Christ Chapel Bible Church, born in 1980 in Fort Worth, Texas, has grown into a multi-site church with three diverse campuses, as well as online services. They’re committed to teaching God’s word faithfully, living by grace, and building relationships with others. We were honored to partner with Christ Chapel’s South Campus on a new facility for their church family.
A Unique Church Campus Seeking a Permanent Space
Christ Chapel’s South Campus started in a home and has always been rooted in family. Outgrowing this space because of fast growth, they moved to a local high school. When the pandemic hit, they learned that they’d have to vacate that space, so they called Aspen Group in to help them decide on a facility solution. Various options were considered, including portable spaces, temporary structures, and renovating retail space. During this time they were experiencing even more growth and they didn’t want to lose momentum. A place of permanence was critical, so they decided to move in the direction of a new church facility.
Home Sweet Home
It was important for our design team to take into account the look and feel of Burleson’s historic district when they approached this project. Incorporating brick, arched doorways and windows, gooseneck lighting fixtures, and a distressed logo on the exterior, reflects the aesthetic feel of the surrounding area.
In the entryway, a motif of the map of Burleson gives a nod to the area’s history, and a reminder to guests that they’re home.
“Aspen Group was great at taking our feedback to get closer to the values we have,” says South Campus Pastor, Micah Barnum. “I appreciate how they listened to us. They really worked to take what we wanted and bring it about.”
“Aspen Group was great at taking our feedback to get closer to the values we have. I appreciate how they listened to us. They really worked to take what we wanted and bring it about.” –Micah Barnum, Christ Chapel’s South Campus Pastor
In order to keep with the thread of being rooted in family, the space was designed intentionally to feel very much like a home. Even the room names reflect this. The lobby, referred to as the “family room,” has a neutral palette and comfortable seating, creating an inviting atmosphere to gather and have a meaningful time of fellowship before and after worship.
The “hospitality area” features a coffee bar and is outfitted with furniture that was chosen to echo the feel of a person’s home. There are plenty of nooks with a variety of seating options, giving people plenty of space to relax and connect over a cup of coffee.
“[This space] feels like a home,” says Ashlea Ruff, South Campus Ministry Coordinator. “It creates that culture that we’re wanting of being family-centered and creating community . . . it takes us back to our roots of being in someone’s living room.”
“[This space] feels like a home. It creates that culture that we’re wanting of being family-centered and creating community . . . it takes us back to our roots of being in someone’s living room.” –Ashlea Ruff, Christ Chapel’s South Campus Ministry Coordinator
The family room is the connector between worship and kid’s ministry, mirroring each other on either side of the family room.
The safe kid’s check-in area, with its fun and inviting theme, welcomes families in and sets the tone for a vibrant children’s church experience.
The children’s ministry space also features a unique family room. This connection space gives parents a place where they can build relationships with other parents and volunteers, and have access to various resources.
Other kid’s spaces include a nursery, mother’s room, classrooms, and large group spaces that connect to an outdoor covered patio and play space.
The 300-seat worship venue incorporates the same brick and neutral palette used on the exterior, and includes state-of-the-art audio, visual, and lighting.
A Right-Sized Space That’s Ready For Growth
The intimate size of the facility, coming in at just under 15,000 square feet, makes the space just the right size so that upon entering the building, guests are able to have immediate visual access to each space. It also allows for people to actually bump into each other, to say hello, and to get to know each other.
While we intentionally designed the building to be cozy, we structurally and architecturally planned and developed the land so it can expand to accommodate the growth that Christ Chapel’s South Campus will experience in the coming years.
“We are delighted in the building that we got. It has been just a great blessing for our congregation . . . It helps us to do the ministry that we had envisioned doing on the front side of design, so we’re very thankful for Aspen Group in giving us this great space.” –Micah Barnum, Christ Chapel’s South Campus Pastor
View the Christ Chapel South Campus full gallery here.
This has been a sponsored post by Aspen Group. If your church is looking a building a new facility or reimagining existing space, I cannot recommend Aspen Group enough! Click HERE to start a conversation with them TODAY!
This specific article was written by Kristen Freeman. Kristen joined Aspen Group as an Interior Designer in 2019 after working in both commercial and residential design.
