This was the biggest project in the church’s history, and they were able to keep church open throughout the construction of the project.
When the leaders at LifePoint Church in Smyrna decided they wanted to make some changes to their facility, they didn’t have to look far to find the right person for the job.
Dow Smith Company Partner and Design-Builder Joey Rhyne has attended the church for 18 years and has served on LifePoint’s board of directors several times.
“He’s a great leader at our church,” said Nathaniel Hale, Executive Pastor of Administration at LifePoint. “I’m sure he provides great leadership at Dow Smith Company. And it’s always a pleasure to do business with him.”
The church was built more than 20 years ago and since then, Dow Smith Company has been chosen for multiple projects ranging from renovations to adding new campuses. This time, LifePoint brought in Dow Smith Company for a 35,000-square-foot renovation of the kids’ and preschool area as well as the administrative offices.
[See projects we have completed at LifePoint Stewarts Creek and LifePoint Riverdale]
“We wanted to upgrade our facilities to make it more inviting for families with preschoolers,” Hale said. “Security was also an issue. This building was built in 1999 and architects weren’t designing churches with security in mind. Under the current layout there wasn’t a way for us to lock down certain hallways. We just thought, ‘How can we create a plan so that we could move people in a new direction to get people away from kids and the preschool area?’”
After meeting with Rhyne, Hale said they had a clear path to making the changes the church needed to move forward.
“We moved the kids’ ministry closer to the preschool. Now, all of our parents, if they have kids from birth through fifth grade, can go through the same area,” Hale said. “Everything is together so parents can drop kids off in the same area. It’s more secured. It’s all behind access-controlled doors. Ease and security have improved. And it’s a fresh look. It’s more current.”
Rhyne, who is well-versed in church construction as well as church culture, said that every church—including his own—should always be preparing for the future.
“The heartbeat of this whole project is the next generation,” Rhyne said. “We needed to make room for more efficient ministry areas for kids and preschoolers. We’re not going to change the message, but the method may change in how we do ministry.”
After finishing the kids’ and preschool area in November, the church moved forward with phase two—the offices, which were completed in February.
“Our staff was spread out all over the building,” Hale said. “Over the years, we’d take a closet and turn it into an office.” Now, Hale says most of the staff – 80 to 90 percent – are all in the same area. The worship program team is still in their own space, which they’ve been in for years. “Our staff loves the new offices. They’re so happy in there.”
As a multi-site church with three local campuses, LifePoint is always growing. Smaller sites have had to shut down during renovations. This was the biggest project in the church’s history, Hale said, and they were able to keep church open during all of it, which was a blessing.
“I trust Joey and Dow,” Hale said. “They do a good job. I appreciate the design-build process and getting Joey involved on the front end with the pricing and budget. I love the guys he brings over here. They’re all such good people.”
