Emerging opportunities
Over the past two months, the Campus Development team has been focused on responding to emerging opportunities. We’ve retained two consulting teams to work together—one with expertise in residential and institutional development, and the other in architecture and site design. Both teams have significant experience working with churches. We met with them in November and again in December to begin this work.
Our first priority was to clearly communicate the Campus Vision so that all planning remains aligned with our ministries and guided by a “Church First” approach.
At this stage, work is focused on three main areas:
Phasing: Understanding what needs to happen first and how certain functions (such as children’s and welcome ministries) may depend on other areas of development being completed.
Adjacencies and Flow: Identifying which functions and support spaces need to be close together or separated, and how to design clear, effective flow for vehicles and for guests, visitors, and residents—both on the site and within buildings.
Street Presence: Clarifying how the campus presents itself to those passing by. The goal is to keep the church and relational ministries at the centre. We want to be a church with residences, not residences with a church. All development should clearly reflect the church’s identity and remain visibly connected to WMBC.
Next steps currently underway include gaining a better understanding of financing models, as well as investigating geotechnical and environmental considerations for the site, including the status of the oil well.
prayer items
Faithfulness to identity and mission: Pray that all planning and development would consistently reflect the heart, values, and calling of WMBC—remaining a church with residences, not the other way around.
Clarity and wisdom in discernment: Pray for wisdom as decisions are made around phasing, layout, and priorities, that each step would be clear, well-timed, and aligned with our value of being a Church First.
Provision and stewardship: Pray for guidance and provision as financing models, site conditions, and environmental considerations are explored, that resources would be stewarded wisely and obstacles addressed with discernment and trust.
Questions? Email campus@westmeadows.org