Designers of new churches aren't getting many requests for simple brick buildings with white steeples perched on top. Today's church leaders are demanding amenities that appeal to growing flocks seeking a social gathering place, facilities that remain active seven days a week.

Church architect Richard Messner might include choir lofts, wooden pews and stained glass windows in his designs, but he's more likely to emphasize coffee bars, bookstores and stadium-style seating when meeting with church leaders.

American attitudes are changing, Messner said, and so are America's churches.

"Today's society requires more of the Christian community than its tradition," Messner said. "I think God wants us to adjust to society's expectations, both in our mentalities and facilities."

Enter the "mall" concept. Church building projects are taking a turn from the traditional to contemporary, with wide hallways and open foyers that provide plenty of room for people to roam or just hang out. But differences go beyond the hallways.

Churches are becoming more than just sanctuaries used on Sunday mornings, Messner said; they're turning into civic centers.

Evangelism by design

Check out plans for Lakewood Church's proposed International Center in Houston. By 2004, the church plans to have renovated the city's 18,000-seat Compaq Center sports and concert arena. Besides providing more room for its 30,000+ congregation, Lakewood will keep open the center's ice rink and basketball facilities, also opening the facility to concerts, sporting events, family conferences, conventions and business workshops.

Lakewood has the city's permission to lease the center for up to 90 years, paying $12.2 million up front and giving the city free use of the facility 20 days a year. The church also must make the Compaq Center available if Houston lands the 2012 Olympic games.

"Ministry should be at the heart of any community," Lakewood Pastor Joel Osteen said. "That's exactly where Lakewood wants to be -- in the middle of things making a difference."

Making that big of a difference will cost Lakewood an additional $70 million in renovations, much of which the church hopes to raise through a three-year fund-raising drive. Church members are encouraged to sponsor a seat for $2,500.

"Service to man is as important as our service to God," Osteen said. "We estimate we can reach 100,000 people a week in the International Center through all kinds of services."

Have it your way

Messner and his team of architects at R. Messner Construction in Wichita, Kan., specialize in church building projects. Its work includes the 450,000-square-foot colonial-style Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn., and the state-of-the-art First Family Church in Overland Park, Kan., which seats 1,200.

"Architects can make even really big churches look like churches," Messner said, "but that's not what churches are asking for these days. They're asking for a design that fits in with the community, that is practical and has plenty of room for future growth. That's why churches aren't looking much like churches anymore."

Even smaller congregations are realizing the benefits of smarter design, Messner said.

"You can have whatever you want, but you need to be smart about it," he said. "Remember that you're building a ministry, not just a facility."

Advanced sound systems are a top priority for modern churches, Messner said. Features such as orchestra pits that rise on hydraulic lifts, intricate lighting systems and multi-use sanctuaries have become essential options in design.

Beyond technical needs, church leaders are asking architects to design buildings that accommodate their growing children's ministries. Messner said the driving force for this trend is a demand from parents for clean, well-equipped facilities.

Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, realized long ago that reaching out to children helped its ministry to parents. The church's youth center features 15 ball fields, a 1950s-style diner, a fitness center, classrooms and a 7,000-seat sanctuary.

Prestonwood is planning a $19 million school, coffee shop, food court, student ministry center, and indoor commons.

Crystal-clear objectives

While the media tend to report on the surge of big church building projects, the evangelism by design concept is not new. "Hour of Power" international TV-icon Robert Schuller is credited by many for bringing a fresh perspective to the house of worship.

Schuller, who began his ministry with Sunday services at a drive-in theater, was considered even more radical when he proposed the Crystal Cathedral, a church that towers above its Garden Grove, Calif., neighbors with more than 10,000 windows held in place by a lace-like frame of white, steel trusses. Two 90-foot tall doors open electronically behind the pulpit to let sunlight and warm breezes into the worship services.

The glass building, built at a cost of $10 million in the late 1970s, generated hype and criticism over its striking design and multi-million dollar price tag. Schuller found himself being interviewed by Time, Newsweek, "60 Minutes" and "Good Morning America," explaining his philosophy of church growth.

The building represents Schuller's faith, as he claims in his recent autobiography, "My Journey: From an Iowa Farm to a Cathedral of Dreams."

"I want a church with a glass ceiling so that we can see the sky," Schuller told the church architect, Phillip Johnson, according to his book. "A glass ceiling that will imply that there are no limits to our upward vision. But I also want glass walls. Worshipers need to be able to see the world outside and seek and sense emotional connections with other humans - even strangers! No fences, no ceilings - that's what my faith is all about."

The Crystal Cathedral was paid for with church members' donations and sponsorship of individual glass panes. Schuller's mission was accomplished, he said. The Crystal Cathedral is a building that many will visit for the architecture and stick around for the sermons.

More than 10,000 people now worship weekly at the Crystal Cathedral.

Planning for the future

Church leaders need to plan for the future, Messner said.

"It's not too early to start thinking about what your ministry is going to be like or need 10 years from now," he said. "In a few years church architects are going to have even better ideas for new facilities, but it's all a long process, and you always need to keep ideas in the back of your mind."

Anything is possible, Lakewood Pastor Joel Osteen said.

"We're not sitting around waiting for people to come to us; we're reaching out to them."

Whether a congregation has 50 members or 3,000, many issues are the same, said Steve Anderson, a consultant with Arks, Inc. Arks consults and guides churches through the building process, including dealings with architects, builders and financing companies.

"Most churches come to us and say ‘we know we need to do something, but we don't know what'," Anderson said. "It's all about planning."

Planning should begin with a church clearly outlining its mission, Anderson said.

"The building will design itself as a tool to fit the ministry of the church," he said.

Churches also need to examine their current programs and ministries, along with the community's demographics.

"Don't just focus on what your current church demographics are, but look around you," Anderson said. "If your ministry doesn't match the community you're in, you've got a problem."

A downtown church ministering to the homeless wouldn't be wise to move to the suburbs if it wants to continue its homeless outreach, Anderson said.

"I can't say it enough: your ministry must dictate the building, not the other way around," he said.

Along with the building's design, church leaders must keep other issues in mind, including how to pay for the building and finding property that will allow for future growth.

"There are a lot of great church building projects out there, but churches err when they try to copycat someone else," Anderson said. "Each ministry is unique, and each church has to plan accordingly.

"A building itself doesn't spur growth," he said. "It's the ministry we have to keep in focus, and plan everything else around that."