The following are frequently asked questions. If you have additional questions, please send your questions, using the following link. The Governing Board will promptly respond and answer your question.

General Questions
( Need more information? Click here to download the Multi-site Ministry Comprehensive Plan magazine.)

Q: Has the decision to purchase the Hickman site already been made?
A: No. We currently have an option to buy for the settled-upon price of $950,000, which is down from the asking price of $1.8 million. This price expires at the end of December.

A comprehensive plan has been created and will be presented at the Cottage Meetings. And a vote on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011 from 4-8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 from 7 a.m.-1 p.m.will determine if we will purchase the property.

Q: What is all this talk about a vote?
According to the Gloria Dei Constitution (Article V, Section B) and the By-Laws (Article II, Section Four), matters of acquiring property and incurring indebtedness shall be by majority vote of those members who voted. Therefore, a majority vote would authorize the Governing Board to move ahead with the project, but for such an important decision as this, the Board has decided that it will not move forward with anything less than a 2/3 majority (67% approval) of the ballots cast.

The Multi-site Plan—Aurora and Hickman vote will use a paper-ballot process. In order for the Multi-site Plan—Aurora and Hickman to be implemented, the vote will require that a 2/3 majority of those who voted will have voted in favor of the Multi-site Plan—Aurora and Hickman

The vote on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011 from 4-8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011 from 7 a.m.-1 p.m. will be on:

• Improvements to the Aurora campus.
• Purchase and renovation of the property at 9060 Hickman Road.
• A total project cost not to exceed $5 million according to the Financial Model in the Comprehensive Plan.

Q: What is multi-site ministry?
A: Multi-site ministry is one congregation meeting at multiple campuses. The messages and curriculum are the same at each campus. There is one Governing Board, one vision, one staff, and one budget.

Q: What does the District think?
A: We have been in close contact with the District throughout the initial and planning stages. They are supportive and interested in furthering God’s kingdom through multi-site ministry.

Q: How many sites are we planning?
A: The Hickman site is just the first step into multi-site ministry. Our near-future plans include a site in a neighboring community, such as Johnston Grimes. We believe God will guide us and open doors leading to future sites—the possibilities are endless.

Q: How is this different from planting a church?
A:   A church “plant” is when a church starts another church with the intention of being two separate churches. However, a multi-site church is one congregation meeting in multiple locations. Gloria Dei will remain one congregation with one Governing Board, one staff, and one budget, no matter how many campuses we have.

Ministry and Programming
( Need more information? Click here to download the Multi-site Ministry Comprehensive Plan magazine.)

Q: Will every member be welcomed at both campuses?
A: Yes! Every member will have a reason and a cause to attend both campuses. Since the Hickman site is close to the Aurora campus, there will be a fluidity between the two locations. We are planning for Bible studies, LWML circles and other small groups to enjoy the space at Hickman.

Q: Will baptisms, weddings, and funerals be held at the Hickman campus?
A: Yes, baptisms, weddings, and funerals will be held at both the Aurora and Hickman campuses.

Q: Will there be a pastor assigned to the second site?
A: It has been decided to assign one of our pastors to be the campus pastor, who will be part of the central leadership team. He will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the site and be present at the weekend worship services. He will be the consistent face you see while you are at the Hickman campus. Additional sites will follow this model of having a pastor at the site.

Q; Will the Hickman campus be for the youth only?
A: No, we believe all of our rooms at both campuses need to be dual-purpose. While some of the rooms will be designed for certain age groups, those same rooms will be usable for other groups and activities. For example, currently, the children’s rooms in the east end are also used during the week for adult meetings and group gatherings, as is the current Youth Center. Rooms at the Hickman campus will be designed with the same intent in mind.

Q: Will there be a preschool at the Hickman campus?
A: Tiny Treasures Preschool will remain at the Aurora campus. The Hickman campus will not have a preschool. The feasibility of having a preschool at future sites will be determined after studying the needs of that community.

Q: Will any of the staff have their office at the Hickman site?
A: Yes, the Director of Youth Ministry and his part-time assistant will have their offices at the second site.

Q: How will worship teams be formed for two campuses?
A: H3 has been a good training ground for worship teams, and more individuals have been equipped to serve as lead worshipers. We now have 43 individuals who rotate on different teams and worship services. We will continue to train individuals and teams for worship at multiple services and campuses.

Q; Will the Hickman campus have live or video messages?
A: At this point, we are planning both. The Saturday night Northwind Contemporary service would move to the Hickman campus because the worship space would be specifically designed for quality video taping of the weekly messages. Currently Saturday evening’s video is seen at H3 and our new Casual Contemporary worship services.
We also want a high-quality video to be posted on our Web site. We are exploring the possibility of providing a video message to congregations who are without a pastor for short or extended times; our District is interested in this option.
As for other worship services, we are still in the process of working through the scheduling and the specific offerings between the two sites. We do know that every worship service will have an ordained pastor present to lead the service and administer the Sacraments.

Q: What will the worship service schedule be like between the two campuses?
A: We are still in the process of working through the scheduling and the specific offerings between the two sites. However, we do recommend the Saturday night Northwind Contemporary service would move to the Hickman campus because the worship space would be specifically designed for quality video taping of the weekly messages. Currently Saturday evening’s video is seen at H3 and our new Casual Contemporary worship services.

Q: Will my family be split on the weekends?
A: No, there will be worship opportunities and full educational programming at both the Aurora and Hickman campuses on the weekends. Families can worship together and participate in an education time.

Q: What will be available during the weekends at each location?
A: The Aurora campus will have worship, staffed nursery, Grace Place, Castaway, High School Bible study, adult studies and Baptisms.
The Hickman campus will have worship, staffed nursery, Grace Place, Castaway, High School Bible study, adult studies and Baptisms.
Weddings, funerals and other events can be scheduled on the weekends at each location.

Q: What will be available on Wednesday nights at each location?
A: The Aurora campus will have a staffed nursery, meal, opening (ages 2-grade 5), Faith Alive (ages 2-grade 5), and adult studies.
The Hickman campus will have a staffed nursery, meal, opening (grades 6-12), small groups (6-12) and adult studies.

Q: What are the plans for the youth on Wednesday nights?
A: The youth will convene at the Hickman campus on Wednesday evenings. With the Hickman campus, we have the opportunity to design separate rooms for the junior high (grades 6-8) and senior high (grades 9-12) groups. This will allow more opportunities for study, worship, fellowship, confirmation retreats, and other activities for our youth, especially on Wednesday nights.

Meanwhile, space is opened up at the Aurora campus—the Youth Center and nine classrooms on Wednesday night. This allows for more opportunities for study, worship and fellowship for elementary children (ages 2 years old through grade 5) and adults.

Q: I have kids at both campuses on Wednesday night, how do I make that work?
A: Plans are still in progress, but the initial plan is to open the Hickman campus earlier and close later so that junior and senior high youth (grades 6-12) can be dropped of before taking young children (ages 2 years old through grade 5) to the Aurora campus. This same family could then pick up their children from Faith Alive before picking up their youth at the Hickman campus.

Q: Will there be enough ministry partners for both campuses?
A: Definitely there will be more opportunities for ministry partners. Whether you feel God leading you to a leadership position or more of a supporting role, there will be a place for everyone to serve. After spending time in prayer, please know that our ministry directors can help you find a place where you will not only help others, but grow spiritually as well.

Facilities
( Need more information? Click here to download the Multi-site Ministry Comprehensive Plan magazine.)

Q: Why are we on the fast track to purchase this building?
A: Once we identified that the Hickman building would serve us presently and in the future, we talked to the owner, who gave us until the end of December to purchase the Hickman building for $950,000; down from the asking price of $1.8 million. According to our constitution, a vote is required before we can purchase property.

Q: How many people will the Hickman Sanctuary hold?
A: At this point the configured worship capacity in the conceptual drawings ranges between 350–450, depending on what floor plan is chosen. More seats are possible when the worshipper is facing the west, but the closeness to the worship leaders decreases.

Q: Will there be a cross on the Hickman site?
A: Yes, we want to identifity the Hickman site as a church, so there will be a cross on the building.

Q: Why don’t we build onto our existing building?
A: This has been discussed and investigated by the Governing Board, Facilities MAT, and staff. The cost of construction to build on-site is too high (around $150-160 per square foot) and in the long run, would not solve our current space issues and promote future growth. In addition, parking constraints would still be an issue.Also, major construction at our current site would cause issues for our six weekend worship services and all other activities.

Q: Will the Hickman Sanctuary be contemporary?
A: Yes. We do know that the worship space will be contemporary, and will have the option for some type of moveable chairs. This option will allow the room to be used for other purposes.

Q: Why a site so close to the Aurora campus?
A: The Hickman site is just the first step for us moving into multi-site ministry. Our long-term plans are to launch multiple sites in different communities, further away from the Aurora campus.

However, right now, we have a space issue. The Hickman site allows Gloria Dei to grow and reach out to a community that we may not be currently reaching with the Gospel, while alleviating our space issue. With a second site close to the Aurora campus, we can grow our current ministry to all ages, and minister to those who may be unchurched.

Q: It appears that many options were looked into. Why is adding the Hickman campus as our second site the best option?
A: The Hickman site allows for many opportunities for growth for all ages, while it lowers our strategic and financial risk.

It enables us to add more and different worship venues, allowing the opportunity for growth into different communities.

A possible coffee shop at the Hickman campus would provide an opportunity for community outreach, much like our Tiny Treasures Preschool has.
 
Q: What are the improvement plans for the Aurora campus?
A: There are two parts of the improvement plans for Aurora: the maintenance and the remodeling.

Maintenance projects: It is imperative to address and take care of the maintenance issues, which are oftentimes not glamorous nor visibly seen, but are nonetheless vital. The Facilities MAT has identified the following projects listed by the order of urgency: EIFS material, sanctuary roof: both the pitched roof and flat portions, tuck pointing, parking lot and carpeting in the center wing.

Remodeling considerations: The Facilities MAT has created a list of possible remodeling projects at our Aurora campus: Youth Center transformed into a chapel, center wing remodel, nursery, narthex, and kitchen

Q: Who decides on what remodeling jobs get done?
A: Of course, it would be optimal if we could complete each of these remodeling projects as well as other future projects at the Aurora campus, but we understand that is not probable. Therefore, the Governing Board plans to survey the congregation to receive input on the proposed remodeling projects. A prioritization of projects will be developed for the Aurora campus based on the survey, ministry needs and available funds. It is important to note that the maintenance projects are not optional, and will need to be accomplished in the near future.

Q: What is due diligence?
A: Due diligence is the process the architects go through to identify any potential concerns—structural, governmental, environmental, or financial, that may cause us to not go forward in purchasing the building. For example, one of the first things the architects have done was to contact the City of Clive to determine any zoning restrictions. (The current C-2 zoning already allows for a church on that property.)

In November, we received notice from the architects that the no major issues were found in the building: therefore, according to the report, the site would be suitable to purchase and to renovate.

Q: Will the Hickman campus have a full kitchen for events such as dinner theatre?
A: The Facilities MAT is in the process of working with the architects to determine the needs at the Hickman campus.

Finance
( Need more information? Click here to download the Multi-site Ministry Comprehensive Plan magazine.)

Q: What is the cost of the Hickman site?
A: The price of $950,000 has been settled on, down from the asking price of $1.8 million.

Q: Has the Finance MAT determined a total project cost?
A: Yes, The total project cost for the improvements to the Aurora campus and the purchase and renovation of the Hickman property is not to exceed $5 million.

Q: What does “option to buy” mean?
A: The option to buy means we have an agreement with the owners to buy the property for the agreed upon price of $950,000. This option to buy expires at the end of December. After the expiration date, if we are still interested, the owners have the right to raise the price.

Q: Are we under obligation to purchase the Hickman property?
A: No, we are not obligated to purchase the property. If the congregation does not approve the purchase of the property through a written ballot vote, we will start over.

Q: How are we going to pay for this?
A: The detailed Financial Model, including two Capital Stewardship Campaigns, can be found in the comprehensive plan magazine.

Q: When will the Hickman site be up and running?
A: If everything goes according to plan, we anticipate the first services would be held late spring or early summer of 2013.

( Need more information? Click here to download the Multi-site Ministry Comprehensive Plan magazine.)