TRy uploading the photos in a comment.

This is our boring front of church

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I think of churches as institutions. Stately, somber. Potted plants, colorful handrails, silk flowers seem more suited for a coffee shop.

Front of church

It looks like the building and concrete areas could use a good pressure washing after the blue tarp and other objects are removed.

If you have someone to water them every few days, two very large pots (half barrel size) with evergreen trees would look nice just outside the base of the stairs. If not, try using some banners to liven things up. Replace them every few months when they fade.

A glass door bulletin board with lock would look better than flyers taped to the doors.

Yes, paint the railings if they need painting.

Paint the doors a lighter color, more welcoming.

Paint the ceiling/overhang above the door a light blue (Haint Blue options)

Benches on either side of the door for peeps to sit and wait for others.

a large area rug at the door... fill the top landing.

I too would add simple banners to be changed out for special days

What denomination is the church? Ideas to suit if shared.

Apple pie order is spot on.
Do aquire a large bulletin board with lockable plexi( minimize vandalism/accidental breakage)to fasten securely beside at least one side of the doors.Two boards one on each side may be better...one for static info like hours ,personnel,
etc,and one for current and upcoming events.
Some coniferous greenery could be incorporated,but it would need to be in large heavy theft proof containers that will need meticulous regular upkeep.
A good powerwash on steps and fresh glossy paint on railings will also contribute to a welcoming eye pleasing entrance.
Can you enlist parishoners input and help?
Do show us your improvements!

Thank you all !!

Would black glossy paint work on the railings going up to the door??

Our church is baptist and we do have a board for name of church, church times, pastor's name and number that's on the very end of building on the left side, soo it can be seen from the road...that's another eye sore, old out dated. I'm going to fix that though! I'm the pastor's wife! 😎

We do have programs for children, and Bible studies every Wed eve, we have a great Pastor...my husband!! We tape our services and air them every Sunday on YouTube!! We do what we should do for the community!! We had to fix our ceiling, do to failing trusses...and are redecorating the inside! Just wanted ideas to spruce up the outside to make it more attractive also!! We have programs like V.B.S and we have Harvest Festivals in October! I'm again just trying to give our outside a spruce up!! Not doing it for any other reason but to make it more attractive on the outside like our inside will be!!

I know that...been in Church all my life sir!! We do everything to reach our community!! But Thank's anyways!

Where are you? A black painted metal railing depending on the metal can get HOT!

I too am in the camp of getting some benches and a nice mat there. People tend to like to hang around the church stairs and it can be a nice place for shaking hands after service. So having some benches is pleasant. Weather happens, so having a mat on either side of the door can help keep the church floors a bit cleaner. A bulletin case or two, and yep, a repeat of the information at the very end of the building. And the suggestion of a light blue ceiling is lovely.

I think you can do black railings. I think a green or blue could be nice too. Right now they are almost of a color with the stairs and they should stand out.

A Mat, Thanks...but we do what the Bible sais we should do! We are involved in our community and have programs!! Again...wanted to spruce up the outside, like the inside will be!! And I'm paying out of my pocket...with our Church members approval!!!!

you mentioned flowers earlier.

you could mount a hook on the door, whoever gets to the church first and unlocks the front door sould put out a hanging arrangement to signal the door is open.

Change it up with the seasons.

I think planters and a good cleaning are a great start. The space needs some warmth and to be inviting - create a space to linger or come to church early. It would be great to get rid of some concrete and have some grass but price wise that is probably not realistic.

I would get some planter and benches and planters that can hang on the fence.

These benches were on wayfair!

get 2 large planters - 1 for each side of the stairs with an arborvitae in it

Great for holiday decorating!

The doors are beautiful! See if someone can strip and stain them so they are fresh. Add some wide trim pieces on each side stained the same.

A communication board would be wonderful as well.

what is to the left of the stair case? Maybe get a really nice church sign?

Do you hold events in the church? This outside are looks like it could develop into a great space of an outdoor event, kids workshop, small farmers market, things to raise money to go further with the building.

Do a little at a time - no need to do it all at once. I'll bet there are some skilled craftsmen and gardeners in your group...

Good luck to you!

Thank you Debbi Washburn, for being kind and not judgmental!! Some people 🙄 😒 😑 😕!!!!!!

Yes Debbi, we have all kinds of programs, Bible studies on every Wed evening, we tape our churches services and air them every Sunday on YouTube. I love your suggestions...the bench would be perfect, didn't think of that!! Again... Thank you for your kindness and not being judgmental like some person on here!! Who speaks but doesn't even know us or what we do before HE speaks!! We do have a sign, on the left upper side by our handicap ramp on our building. It has our church name, pastor's name, phone number, our meeting times etc!! Thanks for the great ideas!!

Kudos to you, Michpurplegirl! I can imagine being a pastor's wife can have it's challenges at times. Good on you for supporting your husband, your congregation, and your community, as well as making God's house appealing to both church members and seekers.

melindas1977, Thank you for your kind words! 😊🙏

Thank you, melindas1977 for your kind words!! 😊🙏

Paint the railings black. Purchase a bench that can be attached to a railing with an anti-teft cable. I'd save up for a good polycore bench that will last and stand up to weather. Get two large planters with large evergreens for the base of the stairs.

Not a fan of silk flowers. They tend to not hold up outside and start to look ratty in no time.

Invest in good quality materials even if it means saving up longer to make the purchase.

Great advice already - just a plug for getting planters on the large side, they will suit the scale of the entrance (larger than an average home) and be easier to maintain since there will be more soil to hold moisture - FWIW sometimes I will use carboard boxes to mock up the size and number of something, so I can get a rough sense of what it might look like before ordering/buying - good luck! ✨

I agree with planters--you could have 2 with shrubs in them and 2 with colorful annuals. A bench or two would also be nice.

You might also consider wreaths on each of the doors, which is very welcoming, and you could change them each season or for special holidays.

Perhaps also drape garlands on the railings.

Do you have any parishioners who are in the landscaping or plant business, and could offer you a discount?

Are there any sort of fundraising events you could do where the whole community would come out to? It may be slow to start, but over time could get some additional funds into the church for all the projects.

That is a large area that has huge amounts of potential but it will take some time and money. Having a farmer's market ( the vendors pay a fee for their space ) and set up your own table, maybe a craft show for local artists, or even and outdoor "concert" featuring local high school bands.

Shop around dollar stores or flea markets for good bargains to get things going. Sometimes you can't always get the more expensive stuff. Be selective. Start with some sort of vision and buy things that will fit in. Plastic planters ( in your case extra large ones ) can always be spray painted if they aren't the same color. Benches need to be sturdy, but if you by wood ones and they seem a little wobbly, that can sometimes be reinforced with some additional wood and screws. Or look into pallet furniture. See if a local store would give you a stack of pallets. You could make great benches.

I'm sure there will be some decent amongst the pros on here. But Once you have things changing slowly, it is easier to get folks on board and involved.

I was lucky enough to grow up with a Mom who could look at something as simple as a coffee can and come up with ideas of what we could do to decorate it or make use out if it. Use that kind of thought as you go out looking for things. Even reach out to large landscaping companies in your area and see if they have any planters or things that have been removed from a property or maybe are damaged and they can't use them - maybe you can find a gem!

I wish you and your congregation the best of luck !

Having served on deacon boards through small spruce ups and major building campaigns, you have my prayers and some suggestions on another thread I think. ( most have been repeated by others here)

Yes the activities are what builds community and the congregation should involved but church politics can get ugly over little things. A welcoming building must catch people's eyes to get them to activities and God's House should be well kept and beautiful. If you need any architectural services, I have a great reference.

Thank you so much, kathleen MK...That's why I wanted to change up the front. They put wayy to much concrete all around the front, back when this Church was built in the 60's! I've been to alot of Church's for different occasions and some are very pretty on the outside. Like grass, trees, bushes, flowers etc. Our inside will be nice when finished, I want the front to be welcoming and inviting!!

Have you solved your dilemma? I have not read the comments. Only skimmed through enough to learn that this is a Baptist Church.

Baptist churches are often not as shy and retiring as some other denominations. But even the Presbyterian Church that I grew up in has red painted doors on the main Sunday service church entrance.

I think the doors on your Church are good as they are - but I could see red railings, since you mentioned that painting the railings might be an option.

Just to show the general idea:

M

Pretty! We will have our doors redone...they are weathered and need some love! I have been given some great ideas by some really nice people!! Thank you also! Will be doing alot of changes...I will bring your idea and others up at our business meeting! We have to ask our members first, but I have talked to a couple of ladies in our church and they agree we need to do some changes to spruce our church up inside and out!! Thank you for caring enough to give your expert advice...I really appreciate all of them!! God bless you! ❤️🙏

I would paint the pillars, doors, railing in front, and benches the same color. I think a color like blue, green or darker red would be nice with the brown building. Maybe bring a color from inside the church out to coordinate. The roof above the stair going into the church would be a perfect place to add the name of the church or maybe extend the molding and add cross.

I helped a church move into a dated building. It can look a lot better without a ton of money. Here's what I'd suggest:

It looks like a really big planter in the corner between the stairs and the ramp would look good, maybe a rounded shape to break up all the straight lines. Put another one on the other side of the steps, further back near the corner of the porch. Get the biggest, best-looking containers you can and put big plants in them, you need a focal point here.

Think of plants that can really take the heat. I think a big ornamental grass like miscanthus + something trailing (maybe juniper) + some bright annual flowers would make a pretty planter arrangement and would go with the more contemporary look of the building better than a more traditional evergreen in a pot. Grasses are amazing when you need to stretch the budget- you might find someone who can divide theirs for free, and even little plants will be full size in a year. If you use a big grass, you can tuck some pretty annuals like petunias, lantana, or sweet potato vine, in around them, but you don't have to buy enough plants to fill the whole pot each season. They also soften up all the hard concrete a bit. Maybe repeat the same plants in few more pots along the fence if you can do more- those don't need to have annuals added, just a big grass in a pot, and save the fussy flowers for the pots right at the entrance. Drip irrigation on a timer isn't hard, and you might be able to find someone who could set that up for you to make watering easy.

Can you wrap the two posts in some wood (or even cheat with gel stain) so they relate to the doors and visually bring out the entry toward the road? ( Or if you are committed to painting the doors, paint the posts too, I like the wood better though.) Add something interesting over the entrance porch, like a nice-looking lettered sign, or a cross or logo. You need to give people's eyes somewhere to go, rather than letting them settle on the cracks in the concrete.

A pair of long narrow banners beside the doors would look nice, as would some wreaths; something unfussy and green or light colored. A bench against the railing on the right side sounds good too.

Think a few bold things, bigger and simpler than you would use for a house. Pick one planter shape, just a few plants, and repeat them. Whatever accent color you choose, repeat it in the planters, whatever goes on the front, and the banners so it looks intentional. If you're really on a budget, black is cheap, easy to find, always matches and always looks elegant. Navy, deep greens, or muted reds could also look good, but take a little more coordination.

What is the area with the blue tarp used for? If it's a dead-end area, give people something to go over there for. Maybe sidewalk chalk for the kids, or a big yard game for the grown-ups, an excuse to linger and talk longer, and also would make a sort of closed off and unfriendly looking fenced area look a little more inviting.

Clean everything really well and repaint whatever is chipped. Maybe repaint the stair treads a shade or two darker, for more contrast with everything else, and also to help elderly people see the contrast between the stair and riser better.

The red railing has to go and sorry but no rred door on a church the funeral style planters have to go if you want planters then real plants and someone who can take the time to water them if that is not possible then no planters . I love the door as it is but maybe check put concrete staining to tone down all tha too slick concrete . I would like to see this from much further back to have any idea of what else is possible . Some benches make sense and the wreaths for certain times of the year are lovely ideas but not year round

Thank you Brick house...and Patricia Colwell. You have such great ideas! Can't wait till I can start working on the outside. Still getting everything on the inside done... drywall done, paint will be coming up soon!

If it helps, here's a before and after:

A huge amount of work was done on the inside of the church, so the landscaping had to be pretty frugal. This is also the only outdoor gathering space the church has, so we added a lot of pavers to expand the sidewalk in front of the church to make a bigger area where people can hang out and mill around,

This was taken before the last details were installed. The planter by the steps is gone in the more recent pictures, but it helped a lot to soften things up while the other landscaping grew, and more recently, seasonal signs and decorations often fill the space. We put in drip irrigation that fed all the plantings and the pots too. It was damaged and abandoned after a couple of years, but it lasted until the main plantings could survive on their own. We painted the handrails black, but your church has a lot more of them with the ramp and everything. The blurry thing on the left is the name of the church built into a bike rack, since a sign ordinance wouldn't allow a more traditional sign out front.

How someone has the unmitigated nerve to show up here and say:

” no rred doors on a church”

is beyond me. Red is NOT a new color for churches, nor for church doors. Google it.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PWCNTG3mnZY

Also, “no planters” with plants and or flowers allowed?

Obviously that person has never set foot in a church.

Thanks, freedomplace for the link to the video on red doors on churches. Lots of good reasons why they have been painted red since the Middle Ages. Jesus' blood sacrifice, his passion, and Passover are some of the reasons given.

And most churches do have living plants at the front doors and around the church. Think of that symbolism--life and rebirth. Even in the winter we have evergreens in our planters welcoming parishioners to church.

Lmao about the red and planters has to go commentary- those are inspo pics for a general idea, not the OP's pics. Red sure would pop for the OP at their church though.

Looks great - so crisp and fresh!

The gray/blue on the steps and ceiling was a great idea!

Wonderful transformation!

So much better!!

I am so glad you posted after pictures. This looks so much better! It's warm and inviting. Great color for the stairs and the ceiling of the portico. The planter benches add warmth to the space. I would sit and linger there.

Well done!

We love all the ideas that where given, we did what we could with our budget...Thank You all for your input, it was greatly appreciated by our congregation! We love the front now!

So nice--love the "welcome" banners on the doors!

Thanks for coming back with the "after" photos!

Great choices!

Great reveal! You did a wonderful job! Love your color choice, benches....it all adds up!