September 24, 2023 Information Sunday
The following information is to answer questions that have been asked about the structure, membership, and future of Madison Methodist Church in Madison, Ga.
(Click here to listen to the information meeting)
Church Governance
How will our church be governed?
Madison Methodist Church will be governed by its active members. We are happy to be affiliated with the Global Methodist Church (GMC), however, we wish to control our future. Bylaws were drafted and executed, vesting governing authority in the Administrative Council members.
In addition to the Administrative Council there will be a committee on finance, committee on pastor-parish relations, board of trustees and council on ministries. The church council will serve as the nominating committee. Active members of the Administrative Council will elect the committees.
What role will our new minister play in governing our church?
The new minister will be our shepherd and spiritual head. We will look to the pastor for advice and counsel on all matters. He or she will have a non-voting seat on the church council.
Church Membership
How do I become a member of Madison Methodist Church?
Membership Sunday will be October 15, 2023. A representative from the Global Methodist Church will lead a service in which all who desire to become members may join the congregation together. For more information on membership, please refer to section 311 of the Transitional Book of Doctrines and Disciplines site — https://globalmethodist.org/what-we-believe/
Pastor Search
What is the process for hiring a pastor in the GMC?
Unlike the UMC, the GMC provides for the local congregation to have a voice in the selection of their pastor. A wise person in the GMC describes it this way, your pastor was previously appointed BY the UMC conference, your pastor now will be appointed THROUGH the GMC conference with local congregation input.
What is the timing for hiring a pastor?
Everyone wants to have a pastor hired as soon as we can. However, there are a couple of speed bumps. First, there is the clergy transition from the UMC that is still ongoing. Until the North GA Conference meeting on November 18, 2023, there is still much uncertainty about the availability of clergy. Second, the GMC will not allow a current GMC pastor to leave their post until they are replaced. We are prepared for this process to take some time. In the meantime, we have already filled our pastoral calendar through November.
Have we identified a pastor?
Hiring a pastor is of utmost importance to the leadership of MMC. Grady has retired. We thank him and Deborah for a job well done. The committee on pastor-parish relations (PPRC) will interview prospective candidates and submit their final choice to the Administrative Council and the GMC for its action.
Pastor Search
What is the church’s budget?
The church’s annual giving budget for contributions is $650,000 or $12,500 per week.
Are contributions meeting the budget?
Through the first seven weeks of our church, the faithfulness of our congregation produced regular contributions of $151,633 or $21,662 per week. Also, the church received $107,980 of startup funds in the first two weeks not included in that total.
What is our spending budget?
Including our budget to pay a pastor, the budgeted annual expenses are $545,000. Because we do not have a full-time pastor yet, our expenses for the first seven weeks were only $44,889 in ongoing expenses, or about $6,500 per week. This does not include our startup spending of $47,000 on audio visual equipment.
Have we received any restricted contributions yet?
We have received $80,000 restricted to our building fund and $5,000 restricted to the purchase of a church van.
Building Search / Property
What property has been identified for our new campus?
The church has the property at 1091 Confederate Road, Madison, Georgia under contract at a price of $2.3 million. The property includes a 5000 sq ft building and a 15,000 sq ft building along with approximately 24 acres of land. To provide perspective, the building at Empire Mills where we are currently worshipping is about 3,200 sq ft.
What makes this property so attractive?
The property has a 5,000 sq ft building that can quickly be renovated to serve as our worship facility at an estimated renovation cost of $200,000-$300,000. It has road frontage on both Confederate Road and Dixie Highway. It has all City of Madison utilities already installed, but is in unincorporated Morgan County, which has more favorable zoning rules for churches. The property has plenty of room for parking now and in the future.
There is also a mostly open floor plan 15,000 sq ft building on the property that will require extensive renovation. That renovation will be costly, but far less costly than new construction. The nature of this building would allow us the freedom to design the space to fit our specific ministries.
The property’s 24 acres will provide us with plenty of room to adapt the campus as our ministries grow and change. We envision this campus as a place to gather and build disciples far more frequently than only once per week.
What other properties were considered?
Church leadership engaged an experienced real estate agent extremely familiar with Madison to locate properties. The short answer is that there is not much available close to town. We considered property along the bypass but did not identify anything currently for sale that would have met our needs.
Several churches have expressed their solidarity with our stand for a traditional understanding of scripture and have offered the use of their space for our services. However, taking them up on that offer would require us moving our service time from Sunday morning to some other time. As thankful as we are for their support and offer of space, we believed that the congregation would want to avoid meeting sometime other than Sunday morning.
When could we be worshipping at our new campus?
The purchase contract has a closing date of November 10, 2023. Assuming we can obtain the necessary funds to purchase the property, renovations could start within a couple of weeks of that date. Renovations are expected to take 90-120 days, so we might be able to worship at the new location by February 2024.
What happens if we don’t purchase the property?
We would continue meeting at Empire Mills indefinitely until we could find a property to buy. Hallie Jane has been and continues to be a magnificent host and partner for us and was an answer to prayer at a time when prayers were all we had. But it requires an awful lot of work for us to be able to have church amid her event center. The level of work required is not sustainable over the long run. Further, we would like to have a little more control over our facilities than we have currently and have functions at dates and times of our choosing. Our rent payments allow us limited access to Empire Mills while our mortgage payments will allow us to use the new campus anytime.
There are no other available properties in Madison that require as little renovation as the Confederate Road one. We would have to find and purchase commercial land that would cost something like $60,000 - $75,000 per acre. Then we would have to build a building which we estimate would take 18-24 months and would cost something like $225 per sq ft. In about two years, we might have a 5000 sq ft building completed on a comparably sized piece of property at a total cost of about $2.7 million. That theoretical property also would not have a 15,000 ft building that can be renovated at a much lower cost than new construction.
I heard we were going to buy Empire Mills. What happened to that?
We considered that, and even discussed it with Hallie Jane. There are several barriers to this being our long-term home. First, there is no room for expansion as our ministries grow. Second, Empire Mills is within Madison city limits. The City of Madison has numerous ordinances regarding parking, building setbacks, and zoning restrictions that would have been difficult, if not impossible, to overcome. Finally, we believe that long-term it is important for our congregation to be able to worship in the same room as one.
How will we pay for the property?
We are arranging for a bank loan of about $1.7 million of the $2.3 million purchase price. This requires us to raise a down payment of about $600,000. Our team estimates that renovation costs for the 5,000 sq ft building will range between $200,000 and $300,000. We also estimate that we will need $100,000 for furnishings and other finishes to the building for a total of $1 million.
Will the additional cost of having this campus limit our ability to minister to our community and build disciples?
The Finance Committee has modeled the cost of paying for this campus as well as the required upkeep of it. We expect that current levels of giving will be more than adequate to allow us to cover the cost of the campus with ample funds left over to do needed ministries.
Spiritual / Stewardship Campaign
Will there be a sub-committee responsible for raising money to acquire property for our new church home?
Yes, Jack Miles, John Miles, and Mike Buffington are the members so far of the campaign committee. Each family will receive a commitment card, and the committee asks that our members prayerfully consider their gift. Wide and timely participation is necessary for the success of this campaign.
When do we need to make our commitment?
We would love to have you prayerfully consider the amount the Lord leads you to give and make your commitment by Sunday, October 1, 2023.
When are our commitments due?
To ensure no delays in closing on the property, we need to receive payment on your commitments by October 31, 2023. We understand that this is a tight deadline.
Are you certain that my gift will remain confidential?
Absolutely; just as your annual stewardship giving is now confidential. Only persons assigned the responsibility of securely entering gifts on secure church records and the Spiritual/Stewardship Campaign Committee will have gift information.
Can payments be made electronically?
Yes, our website has a link to receive electronic payments. Please be aware that the payment processor charges a processing fee of 2.9% of the gift. A check allows all of your money to go toward the campaign.
Can I make a stock gift?
Yes, we have opened a brokerage account to receive stock gifts. Please contact a member of the campaign committee for transfer details.
Can I pay my commitment out of a donor advised fund or a qualified charitable distribution out of my IRA?
Yes. We passed our bylaws this past week. We understand that this is the last piece of documentation that Fidelity requires to approve distributions from donor advised funds held there. We would expect that other custodians would have similar documentation requirements. We have already been approved to receive grants by the National Christian Foundation.
Can I pay my commitment out of a donor advised fund or a qualified charitable distribution out of my IRA? (continued)
Individuals that are over 70.5 years old can direct their IRA custodian to make a distribution directly to the church. Generally, these contributions are not reported as taxable income or treated as deductible charitable contributions. Be sure to consult your tax advisor before attempting to make a qualified charitable distribution. Payments can be mailed to Madison Methodist Church, 157 W Jefferson St, Madison, Georgia 30650
After the initial commitments are made to support Phase 1 of the Spiritual/Stewardship Campaign, will fundraising continue?
There will be follow-up over the next several months. Occasional updates will be given in the newsletter, Sunday bulletins, during Sunday school time and at special get togethers. Our long-term plan to enhance the property as our ministries grow to serve both our congregation and the broader community will require multiple phases.