He says many churches still have a formal drive in the front for weddings, funerals, or to drop off grandma. Wardell also avoids putting parking be hind the church's pulpit. Unless your church is out in the country, you can forget about a parking lot of dirt or gravel. Stephens says that isn't allowed in most communities, anyway, because of the dust. Beyond that, most people prefer the look of asphalt over concrete.
Many townships also require drainage with catch basins and underground pipes.
Stephens says that if storm drains can't handle all the surface water, small retainage ponds may be required. In terms of size, most zoning laws re quire one car space for every three seats in the sanctuary, but Stephens says that usually isn't enough. The exception is urban areas where there just isn't enough land. That's when push comes to shove for many churches. Ac cording to Wardell, churches often struggle with staying in an urban setting or moving out to where there's more space, largely be cause of parking concerns.