Is Wellspring going to change, no longer be Wellspring, and only care about money going forward?

We truly appreciate the sentiment behind this concern. It is difficult to imagine a scenario that would result in such a dramatic deviation to our focus and our culture. 

In 2020, the first year of the formation of Wellspring as a new church, we put forth a new Mission, Vision and Strategy. We are committed to inviting our communities to belong and flourish in Christ. We are committed to aligning our budget, staff, ministries and resources to realize our Vision. We are committed to having facilities that are vision driven and will help us meet the needs of our priorities: the next generation, the next guest, and the next gathering.

We remain committed to spending no more than 25% of our annual budget on our facilities/maintenance, 50% on staff, and 25% on missions. We remain committed to being a church as a family on mission.

If the school is moving out, do we really need more room?
 

Nearly all of the proposed renovation will be to the existing space, with a relatively small amount of “new” space, which is focused on the new lobby gathering space at the entry (from the parking lot), new restroom facilities, and additional mechanical needs.

Today, there is no gathering space as people enter the building—just the long hallway to the worship space. Half of this new lobby will be added space and half will be within the current footprint of the existing building, mainly the current Wellspring office, Board Room, staff offices and the Providence Faculty Lounge.
 
The proposed plans are designed to meet the needs of the future generations.

Will our people have a chance to provide input or have a say in the overall design?
 
We are certainly open to listening to your ideas and concerns. But more input and opinions often does not yield a better result. Historically, design by committee rarely turns out well. 
 
Wellspring contracted with the architecture firm St. Louis Design Alliance to design the renovation of our facility. STLDA is highly respected and experienced in church design and working with ministry teams.

Our intent has been to pursue a vision-driven facility. To accomplish this goal, all staff, ministry directors and team leaders were interviewed—most of them multiple times—to identify their facility needs based on the vision for their ministry area.
 
The final design and scope of the project will be dependent upon the total commitments received as part of the Capital Campaign. We will make the determination of final scope in early 2024 with the intent of voting on the final plan and budget at the February 2024 Annual Congregational Meeting.

How do I commit when I’m getting ready for retirement? How do I commit when I am about to start taking care of an elderly parent?

 
None of us know what God may bring our way in the years to come. Pray and seek the Lord’s guidance on this. Pray out of thanksgiving on how God has met your / your families’ needs to this date. Pray and remember God’s faithfulness to you and to Wellspring. Pray for greater trust that God will meet all your needs in the future. Pray for the courage to act on obedience.

Commit to giving as God leads you. 2 Corinthians 9:7 says, “Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver.”

We may not all give equally, but we all can sacrifice equally.

If the school is moving out, do we really need more room?

Nearly all of the proposed renovation will be to the existing space, with a relatively small amount of actual “new” space, which is intentional to address a specific need. The additional space is focused on the lobby gathering space at the entry (from the parking lot), new toilet facilities, and additional mechanical needs. Today, there is no gathering space as people enter the building—just the long hallway to the Sanctuary. Half of this new lobby will be added space and half will be within the current footprint of the existing building, space currently used by the WFC church office, board room, staff offices and Providence’s Faculty Lounge.

Will this renovation cause us to be overly focused on the building and renovation?

This is a risk that we are committed to actively avoid.

We have identified addition leaders at Wellspring to oversee each aspect of the renovation in order to allow our staff and ministry leaders to remain focused on their ministries and responsibilities. While it is not possible for them to completely avoid being involved in the building and renovation, we will do our best to empower the selected leaders to drive the renovation.

What is this NEXT Capital Campaign all about?

It is an encouragement to our congregation to look at how God has blessed us individually, and collectively as one church family, and out of thankfulness, respond in order to fund our vision-driven facilities improvement proposal over the next three years. Building fund gifts are to be in addition to any present support of our church’s budget and mission.

Families are encouraged to seek God’s leadership as they determine their three-year, weekly or monthly commitments.

Why don’t we just borrow the money for our building improvement plan?

We could; however we are committed to not exceeding 25% of our annual budget on facilities and overhead so that our ministries and missions move forward. So, we trust God to raise the funds needed for the building renovation through a capital campaign.

What does ‘Equal sacrifice—not equal gifts’ mean?

You will see, “Equal sacrifice—not equal gifts” used in our communications. It means that families are encouraged to give in the same spiritual attitude of sacrifice, rather than the same amount. Your response will be different than others.

How much should I give?

This is a private decision. It is up to you. We encourage you to start in prayer. Pray in thanksgiving for God to open your eyes to the blessings you have in Christ. “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly nor under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” —2 Corinthians 9:1

How much will this proposed building alignment cost?

We will know the capital campaign commitments in December. Based on those commitments, we will finalize the actual scope of the project in early 2024. We will approve the project scope and budget along with the 2024 operating budget at the Annual Meeting in February, 2024.

What is our position on borrowing?

At this time, we are still investigating a few aspects of how the financing will be done. The commitment of the Elder Board is that at least 25% of our operating budget is directed toward ministry and no more than 50% for staffing and no more than 25% for facilities/overhead, which would include any outstanding debt service beyond the capital campaign commitment period. The goal is that all renovation project costs would be covered by commitments—above and beyond our general giving. There is a great likelihood that a bridge loan would be needed during construction. Borrowing may be a solution, as long as it is covered by those commitments.

In the case that commitments do not cover everything associated with the building project, as would be the case if there is outstanding debt at the end of the commitment period, servicing that debt would need to be included in the operating budget, not to exceed 25% of the budget.

Will the building project take away money we are able to give to ministry and missions?
To ensure our primary focus remains on ministry, we will limit budgeted facility-related expenditures to no more than 25% of our annual operating budget, based on general giving.

We believe God is leading us to expand and enhance our facilities to accomplish these vision-driven facility goals.

We firmly believe that God will provide all the resources necessary to accomplish His will for our church body, including individuals using their spiritual gifts, finances to accomplish the ministry to which He calls us, and a modifying our building to facilitate that ministry well.

Does investing in our building put us at risk of becoming overly focused on material things at the cost of ministry?

We live in a very materialistic culture, and succumbing to materialism is always a risk.

At Wellspring Family Church, we are driven by our Vision to reach the next generation for Jesus. We understand the importance of creating a space that is not only welcoming and functional, but also aligns seamlessly with our Mission. While investing in our building is necessary for maintenance and updates, it will never compromise our unwavering dedication to ministry. Our goal is to equip ourselves with better tools for ministry to effectively achieve our Vision and Mission goals.

By enhancing our facilities, we believe we can better serve our community and fulfill God’s will for our church body. Join us as we embark on this exciting journey of expansion and transformation!

How does the NEXT capital campaign begin?

We begin with prayer.

Join with your church family in 40 days of intentional prayer as we begin this capital campaign process.

We begin on Tuesday, October 3.

On Sunday, October 3, we’ll receive a 40 Days of Prayer booklet to help guide our hearts. It includes scriptures, direction for guided prayer and a place to include notes and other prayer as God leads you.

This will be a special time of unity as we seek God individually and as a church family on mission.

Our 40 Days of Prayer will conclude on Sunday, November 12 with our All-Church Celebration and Lunch.

Consider how God has blessed you and your family, and how Wellspring has been a blessing to you and others.

• PRAY that God will reveal all he has entrusted under your stewardship. Ask God for a spirit of gratitude and contentment. Invite Him to lead you in your response to this invitation.

• LISTEN for God’s direction. Wait eagerly as God leads you and provides openings for you to share your time, talents, and treasures for this fulfilling of His mission through Wellspring…  for His glory.

• COMMIT to giving back to God’s Kingdom and His work through Wellspring. Share in the excitement as He responds in your life to this step of faith. Rejoice as we move forward in anticipating the fruits of our individual and collective sacrifice.

God will surely answer our prayer.

What does the pledging process look like?

How will I know what to give?

We encourage you to start in prayer. Pray in thanksgiving for God to open your eyes to the blessings you have in Christ. “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly nor under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  —2 Corinthians 9:1

How much should I give?

This is a private decision. The amount you pledge is between you and God. Each of us will sacrifice equally, but our giving amount will be not equal.

How do I indicate my intention?

You will receive a packet of information at the November 12 All-Church Celebration and lunch. It will include a Commitment Card. Please prayerfully consider your giving, indicate your intention, and mail this to Wellspring in the provided stamped envelope. Keep a copy for yourself and your records.

Who will see my pledge?

Only one predetermined person on the Finance Team will see your pledge amount. Wellspring Family Church treats your pledge information with the same level of confidentiality as all other giving records.

Will I have to make a public pledge?

No. The amount you pledge is between you and God.

Why fill out a Commitment Card?

Wellspring uses these numbers as a planning tool to determine the overall scope of the project. The extent of the project will be determined by the amount pledged.

What if my financial situation changes over the next thee years? Is my pledge binding?

We never know what may happen in the future. This commitment is not binding to Wellspring. Your giving amount may be increased or decreased  in the event your financial situation changes.