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Vision: 2007
Report of Future Project to Congregation

2001 Brought an Addition to the Green Lawn Facilities

As the result of a decade long process and the diligent work of a Facilities Master Planning Committee organized in the late 1990s, Green Lawn developed a Master Plan for the construction of additional facilities on our present site that could accommodate the growth of the church in the coming years. The plan included three phases of work designed to add more space to meet the needs of the Bible class ministry, church fellowship and the church gathered for worship.

In 2001, we opened the most recent addition to our physical plant. The addition included Phase I and part of Phase II of the Master Plan. In this phase almost 20,000 SF were added to our facilities. Another 11,000 SF of the existing building was remodeled and reconfigured for more effective use. This work gave us the opportunity to …

Expand and better organize our space for children’s Bible classes.
Open additional space for growth in our adult class groups.
Provide a large foyer area for fellowship during scheduled meeting times, and for a greater variety of group functions.

It was hoped at the time that these new facilities were put into service that Phase I of the Master Plan would accommodate Green Lawn’s growth over a period of 7 to 10 years.

Additional Facilities Afforded New Opportunities for the Green Lawn Church

The facilities God has blessed to the Green Lawn family have become a tremendous tool for expanding our work for the kingdom.

The Bible class ministry has continued to grow at a rapid pace in all age groups of people. During a typical Sunday morning class hour, we have…

Over 80 in our classes for babies and toddlers up to age 3.
Around 70 in our classes for young children age 3 to Kindergarten.
Over 70 in classes for elementary kids Grades 1-5.
Close to 100 in the youth classes.
Around 400 in classes for adults.

Our Bible classes have grown to the point that several adult groups have had to relocate out of regular classroom space to provide appropriate and effective learning environments for our children.

Fellowship space at Green Lawn has become a vital aspect of our Body life. Since the new foyers were opened up in 2001,we have enjoyed one another as a family of God more than ever before. These times for being together help the congregation have that “home” feeling in spite of the larger attendance. These opportunities for deeper fellowship have also given us the chance to introduce others to what faith in Jesus means through the experience of “one-anotherness.”

The facilities have also opened up many other opportunities for ministry within our congregation, and for service and outreach to the community. There is hardly a day of the week that our building is not being used for the sake of the kingdom. Support groups – such as those for grief support, caregivers, divorce recovery, and addictions of all kinds – and various Bible study groups use our building on a regular basis. Bright Horizons provides families with quality child care two days a week. Outside organizations have used our building for parenting conferences and other events. The Green Lawn facilities have become a very useful tool.

New Challenges Face the Green Lawn Church

The facilities opened in 2001 were part of a larger vision for our physical plant to be phased in over a number of years. After Phase I was completed and paid for – a time celebrated on Mortgage Shredding Sunday on August 6, 2006 – it has always been hoped we could enter Phase II of the work and better meet the fellowship needs of the congregation. Green Lawn has never been short on dreams. Our facilities have never really been able to keep up.
Ministries have continued to grow. We have had to look again at where we are and how to best accommodate the ministry vision of this community of faith.

Fellowship space has become an even greater need since 2001. The foyers have provided us with much needed expansion over the older Fellowship Hall. Unfortunately, even the foyers cannot adequately provide the space we would like to have for large fellowship events. The most we can gather in any one space for a large group event is around 250. Several of our large group events have already exceeded this number, and it definitely falls short of the need for a congregation of 1,400 people. Furthermore, we are limited in the types of large group activities we can plan.

Teaching space was much improved in 2001. Unfortunately, we have again run out of space sooner than we expected. Teaching space is a need we must address in the coming months.
- As new members have come to us, bringing their children to our church family, and as the babies of our recent “baby boom” have grown older, the classes for all ages of children have expanded rapidly. Some of our class groups have needed to subdivide in order to adequately teach the large number of children attending.
- The Youth Ministry continues to grow as our teens reach out to their friends with the joy and hope we have in Jesus Christ. Furthermore, the addition of the 6th Grade to the youth group, following changes made in area school districts, has placed added pressure to the space used for ministry with teens. To continue meeting these challenges, this ministry is looking for additional and more effective youth space.
- Ministry with and to university students in town has long been a tremendous opportunity for us. Space for this ministry has not always followed the need. Additional space is needed to meet the dreams our Campus Connection Ministry has for the coming years.
- When it comes to adults, they are often the last ones considered when planning appropriate teaching space. Growth in the teaching ministry occurs, however, when there is plenty of space for present adult classes to expand and new class groups to start. We do not have space for either of these goals as things stand right now.

Green Lawn’s staff of ministers and secretarial support has increased in recent years, and the need for additional persons will not likely go away. Adequate office space from which ministry can be conducted will be an issue for us in the coming years.

As activities of ministry and outreach expand at this place, the places for people to park will also increase. We have had a mutually beneficial relationship with Lubbock Christian as we share parking with one another throughout the week. At the same time that we look at further expansion of ministry and facilities, LCU is also continuing a pattern of campus growth. The parking we have always been able to rely on may not always be available. This will be another area for which we will have to plan for our physical plant.

The Search for Solutions to Meet the Challenges Ahead

A little over a year ago, a committee of persons began meeting together to evaluate how the Master Plan for our facilities matched the developing dreams for ministry. They recommended adjustments for the focus and the scope any new phase of facility construction will need to take.

We have been working diligently over the past year or so in an effort to develop options for meeting the challenges before us. One of the realities we have had to face is that there is no more land around our physical plant on which to expand. Add to this the increase the construction industry has experienced in their costs in recent years. The cost of constructing our last phase in 2001 would have almost doubled were we to do the same project today. We are becoming limited in the amount of facility growth we can pursue.

About a year ago, an opportunity came to purchase some property just the west of our present facility. The land consists of around two acres between Arby’s and the car wash on 19th Street, and the recycling center at the end of Elmwood. After a lengthy negotiation period, we have been able to obtain this property. This additional land opens a number of opportunities we did not have before.

In December Green Lawn shepherds and ministers met for their annual retreat. Over an intense seven hour period of planning and prayer, our group of leaders evaluated as many options as they could think of in an effort to best plan for the growth God will bring to this congregation in the coming years.

The options included …

Keeping the existing facilities and programs the way they are now.
Continuing with the church’s Master Plan and constructing additional facilities at this location, maxing out our present site.
Making major changes to the current ways we program activities (for example, by adding a second Bible class hour) in order to double the use of the present building.
Planting a congregation in another location in the Northwest part of town.
Conducting our assemblies, classes and activities at multiple sites or campuses.
Relocating by building a new facility to another site in Northwest Lubbock.

The advantages and disadvantages of each option were thoroughly discussed, especially in light of the kingdom purposes of the Green Lawn congregation. The costs of all options were carefully weighed – both the costs that can be monetarily measured and the costs more difficult to quantify in terms of time, energy, direction of ministries, and our identity as a church family.

Today your shepherds place before the congregation what we believe is the best option open to us at this time. We believe it is time for us as the Green Lawn family to move forward with the next phase of the Master Plan and construct additional space to this physical plant. While the specific design and features of additional facilities still need to be determined in order to best meet our growing, changing ministry needs, the focus of this next phase remains as it did before: (1) to provide additional and more effective space for church fellowship (namely, a multipurpose facility that can be used for large church gatherings and activities); (2) to supply additional classroom space for all age groups; (3) to construct additional office facilities that will adequately serve the ministry of our staff; and (4) to provide spaces where all of our ministries at Green Lawn can grow and expand their service to the kingdom of God.

A Time for the Church to Plan for the Future

The Green Lawn leadership, therefore, would like to submit for your consideration this plan for moving forward as we seek to meet the kingdom purposes we have as a body of believers.

We fully understand that constructing additional facilities is not without costs. In fact, the costs for the construction we are talking about is very large, much larger than we can handle on our own. These are costs for which we will have to rely on the Lord as He provides and directs.
The construction costs will be higher than anything we have undertaken before. Each of us will be required to devote ourselves to generously and sacrificially contribute to pay for the cost of the project. It will require that we be inconvenienced as construction begins and moves from stage to stage.

We can assure you that the leadership of this church is fully committed to good stewardship of the resources God blesses to this congregation. It has been our tradition to “pay as you go” when it comes to the building of facilities and to avoid heavy, long-term debt that can drain our resources and hinder good works of ministry. This may mean construction in stages as we enter the next phase of the Master Plan.

The Master Plan of growth has been from the beginning a vision that was developed and accepted by the congregation at Green Lawn. The shepherds and ministers want any move toward the future to continue to be one that we all as a church family take together. This is not merely the dream of the leadership. This is our dream as a people of God. It is a significant decision, one that will require much from all of us and will need to be pursued with earnest prayer and bold steps of faith. Your participation and input is necessary. As we move forward, there will be many opportunities for you to submit your input in formal and informal ways. We want that and need that. Those who work on specific plans for construction need to know what you as a congregation can dream and will support as we strive to meet the needs of our growing church family. Please take some time today to send written comments to our shepherds. Talk with one of them and let them know your thoughts on this dream. Together, we will meet the challenges we have as a growing, active body of the Lord’s people.




			Listen to the report Printable PDF file of report Vision: 2007 Report of Future Project to Congregation
			2001 Brought an Addition to the Green Lawn Facilities As the result of a decade long process and the diligent work of a Facilities Master Planning Committee organized in the late 1990s, Green Lawn developed a Master Plan for the construction of additional facilities on our present site that could accommodate the growth of the church in the coming years. The plan included three phases of work designed to add more space to meet the needs of the Bible class ministry, church fellowship and the church gathered for worship. In 2001, we opened the most recent addition to our physical plant. The addition included Phase I and part of Phase II of the Master Plan. In this phase almost 20,000 SF were added to our facilities. Another 11,000 SF of the existing building was remodeled and reconfigured for more effective use. This work gave us the opportunity to … Expand and better organize our space for children’s Bible classes. Open additional space for growth in our adult class groups. Provide a large foyer area for fellowship during scheduled meeting times, and for a greater variety of group functions. It was hoped at the time that these new facilities were put into service that Phase I of the Master Plan would accommodate Green Lawn’s growth over a period of 7 to 10 years. Additional Facilities Afforded New Opportunities for the Green Lawn Church The facilities God has blessed to the Green Lawn family have become a tremendous tool for expanding our work for the kingdom. The Bible class ministry has continued to grow at a rapid pace in all age groups of people. During a typical Sunday morning class hour, we have… Over 80 in our classes for babies and toddlers up to age 3. Around 70 in our classes for young children age 3 to Kindergarten. Over 70 in classes for elementary kids Grades 1-5. Close to 100 in the youth classes. Around 400 in classes for adults. Our Bible classes have grown to the point that several adult groups have had to relocate out of regular classroom space to provide appropriate and effective learning environments for our children. Fellowship space at Green Lawn has become a vital aspect of our Body life. Since the new foyers were opened up in 2001,we have enjoyed one another as a family of God more than ever before. These times for being together help the congregation have that “home” feeling in spite of the larger attendance. These opportunities for deeper fellowship have also given us the chance to introduce others to what faith in Jesus means through the experience of “one-anotherness.” The facilities have also opened up many other opportunities for ministry within our congregation, and for service and outreach to the community. There is hardly a day of the week that our building is not being used for the sake of the kingdom. Support groups – such as those for grief support, caregivers, divorce recovery, and addictions of all kinds – and various Bible study groups use our building on a regular basis. Bright Horizons provides families with quality child care two days a week. Outside organizations have used our building for parenting conferences and other events. The Green Lawn facilities have become a very useful tool. New Challenges Face the Green Lawn Church The facilities opened in 2001 were part of a larger vision for our physical plant to be phased in over a number of years. After Phase I was completed and paid for – a time celebrated on Mortgage Shredding Sunday on August 6, 2006 – it has always been hoped we could enter Phase II of the work and better meet the fellowship needs of the congregation. Green Lawn has never been short on dreams. Our facilities have never really been able to keep up. Ministries have continued to grow. We have had to look again at where we are and how to best accommodate the ministry vision of this community of faith. Fellowship space has become an even greater need since 2001. The foyers have provided us with much needed expansion over the older Fellowship Hall. Unfortunately, even the foyers cannot adequately provide the space we would like to have for large fellowship events. The most we can gather in any one space for a large group event is around 250. Several of our large group events have already exceeded this number, and it definitely falls short of the need for a congregation of 1,400 people. Furthermore, we are limited in the types of large group activities we can plan. Teaching space was much improved in 2001. Unfortunately, we have again run out of space sooner than we expected. Teaching space is a need we must address in the coming months. As new members have come to us, bringing their children to our church family, and as the babies of our recent “baby boom” have grown older, the classes for all ages of children have expanded rapidly. Some of our class groups have needed to subdivide in order to adequately teach the large number of children attending. The Youth Ministry continues to grow as our teens reach out to their friends with the joy and hope we have in Jesus Christ. Furthermore, the addition of the 6th Grade to the youth group, following changes made in area school districts, has placed added pressure to the space used for ministry with teens. To continue meeting these challenges, this ministry is looking for additional and more effective youth space. Ministry with and to university students in town has long been a tremendous opportunity for us. Space for this ministry has not always followed the need. Additional space is needed to meet the dreams our Campus Connection Ministry has for the coming years. When it comes to adults, they are often the last ones considered when planning appropriate teaching space. Growth in the teaching ministry occurs, however, when there is plenty of space for present adult classes to expand and new class groups to start. We do not have space for either of these goals as things stand right now. Green Lawn’s staff of ministers and secretarial support has increased in recent years, and the need for additional persons will not likely go away. Adequate office space from which ministry can be conducted will be an issue for us in the coming years. As activities of ministry and outreach expand at this place, the places for people to park will also increase. We have had a mutually beneficial relationship with Lubbock Christian as we share parking with one another throughout the week. At the same time that we look at further expansion of ministry and facilities, LCU is also continuing a pattern of campus growth. The parking we have always been able to rely on may not always be available. This will be another area for which we will have to plan for our physical plant. The Search for Solutions to Meet the Challenges Ahead A little over a year ago, a committee of persons began meeting together to evaluate how the Master Plan for our facilities matched the developing dreams for ministry. They recommended adjustments for the focus and the scope any new phase of facility construction will need to take. We have been working diligently over the past year or so in an effort to develop options for meeting the challenges before us. One of the realities we have had to face is that there is no more land around our physical plant on which to expand. Add to this the increase the construction industry has experienced in their costs in recent years. The cost of constructing our last phase in 2001 would have almost doubled were we to do the same project today. We are becoming limited in the amount of facility growth we can pursue. About a year ago, an opportunity came to purchase some property just the west of our present facility. The land consists of around two acres between Arby’s and the car wash on 19th Street, and the recycling center at the end of Elmwood. After a lengthy negotiation period, we have been able to obtain this property. This additional land opens a number of opportunities we did not have before. In December Green Lawn shepherds and ministers met for their annual retreat. Over an intense seven hour period of planning and prayer, our group of leaders evaluated as many options as they could think of in an effort to best plan for the growth God will bring to this congregation in the coming years. The options included … Keeping the existing facilities and programs the way they are now. Continuing with the church’s Master Plan and constructing additional facilities at this location, maxing out our present site. Making major changes to the current ways we program activities (for example, by adding a second Bible class hour) in order to double the use of the present building. Planting a congregation in another location in the Northwest part of town. Conducting our assemblies, classes and activities at multiple sites or campuses. Relocating by building a new facility to another site in Northwest Lubbock. The advantages and disadvantages of each option were thoroughly discussed, especially in light of the kingdom purposes of the Green Lawn congregation. The costs of all options were carefully weighed – both the costs that can be monetarily measured and the costs more difficult to quantify in terms of time, energy, direction of ministries, and our identity as a church family. Today your shepherds place before the congregation what we believe is the best option open to us at this time. We believe it is time for us as the Green Lawn family to move forward with the next phase of the Master Plan and construct additional space to this physical plant. While the specific design and features of additional facilities still need to be determined in order to best meet our growing, changing ministry needs, the focus of this next phase remains as it did before: (1) to provide additional and more effective space for church fellowship (namely, a multipurpose facility that can be used for large church gatherings and activities); (2) to supply additional classroom space for all age groups; (3) to construct additional office facilities that will adequately serve the ministry of our staff; and (4) to provide spaces where all of our ministries at Green Lawn can grow and expand their service to the kingdom of God. A Time for the Church to Plan for the Future The Green Lawn leadership, therefore, would like to submit for your consideration this plan for moving forward as we seek to meet the kingdom purposes we have as a body of believers. We fully understand that constructing additional facilities is not without costs. In fact, the costs for the construction we are talking about is very large, much larger than we can handle on our own. These are costs for which we will have to rely on the Lord as He provides and directs. The construction costs will be higher than anything we have undertaken before. Each of us will be required to devote ourselves to generously and sacrificially contribute to pay for the cost of the project. It will require that we be inconvenienced as construction begins and moves from stage to stage. We can assure you that the leadership of this church is fully committed to good stewardship of the resources God blesses to this congregation. It has been our tradition to “pay as you go” when it comes to the building of facilities and to avoid heavy, long-term debt that can drain our resources and hinder good works of ministry. This may mean construction in stages as we enter the next phase of the Master Plan. The Master Plan of growth has been from the beginning a vision that was developed and accepted by the congregation at Green Lawn. The shepherds and ministers want any move toward the future to continue to be one that we all as a church family take together. This is not merely the dream of the leadership. This is our dream as a people of God. It is a significant decision, one that will require much from all of us and will need to be pursued with earnest prayer and bold steps of faith. Your participation and input is necessary. As we move forward, there will be many opportunities for you to submit your input in formal and informal ways. We want that and need that. Those who work on specific plans for construction need to know what you as a congregation can dream and will support as we strive to meet the needs of our growing church family. Please take some time today to send written comments to our shepherds. Talk with one of them and let them know your thoughts on this dream. Together, we will meet the challenges we have as a growing, active body of the Lord’s people.


5701 W. 19th Street, Lubbock, Texas 79407, 806-795-4377

Listen to the report Printable PDF file of report

Vision: 2007 Report of Future Project to Congregation

2001 Brought an Addition to the Green Lawn Facilities

Additional Facilities Afforded New Opportunities for the Green Lawn Church

New Challenges Face the Green Lawn Church

The Search for Solutions to Meet the Challenges Ahead

A Time for the Church to Plan for the Future

Listen to the report
Printable PDF file of report

Vision: 2007
Report of Future Project to Congregation