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elcome to Volume 7, Issue 3 of Developing Churches magazine, published byMyrick, Gurosky and Associates. This magazine features our latest completedprojects as well as projects in the development and design process.

For decades many churches have wrestled with the idea of expanding their current campusor looking for a new piece of property with enough acreage to develop and better servetheir ministries. Often times the “R” word (RELOCATION) is met with a lot of resistancebecause of history, tradition, etc. Through the years, we at MG&A have been fortunate topartner with many successful churches in the relocation process. In fact, we have done so,well over 30 times! We are excited to celebrate the opening of our most recent relocation—First Baptist Church Cleveland, Tenn. This downtown church with a history dating back tothe early 1800s recently opened the doors to their new campus. Read their story on page 4and take in the photographs of this dramatic new campus, which is already proving to be atremendous tool for their ministry.

What about when relocation isn’t a great option? Without much available adjoining propertyand access, Biltmore Baptist made a commitment to grow and expand at its current locationuntil it was maxed out. Just a little over a decade on its current campus, Biltmore has grownto over 5,000 in weekend attendance and after a few more phases will turn to addingadditional campuses to support its growth. Starting on page 14 read how MG&A partneredwith Biltmore to add 500 seats to its existing worship center along with a complete overhaulto the AVL systems—all in less than 90 days. The church never missed a Sunday in itsworship center while under construction!

Pastor Scott Cannon shares his first chapter of the relocation process as he poises his churchto move to a new 20-plus acre campus. Read about their success in reaching theircommunity in a rural section of northeast Tennessee

And don’t miss Topper’s “Good Reid” discussion on the future of evangelism outside of thewalls of the church. To read previous A Good Reid articles, go to www.mgandassociates.comand click on the Church Development tab.

Alan DobbinsDirector of Project DevelopmentDeveloping Churches

WWelcome from

Corporate Offices

Myrick, Gurosky & Associates, Inc.Four Riverchase RidgeBirmingham, AL 35244Phone: (205) 313.3020Fax: (205) 313.3049Web site: www.mgandassociates.com

D. Wayne Myrick, CEO M. Scott Gurosky, PresidentPaul Head, TreasurerAlan Dobbins, Director of Project DevelopmentTopper Reid, Director of Church DevelopmentMike Evans, Director of Preconstruction ServicesAndy Stidfole, Chief Estimator

Current Projects:

Chapel Hill Baptist – Master Planning, Northport, AL

Crossroads Baptist – Phase 2 Ed, Admin,

The Woodlands, TX

Denver Baptist – Worship, Commons,

Preschool/Children, Denver, NC

Faith Promise Church – Worship, Commons,

Preschool/Children, Knoxville, TN

Family Life Church – Master Planning, Lafayette, LA

FBC Athens – Master Planning, Athens, AL

FBC Cleveland – Phase 2 Ed, Admin,

Cleveland, TN

FBC Prattville – Commons, Fellowship, Prattville, AL

Mount Zion Baptist – Phase 2 Children,

Commons, Youth, Huntsville, AL

Northway Church – Preschool/Children, Youth,

Recreation, Macon, GA

Pump Springs Baptist – Relocation, Harrogate, TN

Valley View Baptist – Master Planning, Tuscaloosa, AL

Vestavia Hills Sports Park - Vestavia Hills, AL

Recently Completed Projects:

Biltmore Baptist Church – Worship Center,

Asheville, NC

FBC Cleveland – Relocation, Cleveland, TN

Crossroads Baptist Church – Relocation,

The Woodlands, TX

FBC Cullman – Multi-Use Rec, Commons, Cullman, AL

FBC Gulfport – Relocation, Gulfport, MS

FBC Lafayette – Children, Youth,

Commons, Lafayette, LA

FBC Panama City – Worship Center, Panama City, FL

Mount Zion Baptist – Worship Center,

Commons, Children, Huntsville, AL

Shades Mountain Baptist – Student Facility, Commons,

Education, Vestavia Hills, AL

Thompson Station Church – Worship, Children, Youth,

Recreation, Thompson Station, TN

Vestavia Hills Public Library – Vestavia Hills, AL

Developing Churches is published by Oser-Bentley Custom Publishers, LLC, a division of Oser Communications Group, Inc., 1877 N. Kolb Road,

Tucson, AZ 85715. Phone (520) 721-1300, fax (520) 721-6300, www.oser.com. Oser-Bentley Custom Publishers, LLC specializes in creating and

publishing custom magazines. Editorial comments and corrections: Karrie Welborn, karrie_w@oser.com. Please call or fax for a new subscription,

change of address, or single copy. This publication may not be reproduced in part or in whole without the express written permission of

Oser-Bentley Custom Publishers, LLC. To advertise in an upcoming issue of this publication, please contact us at (520) 721-1300 or visit us on the

Web at www.oser-bentley.com. November 2010

First Baptist Church Cleveland: Don’t Hold Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Biltmore Baptist Church: Riding the Wave of Momentum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Pump Springs Baptist Church: Rural Outreach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

A Good Reid: The Shape of Church to Come . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Advertising Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Inside this issue

About the Cover: The Cross Tower at dusk, First Baptist Church Cleveland, Tennessee.Cover Photo Credit: Charles Beck Studios

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FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH CLEVELAND

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH CLEVELAND

Don’tHold Back

nowhere to expand, the current campusreached well beyond its maximum capacity.FBCC had to make a decision as to how theycould continue to minister to the growingneeds of the Cleveland community.

After much prayer and discussion, thestaff and leadership were led by God totake a huge step of faith, and purchase 37acres of land in the growth corridor oftheir Cleveland, TN community. It just sohappens that this new property sits justacross the street from 40-plus acres ofland the church already owned and usesas its weekday children’s program andrecreation ministry. How cool is that!

In the following pages, you will get a goodidea of what the new campus of FBCClooks like and the potential they have toexpand their ministry base and continueto be a driving force for Christ in theCleveland community.

hrough the voice of Isaiah, the Lordwas speaking to the children ofIsrael encouraging them to prepare

to meet the future needs of the people as the Israelites returned from theirBabylonian captivity. Make enough roomfor all the people “I AM” going to sendyour way! In other words, make your tentbigger, prepare, get ready, do not holdback—The people are coming!

That’s exactly what First Baptist ChurchCleveland, TN (FBCC), has been doing formany years. They are willing to do whateverit takes to reach one more person for Christ.Since the early 1800s, FBCC has made manychanges, including buying land, constructingbuildings, expanding ministries and makingcountless paradigm changes. In recent years,it became evident that more challenges wereon the way. As a downtown church, with

BY TOPPER REID

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FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH CLEVELAND

Previous Pages: The new worship center will seat 1,400 with a flat floor for chairs or banquet tablesand permanent stadium seating in the rear. This Page (top): The lobby and welcome center. (bottom):

The lobby, an expansive almost mall-like space has a coffee bar, cafe and small, casual groupings ofcomfortable chairs and tables for small groups and fellowship. Next Page: A closer look at the cafeand coffee bar.

Phase 1 of the master plan included thebuild-out of approximately 95,000 squarefeet of the projected 250,000 square feetthe master plan called for. The master planis built around a Commons Mall that willwrap around a large amphitheater recessedwithin the center of the campus. Thisexpansive space will have the look and feelof walking through a mall. It will be themain hub of all activity in the churchallowing for ease of circulation. From thispoint, all ministry venues are only stepsaway, which include all age groupministries as well as the worship center.

On one side of the commons mall, largeglass curtain walls overlook the patio,amphitheater and surrounding valley.Inside this space is a coffee bar/café,bookstore/library, indoor playground foryoung children, welcome center and accessto a large commercial kitchen. Adjacent tothe coffee bar/café and throughout thisspace are numerous seating areas, whichallow for casual fellowship. It is definitelya space every person will pass through andlinger in before their worship experienceconcludes that morning.

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FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH CLEVELAND

This Page: The children’s worship area has a colorful multipurpose space with a boardwalk and treehouse. Next Page: When the children arebrought to their area they check in via computer kiosks built-in to the themed barnyard registration area.

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Currently, at one end of the commonsmall are themed areas for Preschool andthe Children’s ministries. Both of theseareas are completely outfitted withattractive color schemes, textures,technology, and classroom equipment.The hallways are wide, with recesseddoors, which make it easy for parents todrop off their children.

The Preschool suite has a large room forbed babies, with a glass wall separating itfrom the commons mall, which allows afull view of the infants in the nurserysuite. Adjacent to the nursery suite is thelarge glassed-in indoor preschool playarea. Each of the classrooms are spaciouswith a restroom adjacent to each roomand plenty of cabinets and storage space.

Along with the themed entry andregistration desk, one of the eye-catchingfeatures of the children’s suite is the large200-seat children’s worship room. It iscomplete with sound and lighting features,which will allow for cutting-edge worshipexperiences on the “children’s level.” Becauseit is a multipurpose room, all types ofactivities can take place there includingAWANA, choir, recreation, training eventsfor children’s leaders, and seasonalministries like VBS (Vacation Bible School).

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This Page (top): At dusk, the curved rearexterior with its bank of windows reflect thesun. (bottom): With its adjustable walloptions, the adult education rooms areversatile, allowing for an unending variety inroom set-up, purpose and presentations. Next

Page: An inviting fellowship/gathering areaopens up into the Adult Education wing.

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH CLEVELAND

The commons mall area is a high volumeroom that stretches up a flowing staircaseand into the adult and youth ministrysuites. In the commons area upstairs ismore spacious seating for fellowship,along with additional coffee and foodservice areas. This space overlooks thecommons mall from upstairs.

The adult education suite is filled withrooms with adjustable wall systems,which allow for multiple use of space.Each room is outfitted with a large flatscreen HDTV, which allows for unlimitedpresentation creativity. The hallways arespacious and most of the rooms havestackable padded chairs along withmoveable cabinetry, which facilitatestotal flexibility in room set-up.

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FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH CLEVELAND

This Page (top): The exterior at dusk. (bottom):

The welcome desk centrally located in theCommons Mall. Next Page: Youth worship area,complete with stage, multi-media options and alarge partition wall for dividing the large spaceinto two smaller spaces.

The youth suite includes education spacefor small groups and a large multipurposeworship room, which will seat 175 students.The worship room is equipped withlighting, sound, flat screen HDTVs, andmoveable wall systems. Adjacent to theworship room is a multifunctional kitchenfor serving snacks or meals for youthevents. Next door is a cool game area withflat screens and comfortable furniture.

First Baptist Church Cleveland continuestheir journey into the future, doing their best to make the most of theopportunities they have to impact theKingdom. As they settle in to their newcampus, they realize this is not the end. Itis the continuation of a walk into thefuture with the best and brightest daysbefore them. They didn’t hold back! ♦

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This Page (top): The worship center capacitywas increased to approximately 2,500 seatswhich included the addition of 600 stadium seats.(bottom): A major redesign of the stage andchoir loft provided greater flexibility for differentsetups with its modular components.

BILTMORE BAPTIST CHURCH

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That being said, what better time of year to bring a new spaceonline than the spring or fall—the proven peaks of the churchattendance cycle? Like many of our current and past clients,Biltmore Baptist Church has followed this strategy in recently“re-opening” a much improved and expanded worship center.Located in Asheville, N.C., Biltmore has grown exponentiallyfrom a small country church in the Blue Ridge Mountains to oneof the largest churches in the state. The church and leadershiphas certainly grasped the importance of having creativeprogramming, intentional outreach and effective facilities tosustain momentum over the years.

Back in the spring of this year, Biltmore’s staff and leadershipbrought in MG&A to help strategize and develop a plan tosustain the explosive growth that had occurred. In the previoustwo years, attendance had grown by nearly 2,000 people. In theprocess, the current worship center quickly became too small.As a first step, the church added a third worship service onSunday night—the same message with a slightly differentworship environment. This helped shift some capacities aroundand actually gave them a slightly different format to better reacha younger generation. But the writing was on the wall, for if more worship seats were not added by fall, it would be impossibleto grow further, and potential members could be turned away by overcrowding.

n most situations in life, sustaining positive momentum canprove to be critical in the success of growing businesses,successful sports franchises and even churches. The name of

the game in business and church alike is clearly to createmomentum through various means and then do everythingpossible to sustain it. Sometimes this can be challenging intoday’s culture, especially in the “church world.” Over the lastseveral decades, more than ever before, the annual “churchseason” has increasingly become more cyclical in nature.Attendance peaks at the beginning of the year, typically climaxesat Easter, takes a long break over the summer and then gainspositive momentum again when fall rolls around and kids areback in school. In terms of reaching people, how does a churcheffectively maintain momentum in such a cyclical environment?

An obvious first look would have to be at a church’s programmingand outreach. Has a culture of creative programming andintentional outreach in sharing the gospel caught on with thechurch as a whole? This usually is the key element in fueling achurch’s growth and effectiveness. A proven tool to supplementand spark momentum is often times new or renovated facilities.Simply put, a church needs ample space that creates anenvironment best suited to reach people in its given community.

IBY ALAN DOBBINS

theRidingwave

momentumof

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This Page: With interchangeable backlitpanels, video walls, etc., the worshipcenter can be set up each Sunday with thespecific theme in mind.

BILTMORE BAPTIST CHURCH

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Within a few weeks our team of designersand engineers developed a plan to gut theexisting 2,000-seat worship center andstart over. As part of the project, theoverall capacity in the worship center was increased to approximately 2,500seats, which included the addition of 600 stadium seats. This drasticallyimproved sight lines as well as the overallatmosphere of the room. A majorredesign of the stage and choir loftprovided greater flexibility for differentsetups. The new stage is completely

modular and able to be reconfigured to support any worship series, specialproductions, and more. With inter-changeable backlit panels, video walls,etc., the worship center can be set up eachSunday with the specific theme in mind.A comprehensive AVL upgrade was also akey part of this project.

Perhaps the most challenging andamazing aspect of the project was that thechurch never missed a Sunday in theworship center. There were no options

to move to another space on campus.Likewise, excitement built every Sunday throughout the summer as thechurch would get to see and experienceprogress each week. With the quickturnaround on the renovation/expansion,the Biltmore and MG&A team was able toeffectively keep the wave of momentumrising right into the peak fall season. And by the way, discussions are already underway to figure out the nextpinch point and a solution to keep the wave rolling! ♦

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This Page: In a beautiful mountain setting just south of the Cumberland Gap, Phase 1 of Pump Springs Baptist’s new 20-acre campus includesa 750 seat worship center, commons area and education/worship space for preschool, children, youth and adults. Next Page: Pump Springs hasoutgrown its existing campus located a mile away.

RURALOUTREACH

PUMP SPRINGS BAPTIST CHURCH

t Pump Springs Baptist Church wehave a passion and vision to “Impactthe world from Harrogate, TN!” This

church has been effectively sharing the love ofChrist for years. Even before I became pastor,the church was busy doing ministry. About ayear before I became pastor, the churchcompleted a successful stewardship campaignwith INJOY Stewardship Services andreceived more than $1,000,000. This allowedthe church to pay off the debt and secure the property on whichwe plan to build our new facility. After all the expense waseliminated, the church still had more than $800,000 in the bank forfuture ministry expansion.

After becoming pastor in February 2009, I could see God’s hand inthe work of the church. Clearly, God’s hand is on our church! Wewere experiencing His presence daily. God was blessing ourchurch in many ways:

• Growth in attendance• Salvations and baptisms up• Families transferring in• Others surrendering to full-time ministry

We knew we needed to do something for space. We prayed! Wetalked! We prayed again! It was clear the Lord was ready for us tomove forward and start looking at facilities and building to expandto our new property. However, we needed to raise more money. So, we launched a new stewardship campaign called “The Next Step.”Our hope was to raise another million dollars. Guess what? Thechurch was faithful with pledges and just under the magic numberof $1,000,000 was raised. Time to move on!

After much research and discussion with design-buildcompanies, we hired MG&A as our design-build team andpartner in ministry. Our journey thus far, through design andplanning, has been wonderful.

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ASCOTT CANNON

PASTOR

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,the Pharisees got together. One of them, anexpert in the law, tested him with this question:Teacher, which is the greatest commandment inthe Law? Jesus replied: Love the Lord your Godwith all your heart and with all your soul andwith all your mind. This is the first and greatestcommandment. And the second is like it: ‘Loveyour neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and theProphets hang on these two commandments.(Matthew 22:34-40)

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This Page: Computer animation was used to walk the congregation through its new worshipcenter and commons area.

In every journey there are definingmoments. Our church has had plenty.Sunday, August 1, 2010 was no exception.As a church we voted to move forwardwith construction as we secure financing.This would be truly something that onlyGod can do. This church is not an urbanmetro church—we are a rural church inEast Tennessee. We are growing in spite ofour community. As a matter of fact, Godhas given us a passion for our community!We truly believe that we can “Impact the world from Harrogate, TN!” As weserve and minister to the localcommunity, God is paving the way for usto be involved in global missions. We aremaking this impact by “BuildingRelationships That Last.” Our church islearning to worship God, love others,serve God/others and invite others to joinChrist and the church.

Our ministry has expanded in so manyways. We have the normal ministries—nursery, children, youth, college, andadults. Yes, all in rural America. We havea number of other ministries that areactively ministering to our community.Some of these are:

• Prison ministry• Celebrate Recovery House for men• Heart of Hope House for ladies• Pregnancy Crisis Center• Manna House Food Pantry• Shared Blessings Thrift Store• Celebrate Recovery Ministry• Upward Basketball• AWANA• Biggest Loser, and a host of others

not mentioned.

We have recently started a service ministryfor the underprivileged in our community.We are having truckloads of food for theneedy given to us for distribution. We just

acquired a 24,000-square-foot building tolease for one dollar a year as a distributioncenter and whatever other ministries thatmay develop.

As you can see, our church has a passionand vision to make a difference in thisworld. My former pastor, Dr. JohnnyHunt, has always said, “the light thatshines the farthest shines the brightest athome.” We, as a church, are starting in onour community and expanding into theworld with the light of Christ. ♦

PUMP SPRINGS BAPTIST CHURCH

Then Jesus came to them and said,“All authority in heaven and onearth has been given to me.Therefore go and make disciples ofall nations, baptizing them in thename of the Father and of the Sonand of the Holy Spirit, and teachingthem to obey everything I havecommanded you. And surely I amwith you always, to the very end ofthe age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

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hat will the church look like in afew years…10 years...30 years?What does it look like now?

Even trying to describe the current “churchlook” may be somewhat of a challenge.Currently, even though the view is directand clear, it may be difficult to describewhat one sees. I am sure many people willhave different opinions. If it is difficult todescribe it in the present, while we can seeher, how much more difficult will it be toguess what she will look like in the future?

Describing what church looks like hasnothing to do with church buildings. Thechurch is not the building; the church is thepeople. So what are we church people up to?Or, what are we church people not up to?

There is a major movement in church todayto become more evangelistic. To me that isan interesting thought because the veryfoundation of the essence of church is living out the Great Commission which isevangelism. So are we saying the church hasmoved away from her primary mission ofevangelism and that the church movementis trying to move her back to what her majorthrust should be? I think that would be acorrect assumption. To say the church is notevangelistic is a statement that points itsfinger at the church member and says, “You,as an individual, are not evangelistic.”

The general tool for assessing the church’s

WThe Shape of Church to Come

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current lack of evangelism is thenational baptism rate. The rate isnot increasing, as it should, giventhe continued increase in thepopulation. The trend seems to be agradual decrease in total baptismsfrom one year to the next. More andmore churches are seeing theirnumber of baptisms decrease eachyear. Furthermore, an analysis ofthose baptized would reveal most ofour baptisms are biological asopposed to baptizing the lost andun-churched in our community.

As we look to the future, I see theprimary focus of the church aswinning the church field to Christ.I believe the evangelistic thrusttoday will lead pastors to discipletheir church members to begin tosee themselves as missionaries livingin the U.S. Church members willlearn how to share their stories withtheir neighbors. Pastors will teachthem how to weave spiritualthoughts into conversation withtheir un-churched neighbor. Theywill learn how to be a goodneighbor and how to look for waysto minister to and meet the needs ofthe people God has placed rightthere, where they live and work.

As we move forward in time, we willrealize more than ever, that indeedthe church is not a building, thechurch is you and I, living our livesfor Christ each day in our ownpersonal mission field. Evangelismwill become more and more who we are and what we do everyday.Evangelism will become a naturalhabit we will do every day, withouteven thinking. It will become ourprimary focus in life as we seek tousher in the Kingdom and bringhonor and glory to God. Evangelism,the shape of church to come. ♦

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Advertising DirectoryMG&A would like to thank the following advertis-ers for making this publication possible.

Alabama Graphics2801 5th Ave SBirmingham, AL 35233-2819(205) 252-8505 • (205) 252-8510 Faxwww.algraphics.com

All Pro Sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31All-South Subcontractors, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Borden & Morris Consulting Engineers . . . . .24

Brian’s Carpet & Tile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Bright Future Electric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Burr & Forman LLP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Charlie Irwin Painting, LLC104 Alpha DriveFranklin, TN 37064(615) 790-8822 • (615) 790-8186 Faxtrisha@cipaint.com

Covington Flooring Co, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Davidson, Golden & Lundy, P.C. . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Davis Plumbing Company, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Forrest Daniell & Associates, P.C. . . . . . . . . . . 2

Four Star Interior Construction2785 Sprayberry RdPell City, AL 35125(205) 814-5484 • (205) 338-8973 Fax

Gold Key Lock & Security Hardware, Inc. . . 28

Gresham, Smith and Partners . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Hays Cheatwood Cornelius, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . 24

Hufcor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

In/Ex Systems, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Jenkins MasonryP.O. Box 3227Chattanooga, TN 37404(423) 624-6186 • (423) 629-2311 Fax

Lyman Davidson Dooley, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Machen, McChesney & Chastain, LLP . . . . . 30

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Michaels Engineering, LLC3305 Park Lane DriveHoover, AL 35226(205) 979-1232 • (205) 979-5490 Faxwww.michaelsengineering.net

Mountain Heating & Cooling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

National Resources Company, LLC . . . . . . . . 24

Nu-Tec Roofing Contractors, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . 26

Peach State Roofing, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Richards & Sons, Inc.1301 Avenue IBessemer, AL 35020-6682(205) 428-5267 • (205) 428-5271 Faxwww.richardsandsons.com

Shook & Fletcher Mechanical Contractors2915 Richard Arrington Jr Blvd NPO Box 10803Birmingham, AL 35203-1308(205) 252-9400 • (205) 252-9407 Faxwww.shook-fletcher.com

Southeast Construction, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Southeastern Architectural Woodworks Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

T. E. Stevens Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

T.S. Raulston Mechanical Contractors2000 Holtzclaw AvenueChattanooga, TN 37404(423) 698-8676 • (423) 622-9514 Faxwww.tsraulston.com

Tennessee Valley Metals, Inc.190 Industrial ParkOneonta, AL 35121(205) 974-9500 • (205) 274-9501 Faxwww.tvmetals.com

Walthall & Associates, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Advertising Directory (continued)

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Myrick, Gurosky & Associates, Inc.Four Riverchase RidgeBirmingham, AL 35244