Flint Baptist Church will begin construction this month on a 1700-seat, $10.5 million dollar Worship Center Complex at the current location on the corner of Farm-to-Market Road 346 and Farm-to-Market Road 2868 in Flint. Courtesy

West of the four-way stop in Flint, down a sharply curved road, sits the sprawling campus of Flint Baptist Church, a congregation whose steadily growing membership has spurred a $10.5 million construction project to build a new worship complex and to renovate and convert the existing worship center for other use.

“We are both humbled and excited that God has blessed our church body with great growth,” Senior Pastor Sam DeVille said. “It’s our prayer that this new worship center will be a lighthouse of hope and truth to our community for years to come.”

A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Sunday at the construction site, off Farm-to-Market Road 346.

The new complex will have a 1700-seat sanctuary and also house a state-of-the-art nursery, offices for pastors and support staff, a hospitality room, a rehearsal room for the 150-member choir, a prayer room, expanded foyer and a drive-thru.

The church is funding the construction out of Sunday tithes and other offerings that will pay off a bank loan. It did not conduct a capital campaign nor does it have pledge cards.

The church has outgrown its present auditorium, which was built in 2007 and expanded about five years later.

The church currently has three Sunday morning worship services – 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. – as well as a 6 p.m. Sunday service and Wednesday night activities.

Minister of Administration Brent Hill said once the new complex is built, the existing auditorium would be turned into a children’s building with 10 new classrooms, a small chapel, children’s administrative offices, restrooms, storage and mechanical equipment area.

“We are hoping that when this (construction project) is completed in the summer of 2018 that we can go back to one (morning) worship service,” DeVille said.

However, he is not sure how long the church will be able to get by with one service. He expects the church will have to conduct two Sunday morning worship services within a year after opening the new worship center due to increasing membership. “We anticipate that kind of growth,” he said.

Over the past 20 years, the church has experienced consistent 15 percent growth in membership per year, adding about 250 to 300 new members every year, of whom 75 to 100 are new Christian converts.

Membership has grown from 60 when DeVille became pastor 21 years ago to about 2,200. It now averages over 800 in Sunday school and approximately 1,200 in morning worship services.

The membership is “well balanced” with seniors, younger adults and children, DeVille observed.

When the construction is finished, the former parsonage will be designated for the church’s special needs children ministry for children that are autistic, have Down syndrome or other special needs. It has been used for Sunday school purposes since the pastor was given a living allowance about 10 years ago.

The church will continue to use five temporary buildings and maybe add more primarily for education purposes. One houses offices but will be used for education when the new complex is finished.

The church also has a Christian Life Center for adult and youth Sunday school education.

DeVille attributes the church’s growth to “the blessing of God.” 

“We made the decision a long time ago of just doing the basics the best we possibly can so we are going to continue to preach the Bible, emphasize prayer, love people and try to take care of those in the community,” he said.

The church maintains a missions program and contributes thousands of dollars toward benevolences, including the Noonday Food Pantry, the poor and those who need a helping hand.

“We are very intentional about making people feel very welcome when they come here,” DeVille said. “This is a loving church that enjoys the fellowship that we share with each other.”

 

A CLOSER LOOK

WHO: Flint Baptist Church

WHAT: A groundbreaking ceremony for the new worship center complex

WHEN: 12:30 p.m. Sunday, March 19

WHERE: At the construction site, off Farm-to-Market Road 346, near 11131 Farm-to-Market Road 2868 West