• Worship Spaces: Updating environments to support current and future ministry models and improving tech infrastructure for in-person and online worship
• Hospitality: Creating welcoming spaces where people can connect and linger
• Next Gen Environments: Developing mid-sized “living room” styles for kids, students and adults (vs. primarily classroom configurations)
• Facility Refresh: Renewing the full building, including kitchens and bathrooms

These renderings are intended to help illustrate the look, feel, and function of the renovated spaces. The images are conceptual and not final designs, nor do they include every element. They provide a visual representation of the overall vision, and as the process continues, some details will change as the project moves through final design and construction.

• Sanctuary: Our pews are no longer repairable and have reached the end of their functional life.
• Community Center: The flooring is currently separating from the concrete, creating both aesthetic and maintenance issues.
• Kitchens & Bathrooms: As some of our most-used spaces, these are due for updates to remain clean, functional, and welcoming.

But this is about more than just maintenance. We are strengthening our capacity for ministry. We want our building to be a tool, not a distraction, where personal relationships can flourish and people can find their spiritual home. We’re updating these spaces to ensure that the current and next generation has a vibrant, well-cared-for environment to grow in their relationship with Jesus.

Yes. The leadership team has put in many hours of work, secured counsel from several trusted professionals, and worked diligently to ensure this project is the right step forward.

We plan to provide significant support to two long-standing partners, one local – Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities, and one international – Haiti Teen Challenge, who also have specific plans for facility improvements. Our goal is to provide $1.8M in gifts between these two partners.

We will continue our regular benevolence gifts to mission partners ($600K over two years), with a goal to provide an extra tithe to these mission partners who are serving Jesus in our communities and around the world (an additional $600K over two years).

In planning the scope of the Here I Am initiative, the Church Council tasked church staff and the Benevolence Committee with identifying two key mission partners—one local and one international—that could benefit from a transformational, one-time capital gift.

To select these partners, the team:

• Evaluated existing relationships, focusing on current Shepherd mission partners with active or upcoming capital projects aligned with our vision to create spaces where people can encounter Jesus.
• Applied the Helping Without Hurting framework to ensure sustainable, empowering support.
• Engaged in thoughtful discernment through extensive discussions and visits before officially selecting Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities and Haiti Teen Challenge.

In addition to these major capital gifts, the Benevolence Committee will expand our ongoing support. In 2027 and 2028, we will double our traditional benevolence commitment—moving from 10% to 20% of income—to support both existing and new mission partners as part of Here I Am.

While individual giving to non-profits and ministries is vital and encouraged, giving together creates exponential impact. When we pool our resources in a shared direction through Shepherd, we can provide the significant level of funding required for major capital projects—achieving transformational outcomes that individual gifts alone couldn’t accomplish.

By coming together through Here I Am, our collective support will empower Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities and Haiti Teen Challenge to launch and complete critical projects that might otherwise remain out of reach.

Building on the master planning effort that began more than five years ago, teams of church staff are working on Here I Am on a daily basis with oversight and involvement from the Church Council. Experts across architecture, construction, technology, and interior design are engaged to provide guidance and are being relied on in decisions.

Following our master planning phase, the Church Council authorized our architect to turn those initial concepts into actionable plans. The master plan serves as our primary roadmap, keeping every design choice aligned with our overarching vision.

As of fall 2026, we are in the design phase of the process where decisions on specific updates, layout changes, and renovation details are being made. As this design phase concludes, decisions on materials and finishes will be finalized. Following the design phase, the architect will begin work on construction documents required to bring the physical plans to life.

Plans do not include expanding our physical building footprint, with the exception of a modest expansion for storage space. Instead, our facility is already well-positioned to support substantial growth through our current worship schedule.

We believe the ideal size for a worshipping community is around 500 people per service. Beyond this size, building authentic connections and meaningful relationships becomes significantly more difficult. Across our three Sunday services, our sanctuary has a total combined capacity of 1,500 worshippers. While individual services may feel full at times, our overall capacity is substantially larger than our current average Sunday attendance, giving us room for growth before hitting physical limits.

The goal includes $9 million for project budgets and $6 million for our normal operating budget over two years, for a total of $15 million. This breaks down further as:

• $6 Million: Shepherd building renovations
• $3 Million: Mission partners
• $6 Million: Annual operating budgets for 2027–2028

This initiative is structured as one fund to include both our regular operating budget and the capital project. It is an expansion of our regular giving rather than a separate campaign, designed to support ministry today while preparing for tomorrow.

No. We do not intend to incur debt for this initiative.

We believe together we can meet or exceed this God-sized goal! However, responsible stewardship requires clear contingency planning. If realignment becomes necessary, or if God provides beyond our expectations, we will prioritize funding as follows:

If we fall short of the goal, priorities are:

1. Ministry Operations: Fully fund two years of operating expenses for Shepherd ministry ($6 million).
2. Core Benevolence: Fully fund our traditional benevolence commitment of 10% of our income ($600,000).
3. Capital & Mission Projects: Proportionally fund local renovation costs at Shepherd ($6 million) and outward gifts to our mission partners ($2.4 million).

If we exceed the goal, additional funds will be directed toward expanding our outward mission partner support and completing the next phase of long-term care and improvements for our church property.

Shepherd first began using a pledge card (this fall, it’s called a commitment card) as a financial tool to help plan the yearly budget of the church. As our financial tools modernized and we switched to a fiscal year beginning in July, the need for the commitment card as a planning tool shifted. In recent years, our pledge cards each fall have served as a tool for personal spiritual practice of generosity, a way to pause and pray as a family and individuals about our financial discipleship.

But in the midst of the Here I Am initiative, your pledges are once again a vital planning tool to shape the future of building projects and those of our mission partners.

We are asking that everyone who calls Shepherd home prayerfully uses this tool to help us plan well. As you share your intended giving, you enable us to map the action phase of Here I Am and confidently step into our shared future. See a digital form of the Commitment Card at the top of this page.

We ask that you bring your physical card, or submit the digital version at the top of this page, on Sundays October 18 or 25, when there will be an opportunity in worship to pray over our pledges. Otherwise, you can submit a card anytime in person, to the church office, or online, using the Commitment Card tab above, by October 25.