The share of Americans who belong to churches has been declining steadily since the turn of the century. According to Gallup, in 2020, 47 percent of Americans reported belonging to a church; that proportion was 70 percent at the turn of the century. The COVID-19 pandemic has surely affected churchgoers too. In consideration only of Christians who report going to church at least once monthly, 33 percent said they’d attended church in-person, while a staggering 74 percent said they’d attended an online or televised service, per The Pew Research Center.

One thing hasn’t changed for those who choose to attend in-person, though: the after-church food rush. For some, that means a stop through a drive-thru on the way home. For others, it’s a sit-down meal, and many simply have a meal together once getting home. It’s not unusual on a Sunday, for example, to show up at a Dunkin’ location in the Bible Belt around noon and find that they’re completely out of donuts! Why? Much of the time, a cashier or drive-thru operator will reference the heavy traffic that comes after morning church services end.

So, what’s the point here? Well, ConstructionWire from BuildCentral tracks planned religious facility construction projects. Here, we offer two ways you can capitalize on our planned religious facility construction leads. Even so, don’t let that keep you from thinking of your own!

How to Find Religious Facility Construction Leads

Firstly, there’s the obvious opportunity: if you manufacture or sell supplies and materials useful for a new church — or one undergoing renovation or expansion — we’re your “in.” We keep track of relevant contacts for all of our planned projects, so through ConstructionWire you can get in touch with the right people at your targeted project.

In ConstructionWire, simply filter your search for “Religious Facilities.” If you’re concerned only with planned and under-construction projects, you can filter for those too. Now, in searching for religious facilities, you’re obviously not going to find only churches. You’ll see synagogues, mosques, temples, even religiously affiliated societies, offices, and other buildings. How you choose the projects on which to focus is up to you and your business!

How to Meet the After-Church Food Rush

Now, we’ll get to the fun part. Churches attract significant foot traffic, and given that the busiest services typically come on Sunday mornings, a lot of churchgoers leave their respective places of worship in search of a meal. With the range of planned construction market-research and lead-generation products from BuildCentral, users can help give those hungry churchgoers something to eat.

What’s Step 1? Well, search for planned and under-construction religious facility projects, as we outlined above! You can even use our Geospex map overlays to see everything from US Census and demographic data to drive-time and mile-radius buffers from a given point.

Next, you’ll need to assess the surroundings of each of the church projects you find interesting. Who lives around them? Are most attendees driving or walking to church, and how far is that travel? Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, what kind of other retail or restaurant options are already in the area?

The thing is, even if you aren’t looking to open a new restaurant near a church, other people are. That means they need all kinds of help from FF&E firms, both for new projects and for renovations, or even maintenance. To get the most out of BuildCentral, though — and this applies particularly to those looking to get involved with church-adjacent retail — you may consider PlannedRetail. The PlannedRetail product can show you all of the retail products we track, both in planning and already completed. That way, you’ll know not only what coming in a given area, but also what’s already there. For more, check out our Planned Retail Construction Pipeline.

Planned Religious Facility Projects in Texas

With all of that in mind, we couldn’t wrap this up without sharing some of what we know about planned religious facility construction projects. Where better to start than Texas? The Lone Start State accounts for over 18 percent of planned and ongoing religious facility projects in the country, per ConstructionWire. BuildCentral is keeping tabs on over $6 billion in planned and ongoing religious facility projects in the U.S. Zoom in on Texas, and that number is nearly $700 million. Without any further ado, here are some Texas-based religious facility projects to keep an eye on. Projects are listed in order according to last-updated date.

LifeLine Church

BT Church Student Building Remodel

Amarillo VAMC Hospice Unit & Chapel

Islamic Center of Brushy Creek

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