Estimate Space Needs for Parking, Worship, and Education

Written by Davis Byrd

These rules of thumb may be helpful in making a quick assessment of how your church measures up. These guidelines are intended to provide general guidance for early estimates of property and building space needs prior to actual planning and not as substitutes for planning.

Free download:

Rules of Thumb: Estimate Space Needs for
Parking, Worship, and Education   (9-page PDF).

Courtesy of Church Architecture Solutions from LifeWay (615-251-2466).

Site and Parking

• One acre of usable site for every 100-125 people on site at one time
• One parking space for every 2.0 - 2.5 people on site at one time

Worship

• 15-17 square feet per person (up to 300 in capacity)
• 12-24 square feet per person (over 300 in capacity)

Education (classroom space)

• Preschool: 35 square feet per person
• Children: 25 square feet per person
• Youth: 12-15 square feet per person
• Adult: 12-15 square feet per person

Other - education, administration, music, fellowship, media library, and others, but not including recreation

• Smaller churches: 30-45 square feet per person
• Larger churches: 45-55 square feet per person

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Davis Byrd is the former director of Church Architecture Solutions from LifeWay.

Visit www.lifeway.com/ChurchArchitecture for more help

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