Articles for tag: Facility Expansion

March 25, 2019

Christian Standard

SPOTLIGHT: Greentree Christian Church, Rolla, Missouri

Intentional Continuity and Longevity Lead to Steady Growth By TR Robertson First Christian Church in Rolla, Missouri, was averaging about 200 when senior minister Tim Cook began his ministry there in 1982. Over the past 37 years, the congregation has moved, changed its name to Greentree Christian Church, and grown to around 2,500 members; GCC now averages about 1,200 to 1,300 on Sunday mornings. The site where the church met for more than 100 years had only 25 parking spaces. When the church reached the point of drawing around 500 in three services, they knew they needed to expand. The

May 5, 2017

Christian Standard

Questions Worth Asking (2016 Megachurch & Statistics Report)

By Kent E. Fillinger Leading a church is a complex undertaking. The challenges can seem to mount more quickly than answers or resources become available. However, asking good questions is helpful. And asking the right questions as a leader is a game changer. One question I always ask is, “What can we learn from our annual survey data to apply to life and ministry?” Here are some important findings from key survey questions, and I”ve included some application questions for you and your team to discuss. One of this year”s survey questions was, “What questions or issues is your church

January 8, 2015

Christian Standard

A Healthy Church Manages Debt Well

By Don Anderson Thank you for even starting to read an article about an important topic that is seldom considered exciting. I am certain I could find church leaders who would argue that an indebted church cannot be considered “healthy.” And others would argue that debt has little to do with a church”s overall health. I think the truth lies somewhere between these two extremes. Debt can be like a noose squeezing the necks of leaders, or it can be a useful tool for eliminating real obstacles to growth, such as the lack of seating or parking. Debt and commercial

May 7, 2014

Christian Standard

Megachurches Break New Ground

By Kent Fillinger The annual survey of attendance and trends in the fellowship of Christian churches and churches of Christ always yields interesting facts, but our study for calendar year 2013 also identified three notable “firsts”: “¢ For the first time, three churches averaged more than 20,000 in weekly worship attendance. Joining Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, Kentucky, and Central Christian Church, Henderson, Nevada, both of which surpassed 20,000 for the third consecutive year, was Christ”s Church of the Valley, Peoria, Arizona. “¢ For the first time in the 18-year history of this list, Southeast Christian did not have the highest

April 28, 2011

Christian Standard

Growing Church, Part-time Staff

By Kent E. Fillinger When Don Hill started a new church in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, he wanted it to appeal to ordinary people. Hill wanted people to remember that before Jesus was the Messiah, he was an ordinary carpenter. This concept was reflected in the new church”s name””The Carpenter”s Christian Church. Carpenter”s began with a core group of 30 people and held its first worship service in the show barn at Anderson Circle Farms in March 1999. In its early days, the church met in rented facilities throughout Mercer County. In August 2003, when Greg Warren became the church”s second senior

September 11, 2010

Christian Standard

LARGE-SIZED CHURCHES: A Church Planting Hick from French Lick

A Church Planting Hick from French Lick By Kent E. Fillinger Jasper, Indiana, is not likely on your bucket list of places to visit. If you are like me, you need the help of MapQuest to even find it. And Jasper also isn”t the type of town a typical church planter or church planting organization would pinpoint for a new church. But Darrel Land is not your typical church planter. At age 26, he was confident God was calling him to plant a church in this small, rural community of 14,000 people in southern Indiana. Land grew up about 30 minutes

April 15, 2007

Christian Standard

MEGACHURCHES: By the Numbers

By Kent Fillinger “The family of God” and “God”s household” are two biblical metaphors used to describe the church. But what do you call it when a family moves into the church and makes it their home? Adaptive reuse. Living inside former churches is happening across the country. Defunct churches are being transitioned into residential housing and condominiums. But this isn”t the only sad reality. According to Leadership Journal, “even among adults with a biblical worldview, only about one quarter embraced the importance of church attendance in a person”s spiritual life.” That means we should celebrate the 117 megachurches and

August 28, 2005

Steve Bond

Building a New Facility

Building a New Facility

Summit Christian Church grew fast—and learned hard-earned lessons while building and expanding. Steve Bond shares practical guidance on timelines, staffing volunteers, budgeting priorities, capital campaigns, prayer, and keeping the mission of changed lives first.

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