Questions & Answers

 Why do we need a new sanctuary?
The continued growth of the Bulloch County community and the membership of the congregation have crowded the current building space at FBC, and the lack of available space is hindering our church’s ability to reach additional families with the gospel message.  Statistically, FBC has hit a ceiling and is plateaued in its attendance because the buildings will not comfortably hold any larger numbers than they already house.  As new families join FBC, the church needs to provide adequate space for them.  The relocation of the 11:00 a.m. worship service to the Perry Fellowship Hall allowed the church to keep growing for a while, but the long term solution to providing adequate space for new families is to build a new sanctuary.  Without the construction of a new sanctuary, we may have to consider relocating all of the morning worship services to the Perry Fellowship Hall.  

Don’t we need more Sunday School space, or a Family Life Center, instead of a sanctuary?
Both Sunday School space and worship space are almost at capacity, but a new sanctuary will free up the use of the Perry Fellowship Hall for Sunday School classes.  The Perry Fellowship Hall is designed to be partitioned into 10 large Sunday School classes, but the need for it as a worship venue at 11:00 a.m. prevents it from being used in that way.  With the construction of a new sanctuary, the Perry Fellowship Hall can be utilized for Sunday School, so it will help solve issues related to both worship space and Sunday School space.  The construction of a Family Life Center is part of the church’s master facilities plan, and it is scheduled to be one of the items built in the future.  

What is the cost of the new sanctuary?
The entire estimated cost of project is $10,978,000, which includes building construction, television ministry equipment, sound system, architect fees, and some furnishings.  The building construction cost today is approximately $635 thousand less than it was three years ago, which is a 7 % reduction.   How will we pay for the new sanctuary? The use of multiple capital campaigns was chosen by the church as the method for financing the facilities master plan, which began with the construction of the Children’s Building and Perry Fellowship, and continues with the new sanctuary.  Using additional capital campaigns enables our church to fund building projects without having to allocate an unreasonable amount in the church budget for debt service.  

How much are we paying the architects?
The architectural fee that will be paid to CTSM Architects is 7 % of the construction cost, which is a reduced rate from their standard fee.  To date, we have paid $477 thousand to CTSM Architects.  

What items in the sanctuary project are delayed currently, but planned to be added later?
In order to reduce costs, certain items of the sanctuary project are classified as “delayed,” which means the building will be designed for them initially although they won’t be added until the church has adequate funds.  Some of the major delayed items are as follows:  the steeple, stained glass windows, elevator to baptistry area, main street entrance plaza & porte-cochere, lower level music suite, organ, and a selected number of balcony pews.  These items are not “deleted” from the project permanently, because the sanctuary will be built in such a way that these items can be added whenever funds are available.  

Will we use a outside consulting firm to lead the capital campaign?
No.  In order to maximize each family’s gift to the project, no outside firm will be used to lead and direct the capital campaign.  The cost of an outside firm is nearly $100,000, so this cost will be saved as we conduct this campaign internally, with the leadership of our staff, church members, and volunteer teams.  All monies received will go toward the sanctuary cost.  None will be paid to an outside capital campaign firm.  

Has the church paid off the debt from the previous building program?
Yes.  First Baptist Church has paid in full the debt from the Children’s Building and the Perry Fellowship Hall.  The total cost of that combined project was $7.1 million, and the church paid the debt off in March 2008.  

How did we determine the goal of $4.4 million for next capital campaign?
For many months, a Financial Development Task Team has been studying financial scenarios that include projected interest rates, loan requirements, and church financial resources.  This Task Team, chaired by Jody Stubbs, recommended the goal of $4.4 million for the next capital campaign, which would position the church to pay off the loan in about eight years.  The Financial Development Task Team, the Facilities Leadership Team, and the Deacons all agreed that requiring a $4.4 million capital campaign is a prudent approach, which will enable the church to build the sanctuary without it being too risky of an undertaking.  

Why do we have the second goal that says,  “At least one-fourth of the pledge goal is scheduled to be received on or before December 31, 2010”?
If construction commences early summer, the cash-on-hand will cover costs incurred for the project for most of the remainder of the calendar year.  Near the end of the year, a construction loan will be needed in order to cover the remaining costs of the sanctuary.  Lending institutions have told us that in order to qualify for a construction loan, we need to demonstrate that one-fourth of the pledge is scheduled to be received by that time.  

What happens if the congregation does not pledge $4.4 million?  Will we build anyway?
No.  If our congregation does not pledge the $4.4 million by May 30, 2010, and at least one-fourth of that amount is not scheduled to be received by the end of the year, we will not build the sanctuary.  

Didn’t the church vote in September 2007 that an additional $2 million must be pledged or given, or that we wouldn’t proceed? 
Yes.   Our congregation decided in September 2007 that we would not launch the building project at that time if an additional $2 million were not given or pledged, taking this as an indication of God’s timing or not.  The additional monies were not pledged, so the church did not proceed with the building project at that time, as promised.  

What does our church do if we do not build the sanctuary?
If the financial goals are not met and we do not build the sanctuary, all money given to the project will be put into long term savings.  Members who made a pledge toward the unrealized construction can then decide individually if they want to pay on those pledges or not.  If the building is not built, our pastor and staff leadership will then explore options of how to continue reaching more families, even without the additional space that would have been provided through a new sanctuary.    

Shouldn’t we start new churches in our area instead of trying to make First Baptist Church bigger?
Our church has already elected a Church Planting Leadership Team that is exploring the options and steps needed for First Baptist Church to start a new church in our area.  This team, comprised of five FBC members, was elected in October 2009, and they should be recommending how to proceed with this project sometime this year.  First Baptist Church has planted several churches in this area throughout the years, and we hope to continue this great heritage.  We have learned from the past, however, that starting a new church will not stop the growth of First Baptist Church.  With a growing community surrounding us, First Baptist Church will continue to grow even as new churches are planted.  

How long will it take for the project to be finished?
The construction of the new sanctuary is expected to last 60 weeks.  If construction begins in early summer, we should be able to occupy the new building sometime in the fall of 2011.  

Given the current economic conditions, is this the best time to build a new sanctuary?
The current economic conditions certainly make this a very challenging time to build, but the compelling need to keep reaching families with the gospel calls us to move forward in faith.  Even with challenging economic conditions surrounding us, the Lord has continued to bring people to First Baptist Church, and He has placed us in within a growing community with an opportunity to change many lives for His sake.  Undertaking a project of this size during these economic conditions may go against the wisdom of the world, but our FLT and Deacons think it is consistent with God’s plan for First Baptist Church.  We are believing that this is His time and His plan for our church.  

Why not build a less expensive building, with cheaper materials and a more simple design?
After a multi-year process, the church leaders involved in this process recommended the current design to the congregation in January 2008, and received a 94% church approval.  Instead of making the building smaller or giving it a “big box” look with metal siding, the congregation felt that the current design was the most functional and appropriate.  Also, we are building this sanctuary for the families and generation that will follow us at First Baptist Church, just as the former generation did for us when they build our current sanctuary in the 1950’s.  

Will the cost and financing of a new sanctuary negatively effect the other ministries of our church?
The ongoing ministries of FBC are funded through the operating budget, and no cuts to these ministries are planned.  Given the faithful support that our members have consistently given to the operating budget, there should be no negative impact on the current ministries of our church if the sanctuary is built.  In fact, the construction of a new sanctuary has the potential of actually enhancing and enlarging the current ministries of the church as we are able to touch more lives and reach more families from our growing community.  

Since our weekly offerings are not currently meeting the budget requirement, should the sanctuary be postponed?
The operating budget is the spending plan for our ongoing ministries at First Baptist Church, including things such as children’s ministry, senior adults, student ministries, salaries, building maintenance, missions, etc.  When offerings fall below the required weekly amount, our spending is reduced so that we don’t overspend our receipts.  The financing of a new building relies mostly on capital campaign receipts, not budget giving, although faithful giving to the operating budget is always needed.  The use of a new sanctuary will enable First Baptist Church to reach even more families, resulting in increased giving not just to the capital campaign but to the operating budget as well.