Answers to your questions about Reimagine

• 1. Why are we adding campuses when our current campuses have capacity?

  We believe adding campuses is the most strategic way to reach more people, impact more communities, and help more people engage in our mission. With a few of the fastest-growing areas in the country just to our north, we feel we can have a huge impact in communities where distance from an existing campus is currently a big obstacle to engagement and impact. Also, after a dip in attendance at the height of COVID, our campuses are now showing encouraging growth in their communities.

• 2. What will be different about our new campuses?

  Historically we have built “church first” spaces, where we first determined what programming the church needed and then hoped the spaces also worked for other things. This approach leaves us with spaces that are empty for most of the week. Our new campuses are starting with the question, “How can this space add value to the community and meet people in the daily rhythm of their lives?” As we answer that question, things like coffee shops, childcare, counseling centers, and other opportunities shaped by a community’s unique needs will begin to emerge. We will also make sure the spaces work for church programming during key times of the week.

• 3. How are we re-working our current campuses to activate them?

  Our desire is for our existing campuses to be daily hubs of activity for our community, too. Offering high-quality childcare for our community is one approach. Local Good Coffee Co. is another. We are looking at each campus to figure out what community needs we could meet with our spaces, and going forward from there.

• 4. Where will the next campuses be located?

  4. Where will the next campuses be located?

  We’ve had more than 50 requests for campuses in different areas, After some feasibility studies, we’ve narrowed it down to a few opportunities. The North McKinney/Anna/Melissa area has emerged as one possibility, given its combination of need and resident Chase Oakers; there are also great opportunities with high-growth areas like Celina and Sherman. Those are our top three candidates, and we have a team with expertise in real estate and city planning that is working hard on the specifics.

• 5. The Local Good Pantry seemed to just pop up; what’s the story behind the Pantry?

  Chase Oaks has had a great reputation in the community because of the good that Chase Oakers have been doing for decades. Last year, we were approached by a pantry in Richardson that was feeding 5000+ people a month but struggling with resources to continue. We looked at the potential impact a pantry could have, our commitment to the city of Richardson, and our desire to provide more community engagement for Chase Oakers and their friends. We decided to say “yes” to the opportunity, so in November, that pantry closed on a Friday and the new Local Good Pantry opened the following Monday. The Pantry is off to a great start, and we have a lot of enhancements for it planned through the Reimagine project.

• 6. What will the Local Good Resale provide?

  The Local Good Center is a bright spot in our community and church. As we have established our four pillars and built great partnerships, a resale store—focused more on household items / furniture than clothes—makes sense for multiple reasons. It would be a resource for our partners who are helping people transition into apartments, homes, and other living situations. It would also offer another way we can contribute to the good of the community and invite our friends to do the same. Research and talks with others show it would be financially positive and would help fund many of the other programs we lead at the Local Good Center.

• 7. How do all the Local Good initiatives fit together?

  With the Local Good Center, Local Good Pantry, and Local Good Coffee Co., we have a “collective” of elements that work together to meet community needs and invite others, including our unchurched friends, to be part of something good. The elements all work together synergistically to deepen our impact in the community, provide engagement for people, and tell a local story of hope. Local Good is a brand and message that people outside the church are much more open to than “church.” Taken together, these initiatives are a great way to create common ground around the common good as we rebrand Christianity through relationships and meeting real needs.

• 8. How will the new residency program be different than the current model?

  Chase Oaks has always had its eye on the next generation of leaders. The new residency model will be different in a few significant ways. The residency will be a full-time, elite program with a national candidate pool. Residents will raise some of their own support while we provide other resources like housing. Rebranding Christianity begins with us but will happen much more fully with the new generation, and we want to be right in the middle of that story.

• 9. What are some specifics around anchoring the faith of the next generation?

  We have some new opportunities like Pine Cove City and a senior-only retreat with Jeff. We also have a lot of current opportunities like camp and mission trips that we want to make both more affordable and more accessible, doubling the number of students who get to experience these transformative environments. Along with these opportunities, our student spaces will be getting upgrades to make them even better for students to hang out throughout the week with their friends.

• 10. What will be done in the Next Gen spaces at the Woodbridge and Sloan Creek campuses?

  Woodbridge has an unfinished upstairs space that we would love to turn into a large group venue for students. We will also add two playgrounds at Woodbridge for our children and will also serve Pathways during the week.

  At Sloan Creek, we want to enhance the student space with more outdoor options (like multiple volleyball courts) where students can invite their friends and hang out during the week. We will also remodel the entire KIDS CO. space. We have learned a lot and seen our kid ratios change since first building Sloan Creek. To create an even more awesome environment for our children, KIDS CO. will go through a complete remodel with more classrooms, a bigger nursery, and spaces that are still fun but conducive to learning.

• 11. How long is the Reimagine project?

  The Reimagine project officially starts in May 2024 and will continue through May 2026, as a 2-year project that stretches over three tax years.

• 12. How did we determine that $20 Million is a doable project?

  We arrived at that number from a few different perspectives. We looked at a realistic cost for how much what we believe we need to do. We also looked at past projects and our annual budget to understand what a “stretch but doable” amount would be. With a budget of roughly $12M, a project less than two times our annual budget is in that window. Finally, we prayed with our elders for clarity on what seems like the right goal.

• 13. Do we plan to add debt to complete this project?

  Currently, we expect that all costs will be covered by the gifts and investments in Reimagine; therefore, we do not plan on acquiring additional debt.

• 14. Can I give toward a specific part of the project?

  We are all in this together, and all the different elements are connected to our overall mission. So, in spirit, you can give to certain parts of the project, but financially, gifts all go to the overall project to help with all the different elements of Reimagine.

• 15. What happens if we don’t raise enough money for the project?

  If resourcing falls short of the plan, we will look at a several different options. One is to reduce the scope or delay parts of the project to fit our resources. The other is to consider taking on reasonable debt to cover the gap. Our main focus right now is less on contingency plans and more on making Reimagine an amazing and transformative season at Chase Oaks. If we don’t raise enough funds, we will adjust our project accordingly.

• 16. What if I have other questions?

  We want you to be fully informed and empowered to lead well during Reimagine. There are no silly questions, so if you have any questions about the Reimagine project, please email us at Reimagine@chaseoaks.org and we look forward to connecting with you.