The new auditorium is designed with a round stage placed in the center of the room with congregational theater seating fanning out from and around the stage. One of the main advantages is a more efficient use of space. Our new auditorium has seating for 4000 people within 45,000 square feet. To accommodate that same number of seats in a more traditional style (stage at the front of the room with rows of seats stretching to the back) would require 70,000 square feet. The difference in square footage accounts for a significant savings in our building costs.
We currently hold five services per weekend, and three of them are in our main sanctuary with a seating capacity of about 1600. Statistics prove that once a church's services are filled to 80-85 % of capacity, that church no longer experiences dynamic growth. Our new sanctuary will allow us to hold two weekend services initially and have plenty of room for growth, keeping in mind the option of adding more services as needed.
Our new building is made for community. The elders and pastors are spending a lot of time working through strategy and practical ways to foster community and relationships. The new foyer is designed for community. There will be places to sit down and enjoy fellowship, a coffee shop and a bookstore to mingle and feel at home. In addition, life group leaders will be there to help our guests get connected and feel a part of the team.
Having a stage in the center of the room and the audience seated around the stage in a full circle presented some technological challenges, but the benefits will far outweigh the challenges. Large screens will be strategically placed around the room so the congregation will have a good view of the speaker or worship leader at all times. State-of-the-art sound and lighting will enhance the experience and the sense of community. From the perspective of someone seated in the congregation, people will be everywhere in their sight line. And, for the first time, people in the congregation will be able to hear others in the congregation singing. The worship experience will be awesome!
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