Church Executive CHURCH EXECUTIVE NOV-DEC 2017 DIGITAL | Página 6

MISSION: ACCOMPLISHED
B O B C H U R C H / A D M I N I S T R AT I V E PA S T O R / S A G E B R U S H C H U R C H / A L B U Q U E R Q U E , N M
Funding expansion with
fluidity, familiarity
By RaeAnn Slaybaugh
In its early life, Sagebrush was a church on the move — for
eight years, to be exact.
“It’s a funny thing; sometimes in the church world, people
want you to have a building to legitimize you,” says
Administrative Pastor Bob Church. “And yeah, portability
is kind of fun, because it’s pioneering. It’s just difficult to
maintain over time.”
Back in 2006, when Church joined the staff at Sagebrush,
it might have been difficult to imagine the rapid and unique
growth trajectory the church would enjoy over the next
several years, from a portable church to one with nine
locations. As it unfolded, though, he participated and
observed from a unique vantage point:
“I’ve watched this thing just explode over the last 11 years.”
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CHURCH EXECUTIVE | NOV / DEC 2017
Seeking a more permanent place
It was soon after Church joined the team in 2006 when Sagebrush’s
pursuit of permanent facilities began. In fact, he oversaw the first building
project. The goal: to stabilize the church with a permanent
facility.
Now, with nine locations, the next goal is to make
sure each location has its own permanent
facility. Rather than build or retrofit them
one at a time, Sagebrush is moving fast. To
date, the church has five permanent facilities
— leaders were able to pay cash for three; the
other two carry mortgages.
And, the search is always on for permanent
facilities to house Sagebrush’s four
remaining locations.
So, it’s not surprising to hear Church describe
the lending component of this expansion as
“interesting.” It’s an understatement, really;
this unique model could present a potentially
unsurmountable challenge for an unprepared,
unfamiliar lender.
Church knew this; so, with the help of one
of the church elders and a banking expert,
he began vetting different lending options.
Having carefully considered four different
outfits, from bond companies to traditional
banks, Bank of the West ultimately emerged as
the most flexible, familiar — and fast — option
for Sagebrush.