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Site selection for an off-site group requires both prayerful and careful consideration. A number of factors must be considered:
A. Location – Is the site near a sufficient group of people to reach? The population of St. Mary’s county exists in “pockets.” It is necessary to put a site near enough to one of these pockets so that new people can be reached.
B. Facility – Does the potential meeting site have the necessary space to accommodate LBC’s plans? Some sites might be attractive in other criteria, but not enable us to have enough meeting space for classes, for example. So any potential facility must meet the needed layout criteria for usefulness. This includes having a major roadside view; a multi-purpose room and four classroom areas; restrooms; sufficient on-site parking; and being appropriate for church space.
C. Availability – Is a facility available when LBC needs it? Some facilities are already being rented by other churches or other groups. This would obviously impede LBC from using it for its multi-site efforts.
D. Cost – What will be the ongoing rental costs for LBC? There is a wide range of costs associated with various places that are rented. While LBC should not necessarily look for the least expensive option, we must also be good stewards of our financial resources and make sure our budget is not being over-stretched by the costs associated with its multi-site efforts. Consideration in this area is for cost not to exceed $1000 per week.
E. Reliability – Is the site reliable for LBC? In other words, can the site be used in an ongoing fashion or a limited fashion? Some sites will only rent for a limited amount of time, at which point contracts must be renegotiated, while others are open-ended in their rental agreements. In addition, some sites have certain Sundays where, due to other obligations, the facility is not available for use. We are looking for a site that is available a minimum of 50 Sunday mornings per year and has the potential to be available at least one week night eventually.
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