Honoring our Past, Building our Future - Updated Fall 2026

Roots to Fruit<div>Stewardship Campaign</div>

Roots to Fruit
Stewardship Campaign

For several years, Timberlake Church has been praying, studying, and planning for the future of our campus. Through conversations with ministry leaders and members of our congregation, three priorities consistently emerged:

  • A permanent worship environment for our modern services
  • A visible and welcoming entrance facing Timberlake Road
  • Gathering and hospitality space where people can connect before and after worship

After an extensive process of discernment, design, cost evaluation, and congregational feedback, the congregation voted to move forward with an updated facility plan that addresses all three priorities while faithfully stewarding the resources God has provided.

“Honoring our past while building a future that makes room for what God is doing next.”
Our Goal: United Discernment
Our God is calling Timberlake to step forward boldly into his promise. 


“Roots to Fruit is an opportunity for our church family to invest in ministry that meets today’s needs while planting seeds for generations to come.”

How We Got Here

Discussions about Timberlake’s current and future facility needs began before COVID. Those conversations were paused for several reasons, including the pandemic and questions surrounding denominational disaffiliation and property ownership.

With those matters resolved, facility planning resumed in the fall of 2024. Church members and ministry leaders were invited to identify the most important needs facing our campus.

Based on their feedback, Timberlake engaged church design professionals to develop conceptual plans, renderings, and cost estimates.

The original concept was projected to cost nearly $20 million. A revised concept reduced that estimate to approximately $10 million by retaining the existing sanctuary for traditional worship and developing a separate modern worship center.

At the same time, Timberlake launched the Roots to Fruit Capital Campaign to discover what resources God would provide through our congregation.

Our church family has responded with extraordinary generosity:

  • Approximately $4.2 million has been pledged
  • Approximately $1.8 million has already been received
  • Timberlake currently carries no debt

From the beginning, we have trusted that God would provide the means to accomplish exactly what He has planned for Timberlake.

What We Learned

To better understand the actual cost of construction, we consulted several local design-build firms and explored what could responsibly be completed with the resources available.

These evaluations confirmed that the larger concepts would cost significantly more than our available funding.

For perspective, constructing a new modern worship auditorium by itself would cost an estimated $5 million to $6 million. This would leave little or no funding for a new entrance, hospitality space, student ministry, LifeGroup space, children’s ministry, summer camp, Vacation Bible School, or other important ministry needs.

After combining campaign commitments, available cash, and an approved borrowing limit of up to $1.5 million, we estimate that approximately $4.6 million will be available for facility improvements.

With this financial reality in mind, our leaders developed an updated plan that fulfills our original priorities while making the best use of the campus God has already given us.


The Approved Plan

One Worship Room

The existing sanctuary will become Timberlake’s primary worship space and will accommodate our traditional and modern worship services.

A Welcoming Front Entrance

A new, visible entrance will be constructed facing Timberlake Road. 

This entrance will help guests more easily recognize where to enter while providing a warm and welcoming first impression of our church.

Gathering and Hospitality Space

The new entrance will lead into additional gathering and hospitality space where people can connect before and after worship.

The size and design of this space will be determined through the design process and scaled according to available funding and construction costs.

Together, these improvements address all three priorities identified by our congregation:

A permanent modern worship environment outside the Family Life Center
A visible front entrance
Dedicated gathering and hospitality space

Why One Worship Space?


The existing sanctuary will become Timberlake’s primary worship space and will accommodate our traditional and modern worship services.

This approach allows us to maximize the use of our existing facility while avoiding the expense of constructing a separate auditorium.

The character of the room will be preserved. The stained glass, chandeliers, woodwork, paint, and other existing architectural elements will remain. Changes will be made to improve the room’s function for worship and ministry, rather than simply to accommodate stylistic preferences.

Improvements are expected to include:

  • Converting the pews to individual seating
  • Increasing capacity to nearly 600 seats
  • Raising the rear flat seating area to improve sightlines
  • Making necessary audio, video, and lighting improvements
  • Creating a flexible environment that supports both traditional and modern worship

The sanctuary improvements already completed were needed regardless of the final facility plan. Nothing that has been completed will need to be undone.

Worship Service Times

Using one room for both traditional and modern worship will require adjustments to our Sunday service schedule.

Because the modern worship environment requires significant equipment, setup, and volunteer support, the two modern services will need to occur back-to-back. This means all worship times will likely shift, with some services beginning earlier and others beginning later.

Specific times and logistical details have not yet been determined. The congregation will be kept informed as those plans are developed.

What Happens Next

The next steps include:

  • Selecting a local design-build firm
  • Developing detailed architectural and construction plans
  • Determining the size and scope of the entrance and hospitality additions
  • Finalizing updated Sanctuary seating and technical improvements
  • Recruiting church members to assist with planning and decision-making
  • Presenting the proposed $1.5 million loan to the congregation for approval
  • Establishing a construction schedule
  • Developing the updated Sunday worship schedule

Updates will be shared through church communications, congregational meetings, and the Roots to Fruit display in the lobby.

Financial Stewardship

The Elders have approved a borrowing limit of no more than $1.5 million for this project. The congregation will vote before Timberlake acquires the loan.

The current financial plan anticipates reserving approximately $500,000 of the borrowed funds, if needed, to help cover debt payments during the early years of the loan.

This is a cautious and conservative approach. Timberlake is currently debt-free and maintains more than $800,000 in unrestricted cash beyond funds designated for the Master Facility Plan and other ministries. An additional approximately $1.7 million is held for other designated and restricted purposes.

Timberlake enters this project from a position of strong financial health.

Master Facility Planning FAQ 

A structured initiative led by committees to assess and plan for campus needs, including vendor selection (architects, contractors, consultants, etc.).

Phase One is the initial stage of our master facility plan, focusing on a new modern worship space, improved hospitality areas, a prominent entrance, and a right-sized traditional sanctuary. Additional phases will address children’s space, LifeGroup areas, fellowship hall, offices, play areas, and parking. Roots to Fruit is the capital campaign to fund Phase One.

After years of planning, the Church Council determined in 2024 to address long-standing needs that have been identified for years.

The scope of the project has always depended upon the resources provided through campaign giving and the actual cost of construction.

As campaign commitments and professional construction estimates became clearer, our leaders adjusted the plan to match the resources available. The approved plan allows Timberlake to address the congregation’s three primary facility needs without taking on an unsustainable amount of debt.

No. The existing sanctuary will be updated to serve as the Worship Center for both traditional and modern worship.

A standalone modern worship auditorium was estimated to cost between $5 million and $6 million before addressing the need for a front entrance, hospitality space, and other improvements.

No. The stained glass, chandeliers, woodwork, paint, and other existing architectural elements will remain.

The improvements will focus on seating, sightlines, audio, video, lighting, and the flexibility needed to support both worship styles.

Individual seating will provide greater flexibility and could increase the sanctuary’s capacity to nearly 600 seats.

The previously planned upholstery project was estimated at approximately $47,000. Converting to individual seating is expected to require approximately $150,000 beyond that planned investment, providing significantly more capacity at a fraction of the cost of constructing a new auditorium.

Yes. The traditional service and two modern services will share the Sanctuary, requiring adjustments to the Sunday schedule.

The two modern services will likely occur back-to-back because of the equipment, setup, and volunteer support required. Specific service times have not yet been determined.

The project plan includes the possibility of borrowing up to $1.5 million. The congregation must vote before that loan is acquired.

Timberlake currently has no debt and is approaching this decision cautiously from a position of strong financial health.

Yes, Phase One includes converting front lawns to parking and optimizing upper field space.

An experienced architectural/construction firm will oversee permits, code compliance, and coordination with VDOT and Campbell County.

Updates will be shared through the Timberlake website, churchwide email, Sunday announcements, congregational meetings, and the Roots to Fruit display in the lobby.

Questions may be directed to Mark Coleman, Executive Pastor, at mark.coleman@timberlakechurch.org.

Continue Supporting Roots to Fruit

Thank you to everyone who has prayed, participated, provided feedback, made a commitment, and given generously throughout this process.

Your faithfulness is helping Timberlake prepare for the next generation of ministry while honoring the foundation built by those who came before us.

Pledge Here