Being a church facility manager comes with unique challenges that require a balance between maintaining the building’s functionality, ensuring safety, and preserving the spiritual environment. Below are the top 20 challenges faced by church facility managers and how eSPACE can help:
1. Aging Infrastructure
Problem: Older church buildings often have outdated electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems, making maintenance more difficult and costly.
Solution: eSPACE’s Work Order & Asset Management module allows you to easily create, assign, and track work orders. You can schedule preventive maintenance tasks with auto-reminders and assignments, ensuring the timely upkeep of older systems. Within eSPACE, you can also assign work orders to external vendors
2. Budget Constraints
Problem: Balancing a limited budget with the need for repairs, upgrades, and routine maintenance can be a constant struggle.
Solution: With eSPACE’s Operational Cost Tracker, you can monitor expenses related to maintenance and repairs, helping you stay within budget. Additionally, the Life Cycle Calculator assists in forecasting the remaining useful life of your assets and projecting replacement costs, aiding in long-term financial planning.
3. Scheduling Conflicts
Problem: Coordinating maintenance work around church services, events, and community gatherings while minimizing disruptions.
Solution: The Event Scheduler module features real-time conflict detection to prevent overlapping bookings. Customized forms can be developed to manage space and resource reservations efficiently.
4. Energy Efficiency
Problem: Managing the energy consumption of large spaces with high ceilings, older insulation, and inconsistent usage patterns.
Solution: eSPACE’s Facility System Integrations (FACILITeSPACE) automates HVAC, lighting, and other systems based on approved events, optimizing energy consumption and reducing costs.
5. Safety and Compliance
Problem: Ensuring the church complies with local building codes, fire safety regulations, and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements.
Solution: Stay on top of safety protocols by scheduling regular inspections and maintenance tasks. eSPACE allows you to document compliance efforts, ensuring adherence to local building codes and regulations.
6. Volunteer Management
Problem: Relying on volunteers for certain tasks which can be challenging regarding availability, skill levels, and consistency.
Solution: Assign and track tasks for volunteers through eSPACE, ensuring clarity and accountability. The mobile app facilitates communication and task updates, enhancing volunteer coordination.
7. Security
Problem: Implementing and maintaining adequate security measures, such as surveillance cameras, alarms, and locks, while fostering an open and welcoming environment.
Solution: Integrate access control systems with eSPACE to automate door locks and monitor entry points based on event schedules, maintaining security without compromising accessibility.
8. Parking Lot Maintenance
Problem: Managing large parking areas that require lighting, repairs, snow removal, and safety measures for pedestrians and vehicles.
Solution: Schedule and manage maintenance tasks for parking areas, including lighting checks and repairs, through the Work Order & Asset Management module. Preventive maintenance scheduling ensures timely upkeep.
9. Technology Integration
Problem: Keeping up with the latest technology for AV systems, lighting, Wi-Fi, and security while ensuring everything functions smoothly.
Solution: eSPACE’s Asset and Inventory Management module allows churches to maintain detailed records of equipment locations, availability, and maintenance schedules. Additionally, by utilizing Space Properties alongside the Floor Plan feature, churches can streamline room scheduling, ensuring that events are booked into spaces already equipped with the necessary AV resources, reducing setup time and conflicts.
10. Event Setup and Teardown
Problem: Managing frequent transitions for events like weddings, funerals, services, and community activities, often within tight timeframes.
Solution: Use the Event Scheduler to plan and coordinate event setups and teardowns, ensuring all resources and spaces are prepared and restored efficiently. Additionally, using Asset and Inventory Management can help keep track of the location and availability of AV equipment, tables, chairs, or other equipment required for an event.
11. Landscaping and Groundskeeping
Problem: Keeping the grounds well-maintained and presentable, which includes lawn care, gardening, tree trimming, and snow removal.
Solution: Manage work orders via eSPACE for groundskeeping tasks, schedule regular maintenance, and track vendor performance to keep the church grounds presentable.
12. Roof and Building Envelope Maintenance
Problem: Dealing with leaks, roof deterioration, and ensuring the overall integrity of the building’s structure, especially in older churches.
Solution: Schedule inspections and maintenance tasks through the software for the roof and building envelope, ensuring the structural integrity of the facility. Documenting these activities aids in long-term capital planning. Also, the Life Cycle Calculator helps plan for the timely replacement of the roofing membrane, ensuring your facility maintains a leak-free roof and avoids unanticipated failures.
13. HVAC System Management
Problem: Balancing the temperature in large sanctuaries, classrooms, and offices, especially during high-occupancy events, while managing energy costs.
Solution: Automate HVAC systems based on event schedules to maintain comfortable temperatures while optimizing energy use. This eSPACE integration ensures systems are active only when needed.
14. Water Damage and Mold Prevention
Problem: Preventing and managing water leaks, flooding, and the potential for mold growth, which can damage the building and impact health.
Solution: Set up preventive maintenance tasks to inspect for leaks and monitor areas prone to moisture. Timely work orders can address issues before they escalate.
15. Door Access Control Management
Problem: Managing who has access to different areas of the church, ensuring security while maintaining accessibility for staff, volunteers, and guests.
Solution: Integrate access control systems with eSPACE to automate door locks and monitor entry points based on event schedules. This ensures that only authorized individuals can access specific areas at designated times, enhancing your church’s security.
16. Lighting Issues
Problem: Ensuring proper lighting for services, events, and parking lots while considering energy efficiency, safety, and the aesthetic atmosphere of the worship space.
Solution: Schedule regular inspections and maintenance for interior and exterior lighting systems. Automated controls can adjust lighting based on event schedules, enhancing energy efficiency.
17. Cleaning and Sanitation
Problem: Ensuring that the entire facility, including bathrooms, kitchens, and fellowship halls, is clean and sanitized regularly, especially in high-use areas.
Solution: Create and assign work orders for cleaning tasks, ensuring all areas are sanitized regularly. The system allows for tracking task completion and managing cleaning schedules. Additionally, the system can track inventory levels of restroom supplies, cleaning products, and other essentials, helping facility managers reorder to avoid shortages.
18. Pest Control
Problem: Managing pest issues like rodents, termites, and insects in large, often older, buildings with many nooks and crannies.
Solution: Schedule routine pest control measures and track vendor services through the work order system, maintaining a pest-free environment.
19. Storage and Space Management
Problem: Maximizing the use of storage spaces, organizing materials, and ensuring that spaces are multi-functional for various ministry needs.
Solution: eSPACE’s Asset Management module allows churches to track stored items, such as chairs, tables, ladders, and carts. This helps ensure that essential equipment is properly stored, easily located, and available when needed.
20. Long-term Capital Planning
Problem: Planning for long-term investments in infrastructure, renovations, and new technologies while balancing short-term maintenance needs and budget constraints.
Solution: The Life Cycle Calculator helps forecast asset replacement needs and costs, assisting in developing a sustainable long-term capital plan. This tool ensures you can plan for future investments while managing maintenance needs.
Conclusion
These challenges require strategic planning, collaboration with church leadership, and an understanding of both practical maintenance needs and the church’s spiritual mission. By leveraging eSPACE’s comprehensive suite of tools, church facility managers can effectively address these challenges, ensuring their facilities remain safe, efficient, and welcoming for their congregations.
