North Point Church begins $2 million construction job

For now, the 1-year-old church with more than 700 members worships at its temporary sanctuary in the old Town and Country Theatre building at 2711 N. Kansas Expressway. Wilhoit Properties, which manages the property, is now looking for a new tenant to occupy the space after North Point Church moves in April.

Groundbreaking for the 21,000-square-foot project, under the supervision of Walton Construction and Sapp Design Associates Architects PC, was in September.

According to founding pastor Tommy Sparger, the church building will be a no-frills, functional house of worship. “There’s no stained glass windows, bell tower or steeple,” Sparger said. “We believe that it’s the environment and not the building that is sacred. ... The church building is a place of fellowship where people come together and share, where people are open and can drop their masks and façade and be who you are.”

The building is to serve as a multipurpose facility, Sparger said.

“We’ll have a sanctuary where we’ll also hold dinners and get-togethers, and a youth room for small groups on Sundays. There’s no wasted space. The building is entirely functional,” he said.

It will sit on 31 acres, also owned by the church, with room to expand. It’s a high visibility location, with more than 60,000 cars passing by daily, and the church can be seen from Interstate 44.

Sparger, formerly of Texas, served for eight years as the Christian education pastor at James River Assembly. Seeing a need in northwest Springfield, Sparger and his wife Rachel launched North Point Church on Sept. 7, 2003, with the concept of leading the congregation in a “real direction for real people on a real journey.”

The idea caught on, and as the church grew rapidly to include three Sunday services, Sparger realized the congregation had outgrown its location.

“As a young church, we went into the building program six months into it,” he said. “It wasn’t a hard sell, since we’re in a rented facility. People easily understand the necessity.”

The sanctuary will seat more than 500, which is 200 more than the current facility can accommodate. That will enable Sparger to cut the number of Sunday services offered from three to two. The building will also include six offices and classroom space, which can be used as a single area, or divided into as many as three smaller classrooms. The building will also have a nursery, and a kitchen and lobby area where coffee, doughnuts and dinners will be served.

While the congregation does hope to celebrate Easter in the new church, there’s no way to know if that will work out.

“There are already couples wanting to be married in the new facility in April. I’m telling them there are no guarantees that we’ll be in by that time,” Sparger said.

Congregation fund raising, including a two-year pledge drive and a special building fund offering in October, has raised more than $850,000 toward the project. Sparger said the church plans to secure a loan for the remainder of the cost.

“If all the pledges come in, it could result in us having less monthly payments,” he said. “It won’t be a shock to our system, since we’ve budgeted for it and are already paying on a lease.”

Sparger attributes the church’s success to a filling a need. “The key things are the Lord’s sovereignty and having the right place at the right time with the right people,” he said. “There’s not a formula for that. We’ve just scratched an itch up here. We believe in diversity in a church and an authentic community.”

The church appeals to people through the community with Bible study groups, outreach groups and special groups for addiction, grief and divorce recovery.

Sparger said he’ll be relieved when the project is finished so he can focus on his ministry.

“It’s a risky step to take,” he said. “It’s a step of faith. You can’t be afraid of the opportunity when it comes. When you have momentum, if you don’t ride it, you can go backwards. You can’t be afraid when the windows of opportunity open. It’s risky business, but it’s been the most fulfilling year of my ministry.”