Frequently Asked Questions
Click here for a printable version of the faq
▸ 1. What do we plan to build?
▸ 2. What is the timeline for this project?
▸ 3.Where are we in the design process?
▸ 4.Why are we considering building?
▸ 5.Why build now?
▸ 6.What happens if we don’t build now?
▸ 7.Why are we considering building?
▸ 8.Why not a campus on the north side of town?
▸ 9.In a world of such need, why invest in a building expansion?
▸ 10. What is the succession plan for Pastor Brian?
▸ 11. Will we be adding parking spaces?
▸ 12. Are drawings available?
▸ 13. Are there good ways to donate appreciated stock to the church?
▸ 1. What do we plan to build?
The primary thing we plan to build is a Worship Center with 1,180 seats. This was a part of the plan when we built phases 1 and 2 of our current building.
We think it is important to have a dedicated worship space with fixed seating to allow for unifying engagement in the gospel. There will be sloped seating and stadium seating for better sight lines and 16 doors spread across three entrances that will improve traffic flow.
The Worship Center will enable us to have open seats at optimal inviting times so many more people can be impacted by the life-changing message of Jesus! We are also planning to build a corresponding foyer, café and bathrooms to go around the Worship Center. We believe that this space will be an important area which will foster community because the foyer is the place where people do life, it’s the place where they hang out and fellowship over a cup of coffee. The foyer will also be designed for optimal traffic flow, expanding to 58 feet wide, thus creating an open and welcoming environment. During the week, the foyer will be used by our children’s and youth ministries for small group space.
Finally, we will build a children’s ministry area right next to the new Worship Center to allow for easy drop off and pick up for families with young children. It will be welcoming and visible from the foyer but access will only be given to guardians and screened volunteers. There is a plan to expand this area in the future, as needed.
▸ 2. What is the timeline for this project?
Commitments are to be finalized on Monday, November 19. We will announce the total at the November 20th Thanksgiving Service. Once we receive all commitments we can better assess our ability to build. A congregational meeting will be held in early December to vote on whether we proceed with building or not.
Assuming we move forward with the expansion, the architect will complete plans and specifications in August of 2019. Construction would commence in September of 2019 with completion in August of 2020.
▸ 3.Where are we in the design process?
Our Building Committee includes:
Volunteers:
- Marsha VanArk
- Beth Kraeger
- Brice Nelson
Architect:
- Rod Cox
Contractor:
- Scott Bosen
Staff Members:
- Brian Berg
- Bill Horvath
- Barry Moodie
- David Hansen
David leads the committee Rod Cox and Scott Bosen were both involved in Phase 1 and 2, which was a key factor in selecting them for Phase 3. This third phase was anticipated in the original building design, which was completed in 1999. Currently, the team is evaluating firms to provide audio, visual, lighting, acoustic, and stage design. We anticipate interviews being held in late October/early November. We are also discussing ways to maximize the use of foyer space.
▸ 4.Why are we considering building?
Because we want to reach as many people as we can, as quickly as we can, with the life-changing message of the Gospel. We are not doing this for ourselves, but for the people in our community who do not have a Bible-based, Christ-centered church to attend to hear about Jesus and enter into a relationship with Him. To do this, we need open seats at optimal inviting times. Our 9:15 and 10:45 gym services are consistently near capacity throughout the ministry year. Church attendance studies indicate that once you are at 80% capacity more space is needed. Perception is reality – if it feels full, it is full, even if there are some seats still available. We have seen people walk into the service, look for a seat, see that it “looks” full, and then walk out of the church.
We have capacity in the Chapel. This is because the Chapel is not the preferred venue for most attenders. While we have seen Chapel attendance increase when requests to make room in the gym have been made, these shifts have been short lived because most people prefer live preaching to video and the more dynamic sound and fullness of worship the gym provides.
▸ 5.Why build now?
Our history proves that buildings increase our ability to reach people. We don’t believe that if you build it, they will come but we do believe that if you don’t build it, they can’t come. Here’s what has happened in the past:
- 1990-1999: When we ran out of space at our previous small building and rented larger spaces in the public schools, the church grew from 150 to 400.
- 1999-2005: When we took a step of faith to relocate to our current property and build phase 1 of our building, the church grew from 400-900.
- 2005-2009: When we built phase 2 to add a second worship space, foyer and double children’s space, the church grew from 900 – 1,250.
- 2009-2017: When we expanded to a second campus in Wisconsin Rapids and renovated space in the mall, the church grew from 1,250-1,800. (400 in Wisconsin Rapids)
- 2018: Having launched our Wisconsin Rapids campus as an independent church and with current school year attendance in Plover at 1,500, our current facility is maxed out.
There are 45,500 people in in the Stevens Point/Plover area without a Christ-centered, Bible-focused church. We desperately want to reach these people with the gospel, so we need more space for them!
Sunday morning church isn’t the only day of ministry – throughout the week we have ministry activities as well. Almost every night of the week there is something going on at Woodlands and these nights are getting quite full as well. There is no space for additional activities on Monday night, Tuesday night, or Wednesday night. Thursday night is almost full too. We really need more space if we want to keep reaching people.
Even if we move forward with this now, we won’t be able to occupy the building for two years. That’s two years that people might not feel welcome at Woodlands because there isn’t enough space.
▸ 6.What happens if we don’t build now?
This is a difficult question to answer. Our Elder Board has wrestled with this question for the last two years. With Pastor Brian planning to lead our church for five more years, it is unlikely we would enter into another capital campaign during his tenure. Our next Senior Pastor would face a daunting challenge to take on a large capital campaign in the first 5-10 years of his ministry. As a result, we are concerned we would be limiting our ability to reach this community for Jesus. At some point, new people would not feel welcome. And this is not consistent with the gospel.
▸ 7.Why are we considering building?
We did have a Saturday night service for about a year and a half. It didn’t work very well because we didn’t get a lot of response. It did alleviate some of the crowding. Each time we get crowded and consider starting a Saturday night service to alleviate crowding, we reach out to other churches for input and we hear the same message, “Be careful. Saturday night services are a killer on staff.” Saturday is a day off for our staff. We also have weddings and funerals on Saturdays, and lots of different activities that happen here throughout the weekend. It would really complicate the life of this church and the life of staff members if we started Saturday night services.
Sunday night services are more favorable. However, people in America still prefer to come to church on Sunday mornings. If we want to be an inviting church, this would be a temporary solution, because we want open seats at optimal inviting times.
▸ 8.Why not a campus on the north side of town?
First, there is no significant geographical difference with a campus on the north side (unlike our former Wisconsin Rapids Campus). We believe that most people would rather drive the 5-7 miles to hear live preaching than attend a video venue. This has been our experience in trying to move people to the Chapel – some will, but most do not.
▸ 9.In a world of such need, why invest in a building expansion?
We believe and our history has shown that in order to have an effective ministry ‘there’, we need to have an effective base ‘here’. In the fall of 1999, we gave $58,000 to support global outreach. In 2005, after phase 2, we were able to give $163,000. Now, we give over $400,000 to directly support missionaries in the field as well as send missions team throughout the year. Our missionaries are often telling us that we are one of the best supporting churches they have not just because of the amount of money, but the level of engagement we have with them. We very much believe in world missions, but we also believe we need to continue to build the base ‘here’ so we can continue to reach ‘there’ well.
Woodlands Church has sought to emphasize a balanced pursuit to engage both globally and locally. In the last decade, we have also launched a Local Outreach Ministry that continues to add more opportunities for the gospel to impact our community. Spring into Action, TransAct Hope, Backpacks for Hope, Jobs for Life, Welcomed, Carpenters Crew, Moving Ministry, Coffee for a Cause – these are examples of how we as a church take steps into our community with the love of Christ.
▸ 10.What is the succession plan for Pastor Brian?
The elders have been discussing and preparing for Brian’s succession for a long time. They have prayed over this transition, read books on the subject (i.e. Next: Pastoral Succession That Works), and talked to other churches about their transitions from one senior pastor to the next.
Here’s what we know about Pastor Brian’s transition from Woodlands’ Senior Pastor to our next Senior Pastor:
- Jesus has our next Senior Pastor and He is preparing him even now.
- There will be a thorough, nationwide search for our next Senior Pastor.
- The elders are seeking His guidance in this process.
- Lord willing, Brian will serve as our Senior Pastor for 5 more years. The next two years will be focused on building and the last three will be focused on his transition.
- Since we are a congregational church, the members of Woodlands will make the final decision.
Finally, this church has great people. And Woodlands is not about the Senior Pastor. Jesus has built this church using His people and we trust that He will continue to do so.
▸ 11.Will we be adding parking spaces?
Yes, but only as and when needed. Additional space will be added before construction starts, since the new Worship Center will be built where our current grass parking lot is. As we near completion, and thereafter, we will closely monitor our parking to ensure there is enough space for all and add more space as needed.
▸ 12.Are drawings available?
No. As we receive input from the congregation, our building committee and the architect, our plans are being refined during the design phase and will be completed in August of next year.
▸ 13.Are there good ways to donate appreciated stock to the church?
Yes, there are two!
Donations of Appreciated Stock:
If you have appreciated stock that you would like to donate to For the Sake of the NAME, you can transfer that stock to Woodlands rather than selling it and donating the proceeds. By transferring the stock, you avoid any capital gains, and any capital gains taxes. You may also be able to receive an income tax deduction for the full amount of the stock transferred, if your other itemized deductions exceed the new standard itemized deduction. Either way, this is a very attractive way to donate stock.
As always, you should talk with your financial representative or tax advisor before making a decision that alters your tax situation.
Donations of IRA Assets:
If you are 70 ½ years old or older, IRS provisions allow you to donate up to $100,000 tax free from your IRA assets each year. Usually, distributions from and IRA are considered taxable income. Under the 2015 federal spending and tax package, distributions from these assets are excluded from income if the distribution is made directly to a charity. Distributions excluded from income are also equivalent to a 100% deduction. Normally, charitable contribution deductions are limited to a lower percentage (or are eliminated altogether) for taxpayers who do not itemize and take the standard deduction.
Donating IRA assets can be a financially rewarding strategy for both you and Woodlands. Following are several examples where it may be appropriate.
- Generally, in order to claim a charitable deduction, you must itemize your tax return. For retirees who no longer pay mortgage interest, the deductions may be too small to itemize. The provision offers the tax benefits of a charitable contribution without having to itemize your deductions. In addition, recent tax law changes nearly double the standard deduction, which will result in fewer taxpayers itemizing deductions and more opting to claim the standard deduction.
- Charitable deductions are limited by a taxpayer’s income — generally up to a maximum of 60% of modified adjusted gross income. By directing your IRA distribution to a charity, you can avoid this restriction.
- If reporting additional income on your Form 1040 increases your Medicare Part B premiums or negatively affects the taxability of your Social Security benefits, then making a charitable contribution from your IRA may be appropriate.
As always, you should talk with your financial representative or tax advisor before making a decision that alters your tax situation.