You are building a new church and you couldn’t be more thrilled. You’ve been dreaming of ministry, building community, and being part of changing others’ lives. Grassroots efforts are deeply fulfilling and you know that this is the perfect opportunity for the local community and for your vision.
You’ve got a team of passionate change-makers and strategic thinkers. The foundation for the project is in place to create a home for your church and the locals are excited about their new congregation. You’ve already got a committed group of future members and you’re ready to launch.
Except that your budget is really tight. You’ve got to build or renovate an existing building, pay all the bills to keep things running and furnish the entire space. As a church, you rely on donations and charitable giving, which can make things financially tricky.
You hope and pray that there will be enough to keep things afloat once the church is established. But will you be successful in getting the project off the ground?
In an effort to reduce costs and conserve the limited funds that you’re working with, we’ve put together some ideas to help you save money and get to your mission of ministry. Here are some tips to help you get started and get your church launched more quickly.
Think Simple, Think Flexible When it comes down to the basics, the best way to save on furniture is to not have to buy a ton of it. That means you should focus on how to make your furnishings do more than one job. Gone are the days of dedicated wooden pew seating, bolted to the ground and demanding that the sanctuary only be used for worship.
Now, you can create sanctuary space with comfortable church chairs that can easily be rearranged and repurposed for other spaces. Need chairs for a small meeting in a classroom? Just grab a few from the stack. Perhaps you’ve got a youth activity coming up and need to have a cleared floor. With chairs it’s easy to quickly stack them in storage, clearing up space for any activity that your congregation might dream up.
Always Choose Quality It seems appealing to buy the cheapest furniture you can find, especially when you’re on a budget. But be careful. Inexpensive doesn’t mean you’ll save money in the long run. If you buy chairs or tables that are built poorly, you’ll end up replacing them in just a couple years. This means that you’ll pay even more for chairs and your return on investment will be severely diminished.
Look for excellent, durable chairs that are made for commercial purposes. They need to have been weight tested, factory assembled, and fabric rub tested. You want each piece of furniture to last many, many years and through thousands of uses. Now that is a worthy investment that will do good for your budget.
Use Caution, Choose Bargains With many of your furniture and decoration needs, you can easily find inexpensive items at thrift stores and yard sales. There’s no need to buy every single thing new and sometimes you can even solicit donations from the community to help make the church feel homier.
But be cautious with furniture that will have to endure rigorous use. Chairs and tables will be sat on, moved, climbed on, and more during their lifetimes. They shouldn’t ever harm a person or break before their lifespan is up. When you buy used, you can’t be certain how much wear they’ve already been through or how much life is left in them.
Instead, save most of your budget for investing in high-quality chairs and spend less on decorative items and fixtures. To save money on furnishings like chairs, look online for sales and order during off seasons. Buying in bulk will also add up to huge savings.
It can be a delightful experience to build a church from the ground up, filling it with happy congregation members and community activities. There’s nothing quite as fulfilling as seeing families, seniors, and youth coming together to celebrate life and spirituality. The realities of building a church can be overwhelming, however, especially when it comes to managing the budget. Trying to stock up on interior decor and furnishings can feel like an uphill battle.
With the right kind of strategy and an eye for bargains, you can find the quality, commercial furniture that will last for years and treat your budget right. When you’re ready to buy the highest quality church chairs and other furnishings that will last, reach out to Classroom Essentials Online. We offer an excellent selection of furniture options and the friendliest customer service. You can find us at clasroomessentialsonline.com or by calling (866) 404-7671.
