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Use these pages to become acquainted with the many ways CGE is at work to serve you, your local church and your regional conference. To
read PDF files download the free program Adobe
Acrobat Reader here. ©Copyright
2005 The Evangelical Covenant
Church |
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Land and Facility Resources for Local Covenant Churches The Department of Church Growth and Evangelism (CG&E) is charged with seeing the United States and Canada for what they are: the third largest mission field in the world. We work with the entire Covenant to help people come to a living faith in Jesus Christ and become responsible members of his church. One way the department assists churches is through their technical services division. This group provides expertise on land and facility issues and financial and technological services. Following is a brief synopsis of the services provided. Unless otherwise noted, please contact 773-907-3341 to learn more about how your church can benefit from these resources. Land Acquisition Finding the right location to build a church is crucial to the long-term success of a congregation. CG&E can assist churches in assessing land opportunities in the church's service area. The staff can also shepherd churches through the negotiation, contract, due diligence, and closing phases of a property purchase. Through the entire process, CG&E works in partnership with a church to find the best site available at the right price. Facility Consultation CG&E's technical services team has assisted many churches in the process of designing and building church facilities. For that reason, they try to help a church see "the forest instead of just the trees." Their experience can help a church learn what has worked and what has not worked. The staff can also help the church determine the needed square footage and how much a project might cost. As Steve Dawson, director of technical services, notes, "A church facility is a tool for ministry not an end in itself." Visit the Recommended Space Allowances table for church facilities. Church Building Committee Workbook The Department of Church Growth and Evangelism developed the Church Building Committee Workbook to help churches bring a facility from the dream stage to reality. This resource guides the church through the forming of a building committee, selection of the ideal building site, hiring of an architect, and more. Copies of the workbook can be ordered from the Covenant Resource Center (800-338-IDEA) at $10 per copy. Demographic Resources CG&E can provide a congregation with up-to-date demographic summaries of a church's area. CG&E can also plot on a map where attenders live in relation to a church's current meeting space. This information can be invaluable as a church tries to locate property or contemplates ministry opportunities. A demographic summary costs $55. Churches can also order a ministry area profile. This comprehensive report helps a church gather important survey information (i.e. worship style preferences) for their church's area. A basic ministry area profile costs $310. Contact CG&E at 773-907-3341 to order either resource. Read more about demographic resources here. Financial & Attendance Projections When it comes to attendance and financial projections, past performance is the the best indicator of future results. Most congregations have established patterns of ministry, which will tend to lead to a predictable pattern of growth. For this reason, CG&E has developed a process by which a church can take a good statistical look at their growth and make some assumptions about their future. The technical services staff can help churches compile statistical information into a spreadsheet and then interpret this data. Kingdom Builders - Frontier Friends Since 1952 Frontier Friends have been helping to build God's kingdom by sharing their resources with churches that are purchasing land and/or building a facility. In an effort to better describe the work of Frontier Friends, the Department of Church Growth and Evangelism has added "Kingdom Builders" to the Frontier Friends name. Kingdom Builders Frontier Friends receive up to twelve appeals a year, with information about the church seeking support, an update on a past project, and a prayer card. Members may give in any of the following ways:
Money raised from these appeals is given as a grant to a church that is buying a piece of property or building a facility. The average Kingdom Builders Frontier Friends grant is $25,000. Interested? Visit Kingdom Builders Frontier Friends or contact: Rob Hall, Kingdom Builders Frontier Friends, Department of CG&E, 5101 N. Francisco Ave., Chicago, IL 60625, 773.907.3341 Rob Hall is the associate director of technical and legal services for the department of Church Growth and Evangelism. He can be found at the department of Church Growth and Evangelism assisting Covenant churches with their facility needs and giving legal assistance. |
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