Frequently Asked Questions:

Several questions surfaced during the recent Cottage meetings and Open Forums, so we thought we would publish them. If you have further questions, please e-mail Steve Kammeyer (Excecutive Director).

Question: Have you identified potential sites for the relocation? If so, where are they?

Answer: We are aware of a number of pieces of land within four or five miles of our current facility. All are located in the Urbandale/Johnston area, but we will not have any serious discussions with potential sellers until the Strategic Plan has been approved by the congregation. If the plan is approved, we will take a more in-depth look at our site needs and identify parcels of land that meet those needs. The congregation will need to vote again to approve the site and purchase of land.

Question: Why won’t the city let us expand to the north?

Answer: In order for a church to operate, it must be granted a conditional use permit by the city. That means the city does not re-zone the land, but allows us to use land that is zoned for something else (i.e., residential). Because the neighborhood to our immediate north is a planned subdivision, expanding the church would have significant impact on the neighborhood, traffic patterns, etc. Thus, the city has made it clear they would not approve a conditional use permit. (The city would consider doing so for the three properties located along 86 th Street, but those properties would not improve our situation.)

Question: What happens to the building we are in now?

Answer: The Strategic Plan calls for selling our current facility once we have moved to our new location. However, the existing facility will not be sold until it is approved by a congregational vote. At this point, we do not know what the market value of the current building is but have conservatively estimated the value at $4.5 million.

Question: Is there a market for the existing facility?

Answer: Clearly, our building is a special-use facility and would likely be sold to another church. While we have not discussed the sale of this facility with other churches, we are aware of churches looking for more space. A few have informally expressed an interest in talking to us if we should decide to move.

Question: How big do we want to get? Have we considered staying the same size?

Answer: We have not really discussed the potential size of our congregation, as that is not the focus of this plan. The plan is focused on expanding our ministries to bring Jesus Christ to people for the first time and for a lifetime. Our human side likes the intimate feeling of knowing everyone at church, but God calls for us to go forth and make disciples of all nations. More than 50 percent of our community does not have a church home, and our call from Christ is to reach out with the good news to all people and not limit ourselves.

Question: How would the capital giving campaigns work?

Answer: We are proposing a series of three capital campaigns. For at least the first two campaigns, we would enlist the support of a professional fundraising organization. Studies have repeatedly shown that the assistance of fundraising organizations significantly increases the success of a campaign. These organizations now work for a fixed fee, rather than a percentage of the total funds raised. Each campaign would last three years.

Question: If the Strategic Plan is approved, how soon would you ask the congregation to make a decision on purchasing a piece of land?

Answer: After the congregation approves the Strategic Plan, we will begin the search for a suitable site with the goal of purchasing a piece of land in the 2008-2009 fiscal year. Prior to buying land, the congregation must vote to approve the purchase.

Question: How will the voting process work for the Strategic Plan, and how does that relate to the existing bylaws?

Answer: The constitution and bylaws of our church call for a congregational vote to take place on the following items:

• The calling or removal of a pastor.
• The acquisition or disposal of real estate.
• The incurrence of indebtedness beyond 5% of the annual budget for any other real property.
• The election or removal of Governing Board members.
• The ratification of an annual budget.
• The excommunication of a member of the congregation.
• The separation or disbandment of the congregation.
• Amendments to the Constitution or Bylaws.

Because the passage of a Strategic Plan is not covered in the bylaws, the Governing Board had to make a decision on how to proceed. The Governing Board has decided the Strategic Plan is important enough to require a congregational vote to move ahead. Furthermore, the Governing Board has set the standard that the plan must be approved by 2/3 of those who vote.

Voting will take place March 1 and 2; every member family in the congregation has been notified of the procedures. Members who are not able to vote in person that weekend may also vote by absentee ballot, following the procedures mandated from the Governing Board. Votes will be tabulated by a committee of eight individuals – two from the Governing Board, two from the Board of Elders and four from the congregation at large. Results will be posted on our Web site (www.gloriadeionline.com) Monday, March 3 and a postcard announcing the results will be sent to all member families.

A vote in favor of the Strategic Plan allows staff and leadership to move forward with the expressed ministry goals as well as perform additional work toward the relocation. Additional votes will be required, as per our bylaws, before we purchase land and before we build.

Question: Will we lose our commitment to community if we move?

Answer: Gloria Dei’s commitment to the community is not something based on our location, but rather our vision of G.R.A.C.E. Regardless of our physical location, we will continue to strive to be a beacon to the community at large.

Question: Can the vote be split into two votes – one on ministry and one on relocation?

Answer: The Governing Board briefly considered that option and quickly made the decision that the two items are too closely linked to separate the votes. The Strategic Plan is about our entire ministry and how we can grow that ministry; the relocation is about how we accommodate that ministry growth.

Question: What will we do if the vote is no?

Answer: If the congregation does not approve the Strategic Plan as it is presented, we will go back and identify which parts of the plan caused concern and work to improve them. In the end, our goal is to reach people with the good news of Christ and bring them to a relationship with him.

Question: If the plan is approved, we still have a number of years in our current facility. How will we handle the growth?

Answer: There is no question that we are limited by our current building; staff and leadership are working to accommodate the continued growth of our congregation. In fact, a group is working right now to accommodate our Christian education program next fall. As we continue to grow beyond our capacity in the current facility, we will have to adopt creative solutions and make some choices and sacrifices.