College Park Church

Below are answers from our Elders to some frequently-asked questions (FAQs) about the Mission Expansion Project. You will find a variety of questions about such items as our present challenges, other growth options we've considered, and financial details of the project.

1. What are the present growth challenges and our need?

   The Lord is bringing many new people to College Park. Our adult and children’s attendance is up by 44% over the last 20 months (Apr. 2008 to Jan. 2010), and two of our three services are at or over capacity (8:00 a.m. – 88%; 9:40 a.m. – over 100%; 11:20 a.m. – 94%). Our average monthly attendance (over 3,200) is the highest in College Park’s 24-year history. Every area of ministry needs additional space, and some areas are in serious facility deficit without factoring for any additional growth. The word is out, people are inviting hurting and needy friends, and every week we are seeing lives being changed. Igniting a passion to follow Jesus is contagious!  
   
   We are seeing people do more than just come; they are connecting into the body. Here are a few examples:

   • Over 400 people have joined College Park as members since April 2008
   • Over 100 people have been baptized  
   • Over 25% increase in volunteer involvement in key areas such as Next Generation Ministries and First Hand Ministries
   • 14% increase in giving units since 2007, including nearly 900 giving units contributing to the 2009 Christmas Offering for Togo (West Africa)

2. What is our position to respond to our growth challenges?

   There is a clear sense of momentum and excitement, and we need to be good stewards of the people whom God is sending us. Right now, College Park sits on 35 acres of prime property with only 18% fully developed. Our financial position is very solid with a debt-free position, a very strong cash position, and an excellent giving performance in 2008 ($200,000 over budgeted income) and in 2009 ($545,000 over budgeted income).
   
   Additionally, our church is poised like few others in the city of Indianapolis and the Midwest to make a difference in the landscape of Evangelical Christianity. The size and scope of the ministry allows us the opportunity to make a significant difference in foreign missions (like the Togo hospital project and Azeri New Testament) and in local outreach (like the Brookside Initiative). Our counseling ministry and our connection to NANC allow us to train more counselors than most churches and to offer our help to a needy community. Further, we long to see College Park’s influence expand to areas like Children’s Ministry, Youth Ministry, and Prayer. We believe that our vision for ministry needs to be bigger than, but include 96th and Towne.
   
   Therefore, in order to be the best stewards of our present ministry opportunities and to plan for future needs, we need respond responsibly to the growth God is bringing us.

3. Have we considered doing nothing?

   Yes, the Elders have prayed about and considered doing nothing. However, doing nothing will result in something: less opportunity to minister to people who are coming.  We believe that we have a spiritual obligation to respond to the needs that God is sending our way.  Also, we have significant challenges with people flow, parking, maxed-out space, etc., for which we are exhausting our solutions. 

4. Have we considered church planting?

   Yes, we have twice engaged in church planting, in New Palestine and Columbus. New Palestine Bible Church is now an independent church, and College Park Church Columbus is presently evaluating options of continuing the video venue from CPC or pursuing independent church status.
   
   However, we do not believe church planting is our answer to our growth challenges. Our view is that church planting should be pursued based upon a philosophy and strategy to reach a particular region of our city. “Mother churches” still face attendance pressures since planting a church doesn’t change the fundamental reasons why a church is growing. Therefore, planting another church – a worthy pursuit – will not solve our present and future challenges. Church planting is something the Elders are interested in philosophically, but not to address our present growth issues.

5. Have we considered a Saturday night service?

   Yes, we have. A number of churches have chosen this as a solution to their Sunday morning attendance challenges. At present we are not convinced that this is a good solution for us for three reasons: 1) it tends to create a service with an independent identity, 2) it dramatically increases the organizational needs, and 3) the demands on volunteers and staff are very significant. In our research, the churches who moved to Saturday night found that it solved some problems, but it created big new ones. Therefore, a Saturday night service is an option we will continue to consider, but it is not our preferred option.

6. What about doing the same morning service on Sunday night?

   Some churches have an evening service to minister specifically to the people who volunteer on Sunday mornings or as an alternative to Sunday morning. However, the challenge with a Sunday evening service is that most people prefer to worship on a Sunday morning, and therefore, the number of people who attend at night is minimal. The result is not enough people attend Sunday night services to make a difference in the morning worship services.
   
   In addition, we are committed to continuing our focus on seeking God’s face as a congregation through our Sunday evening Fresh Encounter Prayer services. These services have had a real and significant spiritual impact among our people, and we would not want to lose this opportunity to focus upward.

7. What about multi-site venues?

   We have used multi-site/video venues for years. New Palestine Bible Church and College Park Church of Columbus both began using this model. New Palestine is now an independent church, and CPC Columbus used the video venue until the end of August 2009. Over the years we have learned, by experience, what is required in starting and maintaining a video venue church. Experience has taught us that 1) video venues require significant leadership development (e.g., worship leaders, pastoral oversight, volunteers); and 2) there is a significant financial investment required for facility and audio/visual support. Multi-site venue options will be part of our 10-year plan, but the Elders do not believe this option has a good return on investment at this time.

8. What are our plans for the Ministry Center?

   The Ministry Center will remain part of our short-term and long-term facility plans. The Ministry Center provides 1) a dedicated facility for our growing High School Ministry; 2) a space for “incubator” ministry development for such ministries as Hispanic Church, Deaf Church meetings, Arabic Church Bible studies, and offices for our ministry partner NANC; and 3) an option for future multi-site exploration and expansion. We see that in the short-term the Ministry Center is a useful facility for addressing some immediate needs.

9. What is the status of our former building plans?

   In 2006, College Park considered a proposal for a new building which included a master site plan and building schematics. Our Elders revisited those plans and took a fresh look at them in light of our present needs and dynamics as a congregation. Much of the work that was done on the site development (i.e., focus groups, parking, elevations, etc.) was very usable, and the hard work and input of the focus groups was considered in new facility conceptual plans.

10. What impact does the Mission Expansion Project have on our commitment to global missions?

    Please refer to our Elders' Impact on Missions summary for an answer to this question.

11. What impact does the recent economic environment have on our Mission Expansion Project?

    That is a question that is on the mind of every one of our Elders, and it is a major prayer point for us. We live in uncertain times, and that makes any option more challenging. That is one reason why we took so much time to carefully seek God’s face and evaluate our needs and potential solutions. Moving forward on a facility expansion project right now has some challenges. Our need is clear, but the economy has made us walk very carefully and slowly as we have conducted our feasibility study.  
    
    However, there are also challenges to not addressing these issues head on. We could miss an opportunity to minister to more people by having inadequate facilities. We are already faced with having to make structural changes in order to relieve pressure. We see the need to address a growth strategy sooner rather than later.
    
    Moving forward on a facility expansion project now allows the following advantages:

    • Opportunity for earlier completion date (on our heart as we care for our flock and reach out to community) if God so directs
    • Significant cost savings to building right now (i.e., 30% reduction in construction, material and contractor costs)
    • Opportunity to secure guaranteed pricing (to mitigate cost inflation exposure)
    • Opportunity for savings by timing our drawings/plans with Hamilton County road/roundabout planning at 96th and Towne
    • Relatively fresh perspectives and assessments from our congregation of building needs (from the previous committee needs assessments and recommendations)

    Please refer to our Elders' Perspective on Debt for further reading.

12. How many seats will the proposed sanctuary hold?

    The new sanctuary will have 1,800 seats. The Elders and facility teams did extensive research and benchmarking with other churches on sanctuary size, atmosphere, seating type and floor type, and they concluded that 1,800 seats was the ideal number of seats to both expand capacity and preserve an intimate worship environment.  Throughout the design process, there was a very specific goal to preserve the core DNA of the “feel” and intimacy in the sanctuary, and the Elders and facility design team feel this new design is a great solution our current sanctuary.

13. When would we start construction and move into a new facility?

    There are several factors influencing when we could start construction and eventually move into a new facility. Many of the requisite zoning permits, City of Carmel, and BZA approvals were obtained as part of the feasibility study (this was a low-risk way to ensure we could move forward quickly if there was congregational approval and a favorable amount of funding committed). The most influential factor now is the amount, timing and cash-flow of congregational financial commitments. In the best-case scenario, we could move into the expanded facility in Fall 2011 and into the renovated space by the end of 2012.

14. What is the total amount needed for the project?

    The price of the project is not to exceed $19,000,000.   For the project to be viable, our minimum funding commitment from the church congregation needs to be $12,000,000.  Additionally a maximum of $2,000,000 could be applied toward the project from giving to church operations.  The remainder of the project cost could be funded via long-term debt, not to exceed $5,000,000.  As the church family gives above the $12,000,000 minimum, it will directly lower the level of debt required for the project.

15. What is the project budget?

    Design, Engineering & Construction Price		$17,000,000
    College Park Church additional costs		$500,000
    College Park Risk Contingency		$800,000
    Construction Loan Interest		$700,000
    Total		$19.000,000

16. How much debt will we take on as part of the project?

    The Elders have set a long-term debt limit of $5,000,000.  During the construction phase of the project, there will be a construction loan used to manage cash flow between giving and expenses.  Once construction is completed, a long-term loan would be entered into.  Though we have a debt ceiling which will not be exceed for long-term debt, the actual debt amount will be determined by the level of giving and the amount of upfront giving by the church congregation.  More gifts and earlier giving have a significant impact in reducing in long-term debt.

17. When will we start construction and move into a new facility?

    Presuming the congregation's overall giving commitments and upfront timing of gifts meet projections, we will be able to start construction in the summer of 2010.
    
    If funding does not meet projections, we will delay funding until cash in hand and cash-flow commitments are adequate.
    
    The site work, construction and move-in for the new sanctuary space will take 16 months.  The renovation of the current facility is broken into four discrete phases and will take a total of an additional 14 months.  So, the total project will take 30 months from construction start to final phase of renovation completion.

18. How will the facility construction be managed?

    College Park has engaged Aspen Group as our construction design/build partner.  In this arrangement, the Aspen Group is currently responsible for coordinating the Concept Definition and Architectural / Engineering Development for the Mission Expansion Project.  The Aspen Group is working closely with College Park, various construction professionals and governmental agencies to assure our ministry goals  and price objectives will be achieved in a facility that is well-designed, well-built and cost-effective. If we proceed with construction, College Park and the Aspen Group will enter into the Build portion of our partnership and the Aspen Group will coordinate the various aspects of competitive contract bidding and final contractor team selection, construction project management, successful completion of construction and occupancy.

19. What increase in operational costs are we building into future annual budgets?

    Our budget projections show ongoing operational costs increasing 20% when we occupy the new space and then an additional ongoing 10% increase when the renovated space is completed. We have factored future operational costs into our projections and financial models, and the increased operational costs remain feasible.

20. Who will see my financial commitment?

    After you turn in our commitment card, only Jevne Livengood, our Financial Manager, and her small internal staff finance team will see the invidual commitments. Each person on the team will keep the commitments confidential.

21. If we go forward, when would we start giving towards our commitment?

    If we go forward with the project based on the vote in the March 21 Congregational Meeting, the season of giving would be 36 months. The start month will be determined based on factors related to the commitment levels & cashflow, but will likely be April or May 2010 through Spring 2013.