1. Can we continue to exist as a church without a building?

The true Church is not a building, it is made up of anyone who places their faith in Jesus Christ. However, Christians tend to gather in buildings for worship. In that sense, we aren’t really a church without a building; we just rent several different ones for only a few hours per week. The journey of rented facilities has been an effective path of ministry and we expect to continue it into the near future. We have learned a lot about ministering in rented facilities over the years and this knowledge will be used to successfully launch future campuses and churches. However, we are experiencing its limitations. In order to be the mega-impact church that God is calling us to be, we must step out in faith toward acquiring a facility.

2. Have you considered other venues or options?

Yes, we’ve looked into other school auditoriums, hotels, and local movie theaters. They all offer similar ministry environments as Colonial Middle School. After significant consideration of the alternatives, it was determined that moving to a different location would merely be a step sideways and not a move forward.

3. Does this make financial sense?

The more we grow, the closer we come to reaching the financial ‘tipping point’. We currently rent from several organizations (Colonial Middle School, St. Paul’s Lutheran, Calvary Vision Church). In addition, we rent parking spaces for our truck and shuttle bus. We also rent for numerous special events. The growth of the Children’s ministry will eventually lead to us renting additional space at the middle school at an additional cost and there is a growing need for a central office space. Adding these two very legitimate expenses will push us past that ‘tipping point’. Leasing (or buying) a space that can be used 24 hours a day, 7 days a week will then cost nearly the same as renting a collection of mixed-use spaces for a few hours a week.

4. What is the building plan?

Are you sitting down? Are you ready for this? We don’t know. We do not anticipate buying land and building a brand new building from scratch. Most likely we will either lease or purchase an existing building (warehouse or retail space) and renovate it.

We do know that God has clearly called us to minister in the Plymouth / Conshohocken area. If we wait until we know all of the details, it will be too late to seize an opportunity when it arises. We’ll miss the moment. Given what God is leading Storehouse to be and do, that’s unacceptable. That’s why we need to prepare now. Wherever God leads us we will follow, whatever the cost.

5. How is my 'now' commitment different from my tithe?

Your tithe represents 10% of the income that the Lord gives you on a regular basis. Storehouse uses your tithe for our general fund operations, which would include the day-to-day administration of programs, outreach efforts and staff. 'now' is an additional offering, based on your commitment toward a new facility, that is above and beyond the tithe.

6. I recall pastor JR speaking about starting new campuses and churches. Is 'now' a departure from that vision?

Absolutely not. In fact, it is a step in that direction. As we've evaluated what it would take to be a multi-site church we've concluded that there needs to be at least one 'home base' to work from. In addition, much of the gear (sound system, kids areas, etc) that we are currently using will be freed up and available for use by the new team.