Rowlett, Texas is one of the most remarkable and desirable suburban communities in the DFW Metroplex. This is a very image-conscious municipality with guarded ordinances and permitting requirements. Again, we teamed with colleagues and met with their referral, a Rowlett church that had already sold their building and purchased a large property on one of the most popular thoroughfares. A prominent Dallas developer wanted to buy some of the church property, and agreed to develop their property while giving attractive construction concessions to the church.
A strong leader with a clear vision, the Pastor and the building committee were decided on an architectural style that would not look like a church. They wanted an industrial-commercial design with a user-friendly image, because one of the character traits of this congregation is its outreach and relationship with the community.
They requested a very large Foyer or greeting area with an all-glass front wall so passers-by could look in at the variety of social activities in the church. Another gesture to the community was to design a drive-in window at the church kitchen, so they could take and serve coffee orders every morning. This was to help integrate the members with the community, and it was also the first such request that we’ve had in our considerable experience.
The Building Program included the Sanctuary with chair seating for multi-purpose flexibility, Classrooms, Children’s Church, Youth Room, Nursery, Administration, Fellowship Hall, Kitchen, and typical support spaces. The wall design between the Sanctuary and the Foyer was for retractable partitions, which enable the ability to completely open and join the two spaces, Foyer and Sanctuary. This gives them far-ranging flexibility to accommodate large, medium, and smaller assembly functions, i.e., worship service, varying capacities for lunch or dinner, weddings, graduation services, etc. Without this multi-purpose space, this church would need to consider eliminating some of the congregation and community needs.
The church was patient, and ultimately, this high-profile location has a church that’s found its place, its belonging. This is a dynamic, loving church, and that’s palpable. You’ll see.
