Facilities Five and Dime: The Podcast on Church Facility Stewardship
Facilities Five and Dime: The Podcast on Church Facility Stewardship isn’t your typical podcast. Like the old five-and-dime stores—where merchants had to know a little bit about everything—we step into the world of facility stewardship with curiosity, grit, and a touch of storytelling flair. Each episode digs into real stories, lessons learned, and surprising turns behind the buildings we use every day.
From unseen risks hidden in cooling towers to potential poor communication within a maintenance team, we uncover how small details and overlooked systems can have significant consequences. Along the way, we tie in history, best practices, and practical wisdom that will equip facility teams, leaders, and everyday stewards to care well for the spaces entrusted to them.
Think of it as a place where curiosity meets expertise, and where every aisle is stocked with a new story you didn’t expect—but one you’ll never forget.
To jump-start your facility into efficient, intentional stewardship, check out eSPACE at www.smartchurchsolutions.com
Facilities Five and Dime: The Podcast on Church Facility Stewardship
Good Maps Make Good Stewards
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For most of history, the secrets of our buildings were scattered everywhere.
Property lines in filing cabinets. Utility maps rolled up in tubes. Old blueprints fading, outdated, or missing altogether. When something broke—or a project started—facility teams often had to guess what was underground and behind the walls.
In this episode of Facilities Five and Dime, we explore the surprising history of Geographic Information Systems (GIS)—a tool originally developed for national defense that’s now one of the most powerful allies for churches, schools, and nonprofits.
GIS brings everything together: buildings, land, utilities, square footage, flood zones, improvements, and more—all layered onto a single, living map. Instead of hunting through paperwork, facility teams can see their entire campus clearly and make better decisions faster.
We’ll talk about:
- How GIS moved from military use to everyday facility stewardship
- Why maps beat memory when planning repairs and projects
- How churches and schools can use GIS to protect what’s been entrusted to them
Good stewardship starts with understanding what you have—and where it lives.
Sometimes the most valuable facility tool… isn’t in the boiler room. It’s on the map.
