Faith,
I hope you’ve heard the exciting news! We are embarking on an important capital campaign, Faith Makes History, to modernize our downstairs and refresh our exterior. We’ve heard a critical question from many of you: “Why now?” It is a great question, and I want to share five reasons why acting now is responsible stewardship for our future.
1) We are simply finishing what we started.
Without COVID-19, this project would already be complete. After the success of the Transform Campaign (2018-2020), which revitalized our upstairs, Phase Two was always intended to address the downstairs and exterior. The pandemic caused an understandable pause as we navigated the shutdown. Now that we have found our footing, it is time to complete the vision for our facility.
2) Our church community is changing.
Many of our faithful, long-time givers are in the fourth quarter of their ministry years. They have spent decades serving Faith with their time, talents, and treasure. The next 5-10 years will naturally bring transitions for many of our members. Acting now ensures that we, together, equip Faith for its next chapter.
3) Our surrounding community is changing.
Studies show it can take 10 new givers to replace the capacity of one long-time, committed giver. As new families and younger generations join Faith, they will certainly become faithful stewards. However, it will be years before they build the same financial capacity and deep commitment as those of you who have called Faith your home for decades. We must secure the resources now while we have the stability and capacity to do so.
4) Our staff is aging.
Good news! Half of our staff can claim the senior discount at Culver’s! Change is a given, and we can reasonably predict significant staff turnover within the next five years. New pastoral leadership needs 2-3 years just to develop the relationship and trust necessary to lead a campaign. If we wait, we force our future leaders to take on a massive project while they are still building rapport, and in the meantime, our downstairs needs will age from over forty years to nearly fifty! Completing this campaign now helps ensure a smooth, stable transition for leadership in the future.
5) Costs are rising.
This is a purely practical reason, but a renovation deferred for three to seven years will simply be dramatically more expensive. Every year we wait, fewer dollars go to the actual project, and more go to inflated material and labor costs.
Finally, let me say this. Jill and I have seven grandchildren spread across the Twin Cities and Columbus, OH. Thankfully, our grandchildren and their parents are all attending different churches in their communities. I pray that in those churches, there are faithful stewards like you who say “Yes!” to the call to steward their church for the next generation. Our Faith Makes Historycampaign is our “Yes!” to that same call, securing the future for the children and grandchildren who will walk through our doors.
For God and His kingdom,
Pastor Brad
***Sunday message notes are here.
And here are this week’s deeper dive videos as we head into Exodus 4:
The Book of Exodus, pt. 1 (5:44)
Moses and Aaron (5:02)