Needing to combine the church and school ministries to one campus, a master plan was developed for Bethel Lutheran Church in Morton, Illinois. A new 28,285 s.f. church building that houses a sanctuary with balcony, parish hall, administrative office suite, nursery, and children’s education space was built adjacent to the existing Bethel Lutheran School.
The new Narthex is an inviting area that serves as the church’s gathering space with a Welcome Center and a coffee and donut counter. The Sanctuary was designed specifically for the church’s three types of worship services: traditional with an organ, contemporary with a band and a combination of the two that uses all the instruments. The spaces are enhanced with exposed steel trusses at the high ceilings, and wood and stone details throughout.
- Large worship space with balcony
- Children's education space
- Gathering space and welcome center
- 7,000 s.f. addition to the school for future classrooms/storm refuge room
- Natural light from the clerestory highlights the 25-foot-high wall of natural stone
- Exposed steel trusses at the high ceilings; wood and stone details throughout.
- Natural stone at the exterior building corner
- Canopy tower along with brick on the exterior compliments the school’s red brick facade
How do we combine the church and school ministries to one campus?
Developed a master plan that included a new 28,285 s.f. church building with a sanctuary, parish hall, administrative office suite, nursery and children’s education space built adjacent to the existing Bethel Lutheran School.
A growing church in Bloomington, Illinois wanted to create a "safe place to explore faith." BLDD worked with Vale Church to develop a long-term plan for the future. The first step of the plan involved 29,000 s.f. and includes a modern worship space, classrooms for Christian Education, and a large gathering space. The bright and inviting gathering space helps to create a sense of belonging and acceptance to visitors and attendees. As the church grows within the community, the master plan allows for future expansion up to 100,000 s.f.
Through the development of a master plan with BLDD, Calvary began as a two-phase construction project and moved into their current building after completing the first phase in 2002. Phase One was split into two sections, a north wing and east wing. The north wing contains offices, the preschool and classrooms. The east wing holds the worship center, youth area and kitchen. They are connected in the center by the Atrium.
Willow Crystal Lake started with a vision for a space that could reach out to the community and serve as many people as possible. We helped them create a master plan that is a direct reflection of the core convictions and mission of the church. The open and inviting design is an intentional feature that connects the building to the site and the entire community. The goal of Phase 1 was to create a new worship center and then use as much of the existing structure for all of the other ministry spaces.