Have we considered moving to one large location rather than spreading out on this street?
Yes. That may be a consideration in the future. Right now, it is not a choice of moving to a large location OR, growing into other buildings here. We need to expand now and locating, negotiating for, building out and moving to another facility would be too disruptive to our current ministries. Our philosophy is to step through the open doors as God opens them and those doors have been opening here. If He closes the doors here in an obvious way, we’ll take that as a sign that we need to refocus our efforts elsewhere. In the meantime, we are keeping our eyes open as to other opportunities, either as consideration for multi-sites (video venues), or a new main campus should that become necessary.
What are the plans for accommodating the traffic flow for this much expansion?
With the plans for development at the corner of Wendy and Grande Vista, improvements will be made to the current access road leading to our property. However, the entrance to our street still presents a challenge. With one means of ingress and egress, increased traffic could create a bottle-neck there. We are discussing creative ways of overcoming this, including shuttles and a potential access road leading down the hill from our planned parking lot. As for now, this is an unsolved problem.
Are there plans to provide a gymnasium or outside play area for kids?
Currently, there are no specific developmental plans in place for any of the properties coming available, except for the parking lot across from our current main building. All plans hinge on the approval of the lot. General plans for usage will be submitted to the city, but we don’t anticipate enough extra space for a gymnasium and we have not discussed a play area in light of higher priority needs.
Are there plans for a full-service kitchen?
Same answer as above. However, we can assume that any new kitchen space will likely exceed the capabilities of our current “food staging/pantry” room.
Are there plans to provide a school or day care?
None currently. This kind of resource would not be a likely addition to those ministries under the LOCC umbrella any time soon, if at all. We feel that there are several good Christian schools and day cares within a feasible radius of the church to provide for those having that need. Also, we don’t see the church having the kinds of resources necessary to support such an undertaking, as a practical matter (being such a young, growing church) and as a reflection of our current philosophy of what God has called Living Oaks to be.
What plans are being made to enable people to get from one building to another due to the steepness of the street?
We have discussed shuttles as a very real possibility. We have plans to install outside stairways between buildings. We don’t anticipate a lot of need for travel between buildings. E.g., if children’s ministries are separate from the main
Celebration
Center, parents can drop kids off and park near the
Celebration
Center, then drive to pick up the kids following the service.
Is there a “Plan B” if we can’t build the parking lot?
The short-term growth plan includes:
· Intentional programs to encourage people to shift to the 8am service at least once-a-month. Currently, there are over 200 seats available in that service.
· Getting permission for a trailer/modular unit in our back parking lot to use as Sunday School space for some of the children.
· Moving ahead with the 4,000 square feet currently available next door as a video venue to seat 150 to 200 people.
· Having our property task force locate other properties in the west end of the
Conejo
Valley as potential sites for a new home.
Do you plan on leasing all the buildings offered? If so, what will be the order that are built out?
Yes. The buildings are under the same landlord as our current building. The two above us on the cul-de-sac are coming available. The build-out would begin with the one closest to us. The next one up will be available for build out beginning in January, 2010.
What are the plans for expanding space for children’s/youth ministries?
Though we have no definite plans, we definitely plan to expand our facilities for these ministries. As this is being written, the need is already very real. Exactly how and where has not been determined.
Can existing church location be combined with 16k location above to make one huge center?
If we owned the property, anything that the city would approve could be possible. However, since we currently lease and the properties are not for sale, the buildings’ exterior space will remain the same.
How much will each project cost initially? (Parking lot, 16k building, 22k building)?
An estimate for the parking lot has been given at around $800k. The current approximate cost for tenant improvements runs about $100. per square foot. So, we can assume that 16k square feet would be approximately $1.6 mil., etc. These are very rough estimates and in a very volatile market, subject to change.
Are we going to follow the same policy of cash up front or are we going to borrow money to finance this expansion?
We plan to raise the necessary funds to pay as we go, rather than borrow funds.
Have you considered purchasing buildings rather than leasing?
Yes. If the buildings we are in came up for sale, we would offer to buy. However, we are not looking for something specifically to purchase. The experts with whom we have consulted say that for a church our age it is best to lease until we are a more established entity. The optimum buying condition would be a lease-with an option to buy. That is what we’re praying for currently. But, we remain open to the Lord’s leading.
Will the 150 parking spaces accommodate our needs with these additional buildings?
Based upon current parking requirements, it should be more than enough.
Would we have to build the parking structure before we lease any further buildings?
We would at least have to have the plans in place and approved. Occupancy and use of the building spaces would be prohibited without adequate parking. (BTW—we plan to build a multi-tear lot, not a parking structure).
Are there any fundraising plans? If so, what are they?
When the time comes, we plan to TEACH on giving, ASK God’s people to give and PRAY to the Lord Who Provides for the necessary funds. There are no current plans for any kind of slick campaigns.
Have you considered building a multi-level parking structure that will accommodate more cars?
That doesn’t appear to be necessary. Such a structure would be vastly more expensive.
What is our current monthly debt and how much would this increase it?
We try to keep our monthly facility expense to a certain percentage of our annual budget. A healthy place is around 20%, which is where we currently stand. It is approx. $47k per month (including maintenance and utilities). The buildings that we are considering vary in cost per square foot. As the attendance—and therefore the budget— increases, the facilities will remain at a cost in the same percentage range that we currently have. So, if the space doubles, the actual cost approximately doubles, but so should the attendance (the number of giving units). It is impossible to give an exact number, but the important part is that we keep it roughly 20% of our overall budget.
Are there savings earmarked for expansion? If so, what percentage of the project would they cover?
The savings we have accumulated are deposited in various accounts and are currently mostly part of our reserve account. As a matter of policy, we keep reserve in case of unforeseen circumstances (our objective is to build to a 3 month cash reserve). The funds for the expansion would be new funds, raised specifically for new facility needs.
Will we lease or own the parking lot once we build it?
The parking lot would constitute an improvement to a leased property. So, we would be leasing the land upon which the parking lot will rest.
Could you explain the “Video Venue” idea?
The video venue idea is based upon creating various church communities under the umbrella of Living Oaks. Ideally, the venue would include its own children’s and youth programming, its own worship team, a venue pastor who would preach occasionally. In many ways, other than the teaching, each venue would have its own style. The link to the Living Oaks main venue would be the main venue’s teaching being presented in the video venue via high definition video. The video could either be pre-recorded or live. It is important to understand that the video venue is far more than an overflow room, or as some have called it a “penalty box.” It is a community of believers built around relationship and a connection to the people and elements of that venue. It is a way to allow for the growth of the church without creating an entirely separate entity, requiring all the staffing, technical, budgetary, staffing and legal needs of a new church plant.
Are church plants being considered as well as video venues?
Yes. From the outset, LOCC has valued the idea of multiplying the church. Whereas video venues are an extension of the existing church body, a church plant would create a new church body. We want to do both. We are beyond the number (800) that we indicated initially would trigger the process of planting a church. We have vetted more than one young, potential church planter. So far, no one has risen to the occasion, for various reasons. We trust the Lord’s timing on this. He will build His church. Although we have not created a daughter church directly from LOCC, we support church planting efforts around the world through our support of various missions. In some countries, dozens of churches have been planted with our help.
Is a Saturday night service being considered?
Only to affirm that it is not a direction we feel the Lord is calling Living Oaks at this time.
Who is making the decisions?
The 5 members of the board of elders with input and counsel from knowledgeable and experienced people in fields such as real estate, church facility expansion, city permitting processes and construction.
Is there any dollar amount that can’t be spent without a
member vote?
The varied member backgrounds of those attending LOCC include a variety of experiences in church polity. Our form of polity is not congregational rule, nor is it like some where decisions are made solely by the pastor, but we practice elder rule. The elders meet regularly and make informed decisions based upon unanimity and unity of the Spirit. So, we do not take a congregational vote on matters of spending, regardless of the amount. That would violate our style of governance.
Who is the “key person” in charge of the expansion project?
The board and the facility expansion task force will be in charge of the project. Currently, Executive Pastor, Dan Miller, is the liaison
representing the church to the city and the general contractor.
Do you envision LOCC becoming a church of 5000+?
“What happened to NOT wanting to become a
Mega
Church?”
We have never set out to become a “
Mega
Church.” The distinction we made from the beginning was that we were going to focus on doing what God has called us to do, without focusing on numerical growth. We never had a goal of becoming a
Mega
Church. We still do not have that goal. However, God has blessed our ministry with phenomenal growth. The facility expansion is not an effort to attract more people, but to provide a place for the people God has brought to Living Oaks. We want to be wise enough to make room for the increase and not turn people away. Our philosophy is still built upon doing what God has called us to do (Fully Know and Faithfully Proclaim Christ). The
Mega
Church mentality is all about church growth; it is about doing what it takes to fill as many seats as possible, sometimes compromising the message and the true Biblical mission of the church. That’s not what we’re about. But, as God brings people our way, we will always welcome and seek to provide for them. If the church grows to 5,000+, it won’t be a result of man’s striving for numbers, but God’s will for us.