What is the Entrusted Vision?
Missions Cadence
God has entrusted our church with people eager for missions work and the resources to regularly support 37 missionaries and church plants around the world. Next year we will start an annual missions cadence to prayerfully, financially, and physically support these ministry efforts with local, domestic, and international missions projects. God can also use it to help people discern and affirm God’s calling on their lives, living out passion over comfort. This is an outward focused approach to reach more people far from God so they will experience faith in Christ.
We have a growing volunteer team, the Missionary Contact Team, that has been praying for and supporting these missionaries as they stay in regular contact with them. In 2026 there will be opportunities to travel with and fund Expectation teams domestically and internationally to provide hands-on support to those church planters and missionaries.
Local Church Planting
God has entrusted us with growth and a calling to make disciples. We will put to work the lessons, resources, and people God continues to give us to start new churches. These new churches will start as Expectation Church campuses for a season and become independent churches. We will be meeting needs as we expand our reach so more people who are far from God will experience faith in Christ.
This approach provides more opportunities to lead through serving. Over the last 36 months our attendance growth has outpaced our volunteer growth. Thankfully that gap narrowed some in 2024 but we still need greater engagement in serving so that all of our teams can flourish and replicate in a new location. Currently we need a 50% increase in volunteers in specific areas such as eKids, the H2 (Home and Hospital Team), and the prayer team.
We anticipate the cost of this church planting strategy will require about $1 million over three years. This represents approximately 10% of our annual budget. We would be able to cover these expenses through our savings and operating budget if only 50 people who aren’t giving regularly yet would adopt a pattern of giving at least once a month.
Property Expansion
God has entrusted us with an amazing building and property on Braddock Road with significant unrealized potential. We currently have a 56,000 sq. ft. building and 125,600 sq. ft. of undeveloped real-estate at this property. Dozens of community groups use our space 3 out of every 4 days. We shuttle volunteers who parked off-site every Sunday because we’re running out of parking spaces. We have developed a multi-phased site plan for the property, with the first phase adding a ministry building and additional parking. Even adding more parking spaces takes years and significant financial investment beyond our regular giving and budget. The proposed building will add 20,000 sq. ft. (36% increase) of ministry space designed with eye toward student and community ministry. The parking lot will add 126 spaces, increasing our parking capacity by 31%. These additions will better serve our church and community by meeting existing needs. This demonstrates the integrity of our faith as we reach people far from God so they will experience faith in Christ.
The development of our Braddock road property will require significant investment beyond our regular giving and budget. In consultation with our design team, we anticipate the first phase of the Braddock property development will cost $14 - $15 million.
Through your generous giving, Expectation received $3.4 million in 2024 and is on track to collect more in 2025. We have consistently budgeted less than we’ve received so we currently have $2 million allocated to the Entrusted Vision as a downpayment. We need to raise an additional $12-$13 million from the people of Expectation Church over and above our regular giving and maintain our current level of giving toward our general budget to fund Phase 1 of the Braddock property, plant a new church, and start our missions rhythm.
How can we raise this much?
One step at a time. Scripture teaches to “know the condition of your flocks” (Pr. 27:23) and to “give careful thought to your ways” (Hag. 1:7). On September 14, we will implement an anonymous, churchwide survey. There will be no pledges, promises, or names connected to giving capacity, but there will be direct questions about agreement, excitement, willingness and ability to support this vision with your prayer, presence, efforts and financial generosity over and above your current level of engagement. A third-party consultant will collect our answers and provide a report back to us about the level of support for each facet of the Entrusted Vision and a general sense of how much we can contribute toward funding this vision. This information will be crucial as we finalize the pacing and details of the Entrusted Vision.
It has to be about Jesus.
Fundraising, bigger buildings, missions trips, and leading teams are all necessary for this vision to come to fruition. We must not become distracted by these details but keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. We grow as disciples when we practice obedience in serving others, gathering in the church, giving, and prayer. The Entrusted Vision should never distract us from our mission, instead it must be surrendered to God as a means for fulfilling our mission: so that people far from God will experience faith in Christ.
