It is my understanding that Andy Stanley, Lead Pastor of North Point Church, announced yesterday that their congregation is building a bridge. The access to their worship location has been very difficult to navigate and after nine years of negotiation with their city government, are now permitted to build a bridge to their worship site.
Following is part of Andy’s letter to the congregation.
Nine years ago, we began exploring the possibility of creating a second access point to our North Point campus…I am happy to announce that we now have all the permissions necessary to proceed with the construction of a bridge that will connect our campus to Old Milton Parkway via Brookside Parkway.
As you know, North Point Parkway serves as our only point of ingress and egress. Those of you who are regular attendees have learned to navigate the congestion without losing your faith in the process. But you also know the complexity of inviting someone to “Meet us at church.” Fortunately, we have an amazing group of men and women who serve tirelessly in the parking lots on Sundays. Our Host Teams have enabled us to far exceed the number of cars we were initially told by the ‘experts’ we could move on and off our property. But even with their gallant efforts, we are unable to maximize the use of our facility.
Let me explain.
Currently, we can seat 4,800 people in one service using both auditoriums. But our infrastructure only allows us to comfortably accommodate around 3,500 people. Once we pass the 3,500 mark, the traffic becomes exponentially unbearable. A second access point will allow us to accommodate 1,000 additional people at 9:00 and 11:00, achieving maximum use of our existing facility.
The price tag for the bridge is five million dollars. “What?” you exclaim. “Five million dollars for a bridge?” Yep. Here’s why. This bridge will span 1,000 feet of flood plain and wetlands. It will be three lanes wide and include a pedestrian walkway. So, don’t think cute wooden bridge. Think Haynes Bridge.
Is it worth it? It all depends. If our mission is to be a church that’s perfectly designed for the people who already attend, then we don’t need a bridge. But if we want to continue to be a church unchurched people love to attend, then yes, it’s worth it. From my perspective, this is not a “nice to have” option. Honestly, I don’t want to raise money for, or give money to, something that’s not mission critical. I believe creating a second access point allows us to stay on mission. That is why we’ve been working on this for nine years.
Andy’s point, and the foundation of MCA’s capital campaign, is that we must do everything within our power to facilitate the mission God has given to His church.
The mission matters!