But Chisum believes one major factor helped prevent burnout: trust. Throughout the project, Master’ s Plan maintained close communication with church leadership, allowing potential issues to be identified before they became expensive problems.“ We caught a lot of issues before they happened,” Chisum says.“ That saved us hundreds of thousands of dollars.” It also potentially saved them a pastor— not that Chisum was planning on leaving. Even so, he has seen firsthand how living through difficult construction projects often causes burned-out pastors to move on. Instead, Chisum remains energized about the church’ s future.“ Hey, look— I’ m still here,” he says, laughing.
Creating safer, more functional kids spaces Children’ s ministry was also a central priority throughout the project. Prior to construction, Central operated with what Chisum calls a“ small church mentality” regarding security.“ It was like,‘ Hey, we know everybody. Just bring your kid on back,’’” he says. Today, it’ s an entirely different mindset. Parents who expect visibility, safety, and intentional security processes( read: all of them) can know— from the children’ s check-in and large glass-enclosed security zone in the lobby— that their children are in good hands.“ I tell people it’ s the safest place for your kid in town,” Chisum says. The church also added a large indoor playground, expanded children’ s gathering areas, and created a dedicated kids worship environment. And a preschool— Grand Central Kids— serves roughly 200 children and workers daily.
Really reimagining the worship center Perhaps the most dramatic transformation occurred inside the worship center itself. Again, the existing room reflected older ministry models, with an oversized stage and a choir loft collecting dust for more than a decade. Meanwhile, the room itself was extremely wide and shallow— creating awkward sightlines and limiting intimacy.“ When I would preach, the angle of the audience was almost 180 degrees,” Chisum says. At one point, he and Rodney James stood on the stage and realized that making eye contact with one section of the room meant literally turning their backs to another section.“ That’ s not good communication,” Chisum says. The solution involved demolishing overabundant small group space behind the seating at the back of the room and expanding the worship center backward. Concrete risers were added, and the room became narrower and deeper. The stage footprint was reduced dramatically. New AVL systems, LED walls, lighting, and production infrastructure were installed throughout the space.“ It was a complete gut job,” Chisum says.“ The only thing left was the back wall.” Big changes, big impact.“ Now there’ s not a bad seat in the house,” he says.“ The new design has created the opportunity to provide a great experience for everyone, no matter where they might sit.”
Leading through disruption... with a smile Of course, every major renovation comes with disruption. At Central, the church spent roughly 16 months meeting in its much smaller student venue while the worship center renovation unfolded. That experience required flexibility, patience, and endurance from both staff and congregation.
When the building finally supports the mission Today, Central Baptist Church feels dramatically different from the facility Chisum inherited in 2020. In fact, he says, if someone hadn’ t visited in 10 years, they likely wouldn’ t recognize it. Now, gathering spaces foster connection all week long. A clear front door welcomes guests and members. Children’ s ministry spaces convey fun and safety. Hospitality reins, with a great coffee space and different, dedicated gathering areas in the lobby. And instead of sequestering themselves in the same classroom week after week, the reworked facility reflects an obvious focus on versatility of space.“ We don’ t have a giant church, but it feels like we do,” Chisum says.“ I guess that’ s because it’ s being used in so many different ways.” Most importantly, the building now supports the church’ s outwardfocused mission rather than working against it. The church is now nearing the halfway point of back-to-back capital campaigns that will allow the entire project to be paid off within roughly six years. Even by then, Chisum will probably be hearing the same thing church members say so often these days:“‘ We should’ ve done this 20 years ago.’” He laughs.“ Yesss.”
QUICK FACTS ABOUT CENTRAL BAPTIST CHURCH OWASSO
Year established: 1963 Number of staff— full-time and part-time: 16 Average attendance: 494 2026 budget: $ 1.4 million
12 CHURCH EXECUTIVE | MAY 2026