October 2026
I returned a couple of weeks ago from my second Church Facilities Expo (CFX), held this year in Birmingham, Alabama. It was great to see familiar faces from last year while also meeting new people and making new connections. With temperatures still in the 90s outside, the energy inside the conference was just as warm and exciting.
This year’s CFX felt different from my first experience. There were many familiar faces from last year, along with several new attendees, and there was a noticeably larger representation of contractors. It was encouraging to see the continued interest and investment in creating better spaces for churches and the communities they serve.
One of the things that stood out to me was the changing landscape of church attendance. While the number of people attending church has shown signs of recovery in recent years, another important trend is that people are changing churches rather than simply leaving them. According to Lifeway Research, approximately 4,000 churches closed in 2024, while roughly 3,800 new churches opened. At the same time, combined in-person and online attendance has recovered to approximately 97% of 2019 levels, with about 85% of attendees participating in person.
For architects and engineers, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity: How do we design spaces that encourage people to come back?
The experience a building provides plays an important role in that answer. Churches are not simply places where people gather; they are environments designed to create connection, community, and engagement. Every element of the building contributes to that experience.
Engineering is a critical part of that equation.
No one wants to sit in a space that is too hot or too cold. No one wants a structural column obstructing their view. Poor acoustics, inadequate ventilation, inefficient lighting, or poorly planned support spaces can all detract from an otherwise meaningful experience.
This is where TK Architects sees a natural connection between our experience in the entertainment industry and the needs of church facilities.
For more than 40 years, TK Architects has designed cinemas, family entertainment centers, and other entertainment venues where the experience of the guest is at the center of the design. Our engineering team understands the challenges that come with large gathering spaces, open floor plans, high occupancy, specialty equipment, commercial kitchens, support spaces, and the many systems required to make these environments function seamlessly.
Church facilities share many of these same characteristics.
They require spaces that can accommodate large groups of people while remaining comfortable, efficient, and functional. They often incorporate auditoriums, classrooms, children’s areas, gathering spaces, cafés or kitchens, offices, and other support areas—all of which need to work together as one cohesive facility.
Our experience designing entertainment environments has taught us that engineering should support the experience, not compete with it. When the systems are designed correctly, people may never notice them—and that is often the point.
A New Opportunity for TK Architects
CFX has given us an exciting opportunity to bring this experience into a new market. We are excited to expand our engineering services into church facility design and to apply the knowledge we have developed through decades of work in cinemas, family entertainment centers, and other large-scale entertainment environments.
While every church is unique, the fundamental goal is often the same: create a place where people want to gather, connect, and return.
We believe our experience can help make that happen.
We are excited about the conversations that started at CFX and look forward to continuing to build relationships within the church design community. Whether a church is looking for a full-service architectural and engineering team or an architectural firm needs an experienced engineering partner, TK Architects is excited to bring our entertainment-industry expertise to this market.
More importantly, we are excited about the opportunity to help create facilities that not only function well, but create an experience that supports their mission and brings people back through the doors.
Principal, Steve Petracek
