CIF capital campaigns help shape church build-out

“It wasn’t gimmicky … It felt like there’s been a shared heart
of why CIF exists … to ultimately serve churches, but ultimately,
to serve Jesus. And it’s about the Kingdom.

I have felt that. We’ve reaped the benefits of that for sure.”
Todd Sauve, Pastor, Emmaus Church, Spring Valley, Wisconsin

In 2016, Emmaus Church members offered an “impossible” prayer, asking for 15 children and their families to attend. In time, God would quadruple that number, and new spaces for ministry followed in the village of Spring Valley, Wis., population 1,400.

“Can we be a church that God will entrust people to us, that if He brings people here, will we love them?” asked Pastor Todd Sauve and other church leaders. “Will we teach them the truth? Can we be trusted with kids and adults and families? We hope so.”

Coming home, seeking wisdom

Pastor Todd has had a heart for this community for a long time. Driving through town, he points out several people he knows and the house he grew up in.

The 40-year-old pastor returned to Spring Valley in 2010, first serving as the church’s youth pastor. He and his wife Jenny have six children at home.

Emmaus joined the Evangelical Free Church of America in 2016, and soon realized a move from their 1890s church building would be necessary. They needed wise counsel.

Pastor Todd welcomed the previous president of Christian Investors Financial (CIF), who made a personal and impactful visit.

“He drove out here to help us process some things on the very front end of what became this (first) building project, with no strings attached,” he said. “That was the first great experience, just a Christian brother basically saying, ‘How can I serve a church?’ that he wasn’t even trying to get anything from.”

Excellent location, unusual plan, huge giving

Slow and steady church growth was putting pressure on the old building. But new doors were opening as walls were being torn down, in the literal sense.

A nearly hundred-year-old public school on four acres in the heart of the small village would soon be demolished for a new school elsewhere. The church would buy the property for a reasonable price and reuse the newer part of the structure, a 1970s-era gymnasium.

Funds were needed, and CIF took an interest in what God was doing here, Pastor Todd explained. The first capital campaign set a goal of $400,000 with a miracle goal of $600,000. God blessed them with $556,000.

More than a decade before, Pastor Todd heard about a CIF campaign at another church where leaders told him they never would have raised what they did without it. There was a process and wisdom with CIF coming alongside, he explained.

Trusting God, who provided

“There was no guarantee when this whole building got demolished that the gym wouldn’t cave in,” Pastor Todd explained. “There was a faith element and there was a ‘We can’t control this,’ even in our campaign materials.”

The church would add a fellowship hall, classrooms, offices, small kitchen and restrooms. With a hanging divider and stage near the center, the church uses half of the gym for its sanctuary and the other half for recreation.

“We were able to pay cash on this project almost all the way to the end,” said Pastor Todd. They added a $178,000 church mortgage that was nearly paid off within a year.

But as more people came, children’s ministry spaces were simply not enough. Another buildout is needed, phases two and three, with more meeting rooms in the second, and a new auditorium in the third.

“We saved up again and never thought we would be having this building conversation again,” he said. They consulted with CIF again and set a goal of $600,000 for the second campaign with a miracle goal of $1.5 million.

Understanding the campaign journey

Campaign co-chair Dan Connors said he cringed at the thought of a capital campaign at first. “At least for me, I think ‘We’ve got to go ask people for money,’ and I’d rather pay it myself than ask people to donate.”

Then he learned about a key distinctive with CIF capital campaigns. It was not door knocking for donations, but instead sharing the vision of what God was doing through Emmaus and inviting people to come along for the journey.

Based on the village’s flood history and desire to spread the gospel far beyond it, the campaign theme is: “Building for Generations, a Flood to the Nations.” An outpouring of financial commitments resulted – $1.25 million and counting.

To partner or not to partner

Connors said he appreciated CIF’s approach. “Every project needs a quarterback to lay out the timelines, agendas and kind of walk us through what each thing was going to be.”

Emmaus had considered doing a campaign on their own. “Wisely, we just decided that’s probably not the best thing to do,” said Connors. “Let’s work with CIF who worked with us before, who has a process. We’re not going to get another shot at it.”

Spending the time needed

When a CIF consultant came to talk with them, Connors said he didn’t get a sense of, “’Hey, this is a business meeting. Let’s get down to business.’ It was more of a relational, let’s get to know each other.”

I feel like he did a really good job of wanting to get to know the heart of our church and getting to know our hearts,” Connors explained. CIF needed to know and understand the church’s vision in the small community, who they are and how God is moving there.

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“We just feel like CIF has been a great partner. I’ve never felt like this was some worldly cookie-cutter ‘trusting in the work of man’ type of thing,” said Pastor Todd.

“It wasn’t gimmicky … It felt like there’s been a shared heart of why CIF exists is to ultimately serve churches, but ultimately, to serve Jesus. And it’s about the Kingdom. I have felt that … we’ve reaped the benefits of that for sure.”

Teaching stewardship principles

Following a CIF campaign recommendation, Pastor Todd and others at Emmaus gave a sermon series on biblical stewardship. They presented a biblical view and basis for what the church was doing.

With the campaign’s success, there’s a chance for the church to do both of its upcoming construction phases at once. “God is working and moving in the hearts of people in our congregation,” Connors said. “And that is allowing us to move forward with the project and His Kingdom work.”

Could a capital campaign with CIF be the piece of the puzzle that helps solve space problems for your church? Contact us today to explore possible options.