JEFF PELLETIER / EXECUTIVE PASTOR / MILESTONE CHURCH / KELLER, TX
Built to serve. Designed to grow.
What began in a former grocery store has become a thriving multisite ministry. Through the right building partnership— including strategic land acquisition, careful due diligence, and future-focused design— Milestone Church built a campus model ready for long-term growth.
By RaeAnn Slaybaugh
Long before Jeff Pelletier became executive pastor at Milestone Church in Keller, Texas, Jeff Little, founding pastor of Milestone Church, was simply“ Pastor Jeff.” The two men shared mutual friendships, a common vision for ministry— and, as it turned out, the same first name. So, when the opportunity arose in 2012 for Pelletier to join the church staff, the decision for him and his wife felt like an easy one. Milestone already reflected the values they wanted for their family and the kind of ministry they believed in. Today, staff distinguish the two leaders by calling Little“ Pastor Jeff” and Pelletier“ Pastor JP.” The informal solution reflects a deeper reality: strong leadership alignment that has helped fuel the church’ s remarkable growth. Within months of Pelletier’ s arrival, Milestone leaders were already discussing a bold step— purchasing land and building a permanent campus that could support the church’ s expanding ministry. That decision set the stage for a carefully planned approach to facilities, expansion and multisite growth that continues to shape Milestone’ s impact today.
Finding room for the vision In late 2012, soon after Jeff Pelletier joined Milestone Church as executive pastor, leaders had what he calls the“ first meaningful conversation” about buying land and relocating the church.“ I was pretty new in the saddle, but Pastor Jeff was really feeling the Lord urge us to do both,” Pelletier recalls.“ He had a vision for 50-plus acres of land where we would build our permanent base and— this is important— from which we could build and send future ministry leaders to make a significant Kingdom impact.”
It was a big step for Milestone. At that time, the church met in a 43,000-square-foot former grocery store in an active retail shopping center. The worship room held 766 chairs. Even with an objectively generous capacity, growth was being stifled. After all,“ the Jeffs” were already leading five services: two on Saturday and three on Sunday. It wasn’ t enough. Another challenge was adequate parking. Not only were spaces in short supply,
Founding Pastor Jeff Little but it was a long walk to the front door of the church. With all indicators pointing in the direction of buying land and moving, Milestone leaders soon found a 54.5-acre tract of undeveloped property in nearby Keller. It made sense for a few key reasons.“ Our broadcast campus is in Keller, so it was strategically positioned for the area and the demographic we already served,” Pelletier explains.“ The land was also very tightly aligned with significant geographic growth projections, both residentially and commercially. It was really a blessing to acquire it.”
Due diligence before development With their land in hand, the Milestone leadership team got serious about expansion. With stewardship top of mind, in 2013, one of their first steps was to enlist Richardson, Texas-based Goff Companies to perform a Strategic Assessment for Facility Expansion, or SAFE, before they moved forward with any plans. CEO Billy Goff and Pelletier had a long-standing business relationship prior to the latter joining the Milestone team. So, Pelletier was familiar with the firm’ s comprehensive approach to construction, including SAFE.
10 CHURCH EXECUTIVE | MARCH / APRIL 2026