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Frequently Asked Questions 

 

Q:  Are we really out of space? 

A:  Any venue like ours is  consid ered to  be at capacity when it becomes 80% full.  Our current facility holds 420 chairs, which means we are at capacity when we reach 336.  At the 11:00 a.m. service we are consistently over 350 in attendance.  The 9:45 service is approaching this number as well.  In addition, we have observed several visiting families who have left our facility when they could not find a seat.  That is certainly contrary to our goal of connecting people to Jesus Christ and our church family.

 

Q:  Approximately, how many people are leaving because of space?

A:  Unknown.  However, we have a high rate of first-time guests who do not connect to our church.  This could be attributed to many factors, only one of which is seating capacity.

 

Q:  How long have we been looking into the options available to us? Is this a new thing?

A:  The staff began exploring options to address our space is sue in August 2008.  In January we had our first meeting with Century Builders, initially exploring the possibility of remodeling our current worship facility.

 

Q:  When will we break ground?

A:  April/May 2010

 

Q:  How will services/activities be disrupted during the construction process?

A:  Minimally.  We will have to construct a new covered walkway to cover the ground between the Education Building and the Worship Center, probably along the west side, maybe through the parking lot.  We would definitely strive to use materials from the current walkway.

  

Q:   How long will construction take?

A:  Approximately 11 – 12 months

 

Q:  What happens to the current worship center? 

A:  The current plan would turn the current worship center into a student ministry facility.  The current student space upstairs would be used by our children’s and adult ministries.

 

Q:  How did we determine to increase the new facility to 700 seats? (As opposed to 600, 1200, etc.)

A:  A general rule of thumb is to double current seating capacity when building a new facility.  We explored all of our space needs, expected giving and budget, and determined 700 would be appropriate for us.  With this type of construction, we also have positioned ourselves to easily add an additional 700 - 800 seats in the near future.

 

Q:  Aren’t most churches seeing declines in giving and/or attendance?

A:  Yes.  The average “evangelical” church has seen declines in both of these areas.  We have been blessed by increases in attendance and giving.  This is partly attributed to the area we live in, which is also experiencing rapid growth, and the economy of Houston, which has been largely spared what the rest of the country has endured.  The main credit goes to the faithful members of our church and to God, who continues to bless us abundantly.

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Q:  Is there a permanent baptistery?

A:  Yes

  

Q: What alternatives have we looked at?

A:  We considered multiple, valuable options and ultimately decided a new facility was in the best interests of the church. 

 

Q:  Why can't we fix the old building?

A:  It was ultimately determined that to  adequately address the issues of the current facility to meet our needs would cost almost as much as a brand new facility, while eliminating office space and offering no new educational space.

 

Q:  Why can't we just have multiple services instead of a new building?

A:  We already have multiple services and likely always will, and we will be starting an additional service at 11:00 on Oct. 4.  We felt that the viability of other services would be questionable.  While buildings are only a tool to reach people they are critical in providing the family-friendly environment expected in our area.

 

Q:  What will we do with the temporary buildings?

A:  We do not currently plan to use the temporary buildings.  We have been approached about selling them and we are considering that possibility.

 

Q:  Did we consider multiple companies for the construction process?

A:  We consulted multiple firms and ultimately decided to work with a design/build firm called Century Builders.  This means they will oversee the design and construction of the facility.  Century Builders is a great company whose primary focus is building churches.  The President of the company is a faithful Christian and lives in the community.  We believe this is the direction God would have for us.  However, FBC has only completed the first step, which is called “The Preliminary Design Phase”, of a three step process in constructing the new facility.  The second phase consists of more detailed drawings, permitting, engineering, etc.  The third step is the actual construction.  FBC will sign contracts at each step along the way to ensure that we are receiving the service, pricing, quality and expertise required for our  project.

 

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Q:  Is this the right economy to build a new building?

A:  This is a great time to be building.  Contractors are scrambling for work and prices are as low as they have ever been.  Interest rates are low for loans.  Our giving has never been better.  Our community is growing.  We believe this is the perfect time for God to show Himself strong on our behalf.

 

 

 

Q:  How will this be financed?

A:  The Finance Team is considering various options available to us.  Our current plan is to fund the detailed design phase from existing cash reserves and undesignated giving.  We will bring a final financing plan to fund the new building to the church body for approval in the Spring of 2010.  

 

Q:  Have we seen a drop in giving due to the economy?

A:  Just the opposite.  This is the best year we have ever had, thus far, expecting to reach nearly $2 million in total giving in 2009.

 

Q:  What kind of increase to our ongoing operational costs should we expect?   And can we afford the additional expense?

A:  We would expect an increase in utility and maintenance costs of approximately $20,000 to $30,000 per year, which is roughly a 25% increase.  We currently have 52,000 square feet of space and this facility would add another 18,000 square feet.  The new building will be more efficient than our existing wo rship facility.  We are including the increase in operating costs when completing our financing plan, which will be presented in the Spring of 2010. 

  

Q:  Why are we going into more debt when we still have old debt?

A:  We have paid $1.4 million of our $1.7 million to complete the education building loan in just 3 years.   We are on pace to retire the debt sometime in 2010.  When the construction of this new worship facility  is completed, our hope is to eliminate the old debt and be positioned to do even greater things for Christ.

 

Q:  How do our current finances look?

A:  Excellent!  This has been the best giving year in the history of FBC.  We have strong cash reserves, we have budgeted wisely, and we have controlled spending.

 

Q:  How much debt will we incur and how long will it take to pay it off?

A:  After the construction documents are produced, FBC will present our financing plan to the church body.  Based on conservative projections of income and attendance increases, we project that the new facility could realistically be paid off in 5 to 7 years.   

 

Q:  What will be included in the loan?

A:  An 18,000 square foot facility that will house a 700 seat worship center, large foyer/fellowship area, large bathrooms, and  offices for the pastoral staff; approximately 125 additional parking spaces; improvements to the current worship facility, which will be handed over to the student ministry; some aesthetic property improvements; and potentially an additional drive to connect our facility with the future Cypresswood expansion

 

Q:  What is the church’s plan to eliminate the new debt?

A:  We will implement a capital campaign program in the Spring of 2010 to secure commitments from the church body.  We will also fund a portion from our existing budget.  Finally, statistics tell us a church can expect an average of 15% increase in attendance the first year a new facility opens.  That increase would lead to additional giving, some of which would be allocated towards paying down this debt. 

 

Q:  What if people don’t pledge enough money, or we can’t make our payments?

A:  We will complete our financing plan and capital campaign before we initiate the construction process in the Spring of 2010.  We will ensure that we can prudently manage this investment within our financial position considering existing cash reserves, giving, other ministry expenses, and debt.  Our commitment is to ensure that we maintain our financial discipline throughout this process, while also seeking to provide the facilities that will enable us to fulfill our mission of Loving God and Loving Others.

 

Q:  Will we completely pay off the new worship center before we build the next building?

A:  Our goal is always to pay off our existing debt before starting a new project.  That being said, we will remain open to other considerations based upon the needs of the community and members we serve. 

 

Q:  How much will the second half of the new worship ce nter cost, and when will we add that?

A:  The next building is still to be determined, but will more than likely be educational space, not the other half of the worship space.  If the attendance increases as expected, more educational space will be needed.  We project to begin planning this facility in three years.

 

Q:  Can I still give toward the old debt after Oct 11? Or is it only a one time opportunity?

A:  You can still give towards Moving Forward through year end 2009.  After that time, all contributions toward Moving Forward will go towards all capital building projects.  We remai n committed to aggressively retiring this debt while moving forward to Greater Things.

 

Q:  Are we still committed as a church to retire debt at a rapid pace?

A:  Yes.  The first loan FBC took on in 1994 to pay for the current worship center was paid off in 5 years.  The second loan is on pace to be paid off in 4 years.  We would hope to continue that track record of early retirement with this loan, with the initial expectations of 5 to 7 years.

 

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Q:  Will there be enough classroom space in our current buildings once more families start coming?

A:  We expect to add classroom space by moving the student ministry into the current worship center, allowing that space to be used as classrooms for the pre-school, elementary, and adult age groups. 

 

Q:  How will we handle the parking situation once more people start coming?

A:  We are also proposing to build additional parking in this phase of construction.  After these spaces are created, parking will be adequate until we expand the sanctuary again.

 

Q:  When will the Cypresswood extension take place?

A:  All communication with the county indicates construction will begin in the next 9 to 14 months, if not sooner.

 

Q:  Will there be changes to our service format once we are in the new building?

A:  While we never close the door to improving our current ministry, there are no plans to change our current format once we occupy the new space. 

 

Q:  Will we move to only one service in the new sanctuary?

A:  We never want to limit our ministry options, but our current plan is to always have at least 2 services.

 

 

Q:  How many parking spaces do we currently have? 

A:  Approximately 340

 

Q:  Can we use the property next to the drainage trench for parking? 

A:  There are easements owned by the county and other entities that prevent us from expanding into that space. 

 

Q:  Does the price presented include all the landscape shown in pictures? 

A:  No, we have allocated $225,000 for site improvements and are in the process of receiving estimates.

 

Q:  Do we have enough volunteers to handle the growth? 

A:  No, we don’t have enough volunteers now.  We reflect the 80% - 20% ratio: approximately 20% of our members serve.  One of our goals is to get more people involved in serving and, hopefully, we can get 20% of the new members connected to serve.

 

Q:  Will moving the youth into the old sanctuary give enough room for the children? 

A:  No.  We will still have to creatively and proactively seek space for the children.

 

Q:  What is the capacity for the current education building? 

A:  Hard to estimate.  It is based on square footage per person.

 

Q:  Will you need additional pastors with additional people? 

A:  That’s unknown at this time, but we have added office space for additional pastoral and support staff.

 

Q:  How is the 11:00 service going to work? 

A:  We will be doing the same sermon series, just with a different presenter.  We are looking for people to step up and serve with worship for this service, meanwhile Brett is going to coordinate the worship between both services.

 

Q:  Will we be able to use the old sanctuary for special events? 

A:  Yes.  Mark and Adam will design the facility to accommodate the youth as well as use it as an outreach for our community.

 

Q:  What will happen with the classes that are currently in this building? 

A:  They will be relocated.

 

Q:  Will the current septic and water system support the new facility? 

A:  We  believe it will, however we will have to evaluate all of our systems to guarantee they will meet our additional capacity.  It has been asked if we could tie into the surrounding subdivision’s utilities?  We have been unsuccessful to current date.  This could be a prayer request that a subdivision would allow us to tie into their utilities.  It would solve several issues.

 

Q:  Could the play fields generate revenue for the church? 

A:  Possibly, but more than that it could be an outreach to the community.

 

Q:  How big can the church get before we run out of room? 

A:  Unknown at this time.  Parking will eventually limit our growth.

 

Q:  Is there a way to build a balcony in the building? 

A:  The cost of adding a second floor is the critical factor.  It’s cheaper to build out than build up.

 

Q:  What new amenities will the new sanctuary offer? 

A:  Our goal will be to make everything in that space simple, but nice.  We will consider comfort, modern look, good sound and good visual.

 

Q:  Is the price for renovation of the old building for the student ministry included in the $3.5 million? 

A:  $100,000 has been allocated for this.  However, we are still early in the process of exploring what needs to be done.  This may be not enough or may be too much.