2349 W Pearce Blvd, Wentzville, MO 63385

After many attempts to launch over a number of years, we ended up deciding to sell the property in Wildwood. Our church voted in affirmation to utilize those funds toward investing in our Worship Center in St. Charles. When we approached the church to replace the A/V and Lighting in the Worship Center, we proposed using the funds from the sale of our Wildwood property to allow us to fund that project without the use of credit. The property sold for approximately $1 Million and the Worship Center project was a little under $2 Million. 

There are many differences between Wildwood and Wentzville. In Wildwood, we merged with a church that was about to close down, and we hoped to open up a campus that livestreamed the services in St. Charles. The Worship Center in Wildwood was much smaller, and a livestream approach required a significant investment in technology. We ultimately decided those constraints proved too challenging to steward further investment in the property. With Wentzville, we first discerned a calling to the community to plant a church. We have brought together a launch team that will allow us to provide live teaching and worship for the campus including a campus pastor with years of experience in church planting. And having committed to launching even if we were in temporary space such as a theater, we believe that God has opened up this opportunity for our church to consider. Waypoint Wentzville will have a great potential for growth as the city is one of the fastest growing cities in Missouri, and the church property is in the growth corridor of the community.   

Our purchase agreement would provide a 45-day period for due diligence followed by a 15-day closing window. With approval from the congregation on June 23 and clean reports on subsequent inspections, we could have occupancy of the property prior to the date of our official launch!

Yes. The facility was built in two phases. The original building was built in the 1980s and the main Worship Center was added in 2007. The current owner has updated the original building to accommodate kids' ministry and the layout of the building would be suitable for the ministry of Waypoint on day one. We anticipate small updates to brand the building and provide wayfinding signage; however, there is nothing known that would prevent us from holding services as the building sits today. 

The church would pursue a loan for the cost of the property. Although not every loan proposal requires a down payment, we intend on using $200,000 from the excess reserve fund from Acts 1:8 as a down payment.  The remaining balance would be paid out over 20 years at a monthly cost of approximately $10,000. We would include this payment in our annual budget.  

The down payment required for the purchase will be covered by excess reserve in the Acts 1:8 Fund. We also have approximately $650,000 in capital reserve which can be available to utilize for addressing building and property needs in the launch of the campus. In addition, we have an operating reserve of approximately $500,000 that we maintain to cover any unanticipated changes in our financial position.  

No. We have signed a contract with B&B Theater as the location for our three preview services.  

Risk and/or the financial position of a church can be evaluated using a number of financial criteria. One such criterion is the Debt Service Ratio, which is a measure of our annual debt service payments to the church’s annual cash operating expenses. Here are our numbers for that ratio:

Debt Service

Current: 7.4%

Proposed (after taking on the proposed loan): 9.5%

A financially sound measure of Debt Service is considered <15%, and a strong measure of Debt Service is considered <10%.

Another criterion to look at is Debt Level Ratio, which is a measure of our total liabilities to the church’s unrestricted net assets. Here are our numbers for that ratio: 

Debt Level

Current: 0.6

Proposed: 0.8

A financially sound measure of Debt Level is considered <2.5, and a strong measure of Debt Level is considered <2.0.  

These standards are taken from Michael Batts, who is the President and Managing Partner of Batts Morrison Wales & Lee (nonprofitcpa.com), a CPA firm exclusively serving churches and nonprofits. He is also a former Chairman of the Board and current board member of ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability), an organization that accredits Christian organizations in the areas of board governance and financial integrity.

Yes. FCFC chose to close this campus to focus their efforts on their main campus in Warrenton. Their model of ministry is different than that of Waypoint, and we do not foresee any challenges with the physical location of this property that would create a barrier to fruitful ministry for our church. In fact, the location is in a growing area of town with access from all directions. 

The meeting will be held at the end of each worship service on Sunday, June 23rd. 

We currently plan to begin youth ministry at Wentzville with a home-based life group and Wednesday night Midweek services at the Realm. Current trends in youth ministry are moving towards shared worship spaces as a more cost-effective approach. This approach allows you to grow a large student ministry while only having to invest in facilities and technology for worship once. With growth, we will launch a new midweek student service at the Wentzville campus when we deem that appropriate.  

Our church bylaws do not allow for proxy or absentee voting.