Thank you to all who completed our building survey. We had 335 responses and the information provided will help us plan for our future building needs to support the advancement of our mission to Connect, Grow and Serve.  

Please note that this survey was meant to re-initiate where we paused in 2020 after COVID and was in motion before Pastor John’s retirement announcement. At that time, from congregation input, it was clear that both campuses would remain. Downtown campus will be maintained and did not have any immediate needs. Highlands was in need of investment, possible expansion and reconfiguring given attendance pre-COVID.  

The goal of this most recent survey, was to get an idea of where the congregation stood as to return to worship and future building plans. The following is a summary of the survey results followed by our planned next steps:

Survey Results

1. 90% of the respondents were supportive of the Building Progress Committee re-initiating our building planning efforts.
2. Overall, respondents were comfortable with returning in person for most activities with service time, fellowship and safety as the main deciding factors for in person attendance.

3. The prioritization of the 6 key areas indicated support for an overall Highlands Building Renovation followed by Kitchen Renovation/Upgrade and Lobby/Narthex Expansion.

3. Financial support somewhat followed the prioritization results.
4. We also received 95 thoughtful additional comments to help inform our future planning. Themes from those comments can be summarized as follows:

• Overall supportive of planning for future and upgrading/renovating facilities is understood and appreciated; however, expansion doesn’t seem necessary until we understand capacity goals during regular service times. Incorporate more data and demographic information to inform investment decisions. Utilize existing campuses/space to fullest extent before investing in expansions.
• Programming and service time considerations including maintaining and incorporating virtual worship options.
• Bethel Highlands Preschool expansion is supported if long term strategic plan and financial stability are more understood.
• Creative ideas provided around storage, combining use of space, music support, community/revenue generating space, and needs both at Highlands and Downtown Campus.

Proposed Next Steps:

• Plan for and conduct small group discussions to explore feedback and options including programming and creative possibilities to fully utilize our existing facilities yet plan for future growth.
• Pause on any further expansion recommendations until new lead Pastor is hired and on board. Work with the interim pastor and church council on providing feedback received and incorporating future building planning into future lead Pastor’s job description.
• Proceed with planning for short term Highlands renovation plan outside of a formal capital campaign. Invest in what we have before adding/expanding.

Thank you again for taking time to provide input. For those that did not have an opportunity to complete the survey, we will be reaching out in the next months with other forms of participation. Contribution from the congregation is important to ensure alignment and transparency on potential future investments to support our mission of Connecting, Growing, and Serving meeting the needs of our individual faith journeys, our congregation, our community and beyond.  

Bethel Building Progress Committee Members: Pastor Ladd Sonnenberg, Pastor Kris Kurzejeski James Johnson, Dawn Arnevik, Matt Wolf, Matt Aubart, Gwen Cossin, Missy Spinks-Austreng, Jeff Maki, Steve Weeks, Kelle Anderson, and Tim Rutten.