What's the vision for the Sow Journey?

The vision is the neighborhoods, the nations, and the next generation. A new building is nothing more than a tool in which that can happen.Our vision is not to build an incredible edifice but to make disciples for the glory of God. That vision isn't any different if we were building a cupola out front or pouring asphalt for parking - everything we do centers on reaching our schools, reaching our neighborhoods, and reaching our world.

We've always said that ministry is more important than mortar. Why are we putting money into a building?

Our buildings are full. The parking lots are full. People are driving by and can't get in. If we don't build, we are basically putting a sign out front that says,"No room in the inn. Don't come in here. We don't have a place for you to worship, we don't have a place for you to be taught, we don't have a place for your children, and we don't have room for you." Now, I know that's a pretty wordy sign to put out front. But that's what we would communicate.And we don't want to send that message.And right now, our ministry needs some mortar.

Is the campus really at capacity?

Sunday mornings are maxed out.Wednesday nights are maxed out.At 3am on Thursday, we have lots of room. But during the times when people gather at Grace to worship and be taught, we just don't have enough space.We've tried to maximize every square inch of this church - we double park, we have shuttles on Sunday morning, we run multiple services. Studies show that a room feels packed when 80% of its chairs are filled. Once a room reaches that capacity, the typical churchgoer will not enter the room. Apparently, our congregation is not typical - we've been running close to 90% capacity for more than a year. One of our core philosophies at Grace has always been,"Don't try to create a work for God, but find out what God is doing and join in."After lots of prayer, time, and contemplation, we feel that God's plan for us is to add more space.

What are we thinking about for a building?

Right now we're looking at a space that would accommodate 2,500 people for worship and teaching. This would open up the current auditorium,which will open up space for our middle schoolers and for our high schoolers. We haven't determined all of the details on this project yet, but we do know we need to expand.

What's the estimated cost?

As we've prayed and researched, we've learned that up to $12 million would allow us to do what we'd like to do.

If we expand,will Grace still feel like a family?

We have always valued families and community. Even in the last few years - when we've grown rapidly - we've tried to maintain the same cozy feel we had when we were smaller. Truthfully, we can still improve in this. Whether we're small or large, community is one of God's greatest desires for His people.As we dream about how to disciple this community, we've encountered new challenges and new numbers. But we're constantly pursuing answers to these questions.

What is the timeframe?

It completely depends upon the Lord. If we decided as a church to proceed, and the money is available, the project could be done in about 18 months.Of course,we're hesitant to give time frames because some of it depends on the county and permitting, but everyone we talk to says it will take about a year and a half after we as a congregation approve the project.

Is there a plan for parking?

Yes, it's part of the comprehensive plan. But it is my hope that we'll always have a parking problem here.

We really like Grace. It's a great church.But would it be ok if we stopped attending for, oh, about six months while you guys conduct your "capital campaign"?

We know that there are many horror stories out there about churches and raising money.Words like "guilt," "pressure," and "manipulation" seem to come up quite a bit. But if these words characterize our next few months as a church, then we as leadership will have failed.We're praying that this Sow Journey will be graceful, informative, responsive, transparent, non-manipulative, and [laughing] successful. We are not looking at this as a campaign.We see it as a journey. It is the continuation of the things God has been doing here all along. We think this season can be full of encouragement, not disengagement. We believe God is doing something very exciting in our midst, and we think it will be an incredible privilege to participate through our sacrifice and sowing.