Recently, the Church Council asked the church body to participate in a number of focus forums to just hear and record all of the points listed. By our count, nearly 200 persons, or about half our worshiping body, participated. The following is a "raw, unedited" list of the ideas, dreams and solutions presented by those in attendance.
The Church Council is preparing a summary document of these points and that will be made available to the public in the next weeks.
The report is separated by the focus of the comments. Click below to move to a specific section or read it in its entirety, top-to-bottom. This document is available in a printable edition by clicking here.
Ministry/Programming
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Involve people in ministry activities.
Organize volunteers according to experience and gifts.
Utilize small groups for ministry.
Energize groups for ministry (men’s group); change from being consumers.
Rather than electronics, we want Provide substance/Biblical input in both SS and service.
We don’t need state-of-the-art electrical nor do our kids – our kids need teachers, content.
Concerns about the status of Senior and College age meetings were raised. Deciding/planning for them is important. Where are they in the scheme of things?
Radio:
• Fix radio
• Radio broadcast needs work. Sermon needs to be complete in broadcast.
• Fix radio program (ID, Pastor, fit to hour, etc.)
• We need to hear the whole sermon.
Connect with (relationship) Children’s Hospital.
Communicate to Sanford patients and their families about First Baptist.
List expendable ministries.
Rather than being mediocre in everything, focus in on things we are called to do.
Provide corporate prayer sessions.
Outreach: Coffee House? Speakers, events, etc. on other nights?
“Missionary in Residence” program with ABCD in one of our houses.
Cheerleading and basketball camps, etc. as outreach (FLC).
Create young adult and career ministry area. (Advertise to USF, Augie, Med Students, Seminary, etc.)
Family Ministries needs continued development.
Classes for seniors: (retirement planning, financial security, writing church into estate).
Partnership with Sanford/USD Med School – 24hr childcare.
Expand children’s ministries, schools, hospitals, etc.
Consider Senior Day Care at FBC.
Renaissance needs a place to meet. Ministry revived.
Hospitality/Belonging
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Make sure greeters available between services and at all entrances.
Train ushers how to seat people in FLC.
Overall usher training.
Pastors need to be available for greeting before services.
Should be sidewalk greeters and parking attendants.
Guide people to Sunday School rooms.
Develop welcome and lingering times.
Develop ways of interconnecting groups in the church, especially between services.
Create groups that intentionally seek out and befriend visitors in worship and beyond (“pew jumpers, 6x6 groups, deacons groups, etc.)
Call on visitors.
Emphasize relationships over technology.
Use “photo walls” to introduce new members, new believers, dedicated babies, etc.
Update photo directory.
Have a coffee and cookie time.
Growth will come by word of mouth/welcoming people, not from flashy up-to-date.
What are we doing for college age perhaps versus emphasis on children and small groups?
Signs: Signage announcing times and locations of services – electronic?
Need service times posted outside and inside. Inside direction signs for kids, SS, etc.
Interior signs directing to FLC and 11:00 service.
Improve signage so people know which door to enter.
Signage 22nd and Lake; 22nd and Covell. Service and activity lines. E lot on Sunday AM. 11:00 service – sign in Narthex.
Signs that show people where to park.
Visitor parking signs more visible.
Identify all parking areas, include Sanford lot(s)/ramp.
People can’t find what they’re looking for (getting around). Way finding is more than signage.
Signage and printed info… Sensitive/consistent/diligently placed/maps/parking, worship times, FAQs.
Consider parking attendants or temporary signage.
Sell land for parking space.
Use parking ramp with golf carts.
Color code finishes different for each floor. i.e. Red, blue, green, white, paint/carpet/doors/signs.
Electronic signage in and out.
Electronic signs on both corners.
Space Utilization/Facilities
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Is space an issue? Not yet.
Use sanctuary for large group SS class between services.
Look into more outside uses of our facility.
Elevator chair on stairs to reach 4th floor.
Handicapped restroom on sanctuary level.
Improve lighting: classrooms, hallways, parlor.
Connect west half of Room 406 to rooms on north and south.
Expand nursery.
FLC could be fellowship space.
Convert fellowship hall into two rooms of 50-100 (parlor types).
Remodel Fellowship Hall. There could be six spaces in the west area with semi-permanent walls not including the stage. It is sprinkled already. There could be one large gathering space on the east and the classes could meet on the west. (I think this was with regard to a youth area although that was not specifically stated). The kitchen is useable I Fellowship Hall. NW door can be used by parents.
Break up the Fellowship Hall into smaller rooms.
Consolidate office space on 4th floor with 1st floor meeting room.
Move admin offices off-site. Use admin offices for C.E.
Move offices/counseling space offsite or in a large room such as this, parlor. That would allow the office spaces for other things.
Office off site.
Remodel or remove chapel for a new use. Gathering space, coffee shop, etc.
Convert chapel to coffee shop.
Convert present Chapel to Library, coffee shop, book store.
Make the chapel into a coffee shop. We could have a patio out to the west.
Second Parlor in office wing. (Scott and Susan’s old offices).
Use Jefferson School for SS classes.
Tech in each room, including screens. Sponsors for each room?
Modular building for temporary use.
Temporarily move to USF and tear our building down and start over. Even with underground parking.
Gut the facility. We will spend a lot of money running IT cables in this old building. The difficulty and expense of sprinkling was mentioned also. It is tough to remodel when the kids are all here. Maybe we can rent the seminary while we remodel.
Gut and redesign the space we have.
Add a new “main” entry from the west.
Coffee shop, cookies, sit-down space(s).
We need to have more spaces like the parlor.
Gathering spaces needed.
Combine library with social space.
Organized space for greeting, welcoming, etc., offer chocolate.
Nursing moms could use a private space during service where they can listen.
Courtyard…Use IT enclose IT.
Enclose the courtyard.
Create a storage area for technology services in the current courtyard.
Close courtyard and create centralized storage. Move IT stuff to the center so we can hub out much easier.
Create a “third place area” for the coffee shop, etc. (Bookstore? – I can’t remember if this was mentioned here, but it seems like it was, I did not get it down. rj)
Courtyard could be a play area.
Roof over courtyard.
Expand childcare/preschool remodel, upgrade, etc.
Build separate children’s center.
Creative storage space for children’s center.
Build separate building for children’s center.
Children’s center is primary mission, outreach. Need to build space for it.
Sell west – build new Children’s Center.
Children need their own facility – all day, all ages.
Divide the sanctuary into the floors for Children’s Center (include fellowship hall).
All children’s spaces should be sprinkled.
A Center for Children and Youth.
Give youth a space to call their own.
Give fellowship hall and kitchen, stage, bathrooms, etc. to youth.
Build on the NW corner – Children’s Center.
Entire fourth floor: convert to Youth center, all the bells and whistles, elevator access.
Give FLC to youth.
Have a separate building for the children and youth.
Connect 4th floor to fully accessible (and useable).
Extend elevator to 4th floor.
Push elevator to the fourth floor.
Push elevator to 4th floor.
Two levels in FLC – convert sanctuary to gym.
Build a new worship space.
Turn sanctuary north.
Move all services to FLC with addition of stage, etc. to west. (Is sanctuary a useful space for all worship services?)
Prefer wide and shallows rows (horseshow) over narrow and deep (as in current sanctuary).
Expand sanctuary to the north.
Reverse the sanctuary (see Eastside Lutheran, Our Saviors, Falls Church).
Expand sanctuary to both sides.
Expand sanctuary to north.
Remodel FLC into sanctuary. Consider 2nd floor.
Change sanctuary to wide (vs. narrow). Expand north seat in semi-circle.
Make sanctuary more FLC service friendly since that’s the popular service.
Build a new worship center and make the current sanctuary into the children’s center.
Revamp sanctuary with new seating. Make the sanctuary so that it is wide with narrow depth. Make the entrance from 22nd Street since we have parking on 22nd. Consider having church in FLC during renovation.
Use stadium seating as it accommodates more people.
Make the sanctuary into two levels. It could be a gym, office space, and it would be a great dining room!
Move the sanctuary into the family life center and make the sanctuary into the family life center. We should go for the ancient future, a traditional look in a contemporary worship setting. People would be okay with the move if the space gives a sense of worship and not a gym.
Sanctuary – the front area should be gutted so it fits more for both services.
Sanctuary should be turned so people are closer to the pastor and a feeling of community is encouraged.
Seating in the sanctuary should be in a semicircle with theater seating.
Add on west of chapel and sanctuary.
Build on north wall of sanctuary.
Add second floor in sanctuary.
Two levels in sanctuary. Expanded sanctuary.
Move services to FLC and build two floors of classrooms in sanctuary.
Add second floor in FLC. How often is FLC needed as gym?
Tear down FLC and build taller.
Tear down FLC for new redesigned space.
We must add square feet, first (before rearranging others).
Add building square feet to west of sanctuary.
Build out to the northwest.
Add on.
Add building attached to our building and put parking to the west.
Jump the street put up a two story building, vacate the road or put a tunnel under.
Purchase two properties to east as we own seven properties over there and only four to the west.
Add on the west and connect with skywalk or tunnel.
Vacate Lake or Covell.
Vacate either Lake Ave. or Covell Ave.
Buy or trade for seminary and real estate.
Swap for seminary.
Buy seminary or Jefferson.
Buy the seminary or Jefferson. Maybe swap for the seminary.
Move to Gloria Dei.
Merge with Central.
Plant churches or create satellites.
Move hub to breakroom or go wireless. Open up Scott’s old office.
Rent seminary during remodel.
Gut Entire Building
Build office wing west of chapel wing.
Offices in new building.
Move staff to one cluster space.
Convert current offices to classroom space.
Gut the education wing, move the offices.
It could be a separate building on site.
Use tents.
Worship
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Move all worship into Sanctuary.
Structuring worship services to end on time.
Shorten sermon
Work toward single style blended service.
Concurrent services with video link or just overlap.
Add services (one Sunday evening specific).
Teach FLC worshippers more than one style.
Review the concept plans that Robin did for expansion of Sanctuary.
Buy Sioux City’s singing Christmas tree (it’s for sale – Bob Myer’s Church).
Don’t worry about the old organ. (New churches don’t have pipe organs any more).
60 year old stuff /things is not sacred.
Need to have a working sound system.
Improve sound system.
Sound system needs updating.
Show video of service on large screen (especially in sanctuary).
Muffle sound on projection screen as it goes up/down.
Keep the pews.
Pews in sanctuary are comfy.
Change pews to chairs.
Worship spaces should be “more” flexible than sanctuary currently is.
Avoid set-up and set-down by fixing worship to one area.
Lose the pews, movable chairs needed, or both?
Focus Group Comments and Questions
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Offering after sermon is a problem for the ushers.
Anxieties need to be addressed if we expect to grow.
There is no rationale for 750.
No growth in sanctuary? Why not
Child safety. Why are we not using our system?
The young couples are more flexible concerning time and space.
Younger families are more comfortable with Shawn’s style.
Worship teams and leaders? What happens when Bob Myers comes?
Staff should be available in the offices and rooms up and down the halls.
Pastors – join in the fun.
Do something – don’t just rehash same old stuff.
It would be interesting to get just the flat floor space (total area) of the church. What is it? Look at what it could be just in terms of square footage and not what it is right now.
What is the capacity? Sanctuary versus FLC.
We need to research what other churches in our situation have done. Inner city, land locked, etc.
Hire a consultant to come in and make suggestions about where to make changes.
Look at Koch Hazard plans. Phases 2, 3 and 4
Revisit the concept drawings that were done when the FLC and Link were completed. We were supposed to do music wing, administration wing, etc. in Phase 2.
Hire a part-time Development Director for retirement and estate planning workshops (First Baptist Foundation?). Maybe partnership with ABCD.
Review recommendations of previous space utilization committee. They actually recommended that we move, but there were suggestions made in the event the congregation decided to stay. We entertained the idea of building a youth building east across the street. There is probably useful information in that report. There were also specific recommendations about where to have Sunday School for young children, the elderly, and so on.
People in today’s culture are not used to being uncomfortable.
Communicate cost to repair remodel versus moving.
Emphasize commonalities
• We all want something to change
• We worship one true God
• Fear that nothing will happen
• We want some hymns/traditions but not all
• We respect other group’s culture
Don’t abandon elderly.
We have no senior space. No director – no place in vision.
Invite “Invisible Shoppers” and ask what they observe? Fears? Shut out?
What is the planned sequence? Worship first, youth first, children first.
Where is our congregation regarding financial commitment to expansion? Plan finances early!
Need growth and money to accomplish.
Bottom line is we need money for expansion.
If we need to spend money what about Sanford?
Parking, parking, parking.
How many cars could be parked in the cabin lot?
Parking is only a perceived problem.
New chairs for chapel if we plan to use it that space for activities that require the chairs be moved frequently. They are well-made chairs, but are very heavy to move.
Follow up comment …First Lutheran in Brookings has a coffee shop with lots of people coming for coffee. It is a ministry all by itself.
Agreed – electronic stuff is critical… (technology).
What is the cost estimate on the technology required?
Grow into one church.
Construction should be done quickly so ministry is restricted least.
The best things we do are in Children’s Ministry. We should expand on the property across the way and remove the children from this building. Children need more space and child care is not a Sunday morning thing. We should get serious about preschool and child care which we do well. Let this building be used by people who can adjust. We older people can adjust.
One worship space – Good idea.
Shorter site lines = more intimacy to worship space.
Decide on worship space first – all other issues flow from this decision.
Communication
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Communicate all elements of worship service in Times.
Communicate worship themes in advance.
Communicate worship times broadly and accurately.
Articulate the vision frequently.
Survey the church about our ministry and vision.
Create a suggestion box.
Communicate what is fluff and what is crucial.
If we became more people friendly, communicated better, we could take off.
