KevinChilds.com

Our staff went to California to dream. Specifically, we went to meet with a consultant who is an expert at matching vision with campus design.  Mel McGowan used to work with Disney, and his thing is making your facility tell your story.   As a believer himself, he wants church architecture to tell THE story.  I was impressed.   We visited several places – many of which he designed.  Have you ever been somewhere … had a great feeling/experience about the place … but you couldn’t exactly explain why?  Mel knows why.  He designs the why.  There are a ton of thoughts swirling in my mind, but I want to share the ones I can grab.

• I was impressed with the Visioneering (Mel’s firm) office space. That may sound unimportant, but I saw that they are living their own advice.  They are smoking what they’re selling.  To get a glimpse, click here, scroll down to Provision Ministry Group (the colorful one), click View Gallery.  A sister firm uses a house, and it was cool too.  I’m now ready to go crazy re-doing the former Katalyst House for ROCK office space.
• He took us to some very diverse, but purposefully designed places: Mariner’s Church (yep – that’s a lake in the middle of it), Crossroads Church,  a small shopping area called The Lab (Click “our projects”),  and Downtown Disney (shopping/dining area – not the park).  He specifically showed us the sense of their design.
• Our campus needs to whisper and scream our dream. Design and architect fees are expensive, but I’m willing to pay the difference to blow people’s socks off for God’s glory.
• We need a very intentional master plan. The folks we met with can help us project our needs and ability to build/borrow over the next SEVERAL years.   I tend to think about what we need RIGHT NOW.  They think in terms of what IS right for now, and 5 years after, and 5 years after that, and then even later, and how all that unfolds within our vision.
• I learned some things about the value of  creating a seamless transition from the community and real life into (and out from) the “sacred space.”  And about the importance of the space between the buildings.
• Even the most impressive and apparently expensive displays adjusted to meet budget. That included the mega-multi-mammoth campus of Mariners.  Even Disney.  So will we.
• Thanks for praying for smooth and prompt flights.   The only thing that wasn’t smooth was Pete.  I think Pete might have had too much to drink at the preceding airport, and he was hilarious.  I’d LOVE to sober him up, move him to Horry, and make him a ROCK greeter.  Out-going doesn’t scratch the surface of describing Pete.
• Thanks for the experience – especially for the staff. This was a nice break, a chance to talk a LOT about ROCK vision/mission/strategy, and we like hanging out together.  We consider our couple of days on the West Coast a gift from our church.  We didn’t stay at The Ritz, eat caviar, or get pedicures on the church’s dime.  But it was a great and productive trip.  So, thanks.