IT'S TIME TO MOVE FORWARD
We are at a crossroads, standing on the edge of what could be a generation-defining moment for Johnson Ferry. What we intend to accomplish in the next two years will be a launching pad for what we do in the next 20 years.
We are inviting our entire church body to move forward together in faith and generosity to make a generational difference. Forward will build a bridge to the future of Johnson Ferry. The time to act is now!
WHAT IS FORWARD?
Forward is a two-year expression of our vision that will build a bridge to the future of Johnson Ferry. We will build on the strengths of our church while expanding our capacity for ministry. We are stronger as one, and we believe God is calling us to move Forward together to advance His Mission through our church, into our community, and around the world.
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Build a new worship space to unite all generations and pass down our faith
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Pray for 500+ baptisms as people declare their faith in Jesus
- Invest in our growing Special Needs ministry to create a welcoming space for every family
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Launch 50+ new home groups to make disciples and reach our neighborhoods with the gospel
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Produce original worship music to help our church worship every day of the week
- Plant a gospel-focused, autonomous church in Metro Atlanta to bring truth, belonging, and purpose in Jesus to a community
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Serve the vulnerable by partnering with and supporting 45+ local ministries, including shelters, pregnancy centers, refugee outreach, and more
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Care for local schools by meeting practical needs
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Support adoptive and foster families through financial assistance, counseling, and post-placement care
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Send Sent Ones and resources to those with little or no gospel access
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Fund Bible translation for two unreached people groups.
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Mobilize short-term teams worldwide
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Continue supporting 65+ ministry partners globally
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Continue our work towards sending 35 mid/long-term Sent One units by 2026
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Invest $1.5M in NYC church planting, by planting six new churches
EXPANDING THE VISION
HOW WILL WE GET HERE
- Building a new worship venue that will allow for one unified expression of worship.
- Creating a room with greater seating capacity.
- Connecting all worshipers to our atrium, which has become the hub of activity.
- Refreshing, modernizing, and securing our Preschool and Children’s spaces, allowing us to continue to do ministry with excellence.
- Doing all of this without adversely affecting on-site parking.
EXPANSION OVERVIEW
- 2500 seat worship venue
- Centralized Preschool and Children’s Check-In
- Expanded lobby area that connects to the existing atrium
- Improved traffic flow for improved entrance and exit to campus
In order for us to move Forward, we need to create a space for unified worship, ministry, and increase our seating capacity so we can increase our sending capacity.
We believe that we are better together, and together, our light to this community will be even brighter!
THE GOAL IS
%
PARTICIPATION
We need each one of you to move our vision Forward through the church, into our community, and around the world.
This God-sized goal can only be accomplished if we all engage in what He is doing. Johnson Ferry has always been known as a giving church, and we believe that your generosity will continue as we seek to move the mission forward for the next generation.
TWO-YEAR FINANCIAL OVERVIEW
Our Forward Vision is an “all-in” effort to impact three specific areas: through our church, into our community, and around the world. We are unifying our generosity around one central fund where every dollar given will both support our existing yearly ministry goals and pave the way toward what God is calling us to next. In other words, there will be only one fund to resource everything God is doing at Johnson Ferry over the next two years.
On November 2, you will be invited to make a two-year Forward Vision commitment. We believe God will reveal to you the one number that will represent your total, sacrificial generosity to accomplish the work God has called us to.
FAQ'S
How much will the expansion and renovation cost?
Our two-year Forward financial goal is $82 million. This will fund two years of ministry, missions, and build a new worship venue. Which will allow us to have a unified expression of worship, and increase our campus capacity to reach more of our community with the gospel.
Will we have to incur debt in order to expand our facilities?
The construction of a new worship venue is expected to be an approximately $55 million project designed to serve the next 20+ years of ministry and maximize the capacity of our campus. We expect debt service to remain under $2M annually, which fits comfortably within our ongoing ministry budget. Importantly, no ministry or missions funding will be reduced to cover the building costs.
If I want to give to the Forward Vision, do I need to designate my Gift?
To give to the Forward Vision, you do not need to designate your gift. All of the funds given during the Campaign go towards the Forward Vision.
What are we going to do with the sanctuary?
The quick answer is, nothing at the moment. Our sanctuary will continue to host numerous events, both for our church and the broader community, such as choir events, baccalaureates, graduations, weddings, funerals, concerts, commissionings, ordinations, and so many other milestone moments in the lives of our community and the people of this church. One significant gain of no longer using the sanctuary on Sunday is that we will be able to secure our elementary kids’ area. Today, in order to allow passage from the sanctuary to the rest of the building, we are required to keep access for people in this area. Finally, securing those areas is a key concern for the safety of our children.
What is the worship experience going to be like?
Our greatest desire is not to be defined by worship styles. Our commitment will always be to biblically sound theology in our songs, hymns, and spiritual songs. As we say, “good theology leads to great doxology”. A variety of hymns, ancient and modern, praise, and songs written right here at Johnson Ferry (Psalm 96) will be sung. Our priority will be Christ-centered worship that fosters the participation of the church. Choirs are a constant throughout the scriptures, including our eternal future outlined in Revelation. So, we would desire a group of worshipers from our congregation leading our church in worship often. Instruments of all types will be utilized in our worship with a commitment to excellence in musicality and quality.
Our desire for a future worship space would give us the ability to make use of natural light, have more comfortable seating for all, and be shaped in a way that allows more intimacy and visual clarity. A flexible design that allows it to be used outside of Sunday, and enough platform space to accommodate choirs and different instrumentation with acoustic intentionality for the best control of the sound.
FAQ'S
Why are we going for such a bold goal?
We believe that while there is a cost to the vision God has given us, there is an even greater cost to do nothing. If we choose not to act in faith, then we will be going backwards! There are 6.9 million people in the metro-Atlanta area, and more than 67% of them do not attend any religious services regularly. That’s 4.15 million people who need the Gospel of Jesus. We believe we need to do whatever it takes to help those people find truth, belonging, and purpose in Jesus. The time is now to expand.
How do we know the cost is not too much and not too little?
We have received estimates based on current construction pricing from our architects for the scope of work to be done, based on national estimates and pricing from current projects. As we continue to move the construction project forward, the numbers may change, but we have confidence that the current estimate is realistic given what is happening on similar projects around the country.
What are we doing about the capacity issues that we are seeing in our student ministry and Kids Church?
The answer to every growth or capacity issue is not building new buildings. While we have marveled at the growth of our student ministries and children’s worship since we expanded those spaces in 2008 and 2014, both ministries continue to operate during only one hour of programming. Our ministry teams are actively considering and praying about how alternative approaches might strengthen an already strong and growing ministry.
Are we going to go down to only one hour of Sunday Worship?
Definitely not! While we could have considered building a worship venue to hold our entire church, we do not believe that to be good stewardship of our treasures or our property. Multiple services in a new 2,500-seat capacity venue, coupled with our model of gathering multiple hours for connection groups and serving on Sunday, allows us to maximize the capacity of all our spaces for years to come, while still allowing for growth.
Are we going to do anything about the parking?
While it is true that nobody has ever come to Johnson Ferry because of our parking lot, it is also true that we want every part of the JF experience to be as stress-free and safe as possible. With the addition of the new property, we will be able to construct a new worship venue without adversely affecting our on-site parking. This building project also allows us to prioritize both of these areas by maximizing parking on campus, improving traffic flow across campus, and increasing the number of ways to safely and efficiently move families from the parking lot to our ministry spaces. We will continue to leverage offsite parking and our shuttles, as necessary.