True Vine Church

Strategy

Opportunity

True Vine Church began in Zahle in 2003 with just seven members. As the congregation grew, so did the ways it served its community—from church gatherings and children’s education to medical care, hospitality, and other forms of outreach. What had started within modest facilities was becoming a much broader network of people, programs, and everyday needs.

The opportunity was therefore larger than adding space. True Vine needed a long-term framework that could bring its expanding activities together while allowing the campus to continue evolving over time. On a constrained urban site made up of several adjacent properties, IDD was asked to help imagine how that future growth could happen thoughtfully and in phases.

Response

IDD developed a phased masterplan that allows the church to grow around the needs of its community. New gathering spaces, classrooms, guest accommodation, offices, and support facilities can be added as needs and resources evolve, while remaining connected to the existing church.

The first phase creates places for people to gather, learn, worship, and stay, including a 400-person hall, classrooms, meeting spaces, and guest accommodation. Terraces extend these spaces outdoors, while accessible circulation and compatible materials help the growing campus feel like one welcoming place.

Sustainability

The proposal combines phased growth with passive strategies such as shading, natural ventilation, vegetation, insulation, and high-performance envelopes to improve comfort and reduce reliance on mechanical cooling and heating. The design also builds on the church’s existing solar water-heating system. 

Impact

The masterplan gives True Vine Church a flexible path to grow while keeping its community connected. New spaces for learning, gathering, hospitality, and service allow the campus to respond to changing needs and support the church’s wider mission in Zahle for years to come.