Design Philosophy and History
Ministry Driven Architecture by Ministry Driven Architects.
Not just a tagline but our passion. Our goal is to bring your vision into focus and then into reality. We partner with you, learn your ministry needs, and then design to meet those needs within your budget. Every congregation is unique so every design is also unique.
While churches may be our passion, our expertise is far more diverse. We are just as comfortable with designing schools, large and small retail, or heavy fabrication. Let us help your project become a reality.
Powers Goolsby Architects opened its doors in 2005 with Jimmy Powers and Bear Goolsby as the founding partners. While their original focus was wider than just churches, it quickly become their passion and focus. In 2016, Nick Baxter came on board as a licensed architect after having been an intern with the firm for many years. Jill Wenzel joined the firm in 2012 as business manager or as she says “Chief of Stuff”. In 2018, Jimmy Powers felt a call into ministry and officially retired in 2022 to serve full time at his church.
Today, while Powers Goolsby Architects continues to be passionate about churches, our portfolio has grown to include a number of parks and sports facilities. We are excited to see the communities we serve continue grow and thrive in part because of these projects.


Architecture Services
Our Services encompass:
- Programing
- Master Planning
- Construction Documentation
- Permitting
- Site Selection
- Design
- Fundraising and Lender Selection Assistance
- Construction Administration
Discover Powers Goolsby
Every project begins with developing an understanding of the site, the needs of our clients, and their budgets. We create the initial masterplan for each site to ensure we are not compromising future growth with the current construction. The facility design is developed with both functionality and the aesthetic firmly in mind with a keen eye on the budget. We use various imaging processes to ensure our clients understand the design and often these images are developed into three dimensional presentation images to assist with funding campaigns.
Our experience and longevity has given us a network of engineers, general and subcontractors, capital campaign companies, and lending institutions to ensure a seamless beginning to end project.




Meet the Powers Goolsby Team

Bear Goolsby
President and Owner

Jill Wenzel
Business Manager

Nick Baxter
Project Architect

Jimmy Powers
Founding Partner- Retired

The architects at Powers Goolsby are professional and committed to excellence. They took the time to develop a relationship with us; this enabled them to get a clear understanding of the growing needs of our church. Their knowledge of how ministry works, and their expertise in design and construction, helped us to fulfill our vision for a facility that would not only meet our needs for today, but would accommodate our future needs. They are the ideal architect and a valued resource for any church considering any building project.