My church is facing the possibility of a relocation. The building has some problems related to being built cheaply 45 years ago, but is in a prime spot in a small but growing town. Because of our location, a major retail chain would love to have part of the land. If we sell to them, we would be forced to completely relocate (we don't have enough land to sell and rebuild on what is left).
If there is anyone out there who has taken a congregation through the process of relocation, I'd love to hear about your experiences, especially in terms of how to keep the decision making process a spiritual experience of seeking God's will rather than being driven by the allure of big bucks.
UPDATE BY JOHN: Cross-posted at The MethoBlog.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Our church built a new building about 10 years ago. It really divided people. Some families left, even our pastor left before the move was complete(although for different reasons, the stress of the move and hurt feelings surely didn't help matters).
Now we face building an addition to our new building! We outgrew it very quickly. NO spiritual advice from me...just build it big enough for meet your needs.
If you consider an offer from a secular entity, make certain that the amount they're offering will actually cover what you will need to do to establish a new location -- site development, architects' fees, landscaping as required by city codes, etc. All this stuff adds up quick, and it's amazing how much money goes into building a new structure, before the building itself even comes into the picture. We're planning for a new building right now, and it's been one frustration after another.
Post a Comment