality offered to visitors.  It’s almost impossible to walk past someone and not exchange a greeting or stop for a brief conversation.

What is the mindset for offering hospitality in your church?  I like to keep myself in check by asking:

“Am I here this morning looking for my friends,

 or am I here today looking to see who might need a friend.”

 If we can be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2), the church can become a place where people experience some good old New England  not-so-common unity.

Posted in Community | Tags: Community, third place, unity | No Comments »