Building The Church On A Hill

“After working with Ministry Solutions, I can say without hesitation that we will not do another building project without having them be a part of it”

-Les Newsom, Lead Pastor︱Christ Presbyterian Church

Christ Presbyterian Church

Les Newsom is the Lead Pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church and has become a dear friend of the Ministry Solutions’ team throughout the past year. Christ Presbyterian is a beautiful “church on a hill” located in Oxford, Mississippi. They are home to those who have found hope in Christ and a place of refuge where hope is offered to all. 

The Partnership

The Ministry Solutions’ team met Les during a very challenging time in the beginning stages of his new church build. Christ Presbyterian began their building project with a different partner, but unfortunately found themselves in a situation where communication between their team and the current architect had become difficult. This build was particularly complex and the Christ Presbyterian team was forced to troubleshoot issues and handle details that were simply beyond their current experience in managing large-scale building projects. Dave Benham, Director of Church Expansion at Ministry Solutions, was called in to evaluate the project, diagnose the trouble, and share his findings with the church leaders.

Following this assessment, Ministry Solutions was hired to be the owner’s representative for the redesign and construction phases of this build. Our task: guide the project into a righted direction, provide lift and industry knowledge, communicate with the leaders of Christ Presbyterian Church. Dave jumped right in. He immediately provided invaluable expertise and translation of technical jargon that brought confidence to the Christ Presbyterian team at a crucial time in the project.

More Than A Building

Christ Presbyterian’s mission is to: “proclaim a hope, build a home, and launch a healing”

The second mission, build a home, is deeply rooted in their church fiber. Christ Presbyterian is devoted to every person they interact with being known and understood. This is the essence of who they are as a church body. Les shared with us the time Dave took to get to know the heart behind their church, and his work to translate the heart into a real-world benefit in the new space. Dave was not simply working for Christ Presbyterian, he was walking through this project with them as a friend and trusted confidant to deliver not just a building, but a space that would spur Christ Presbyterian’s mission forward and deliver a project with eternal impact.

The Ministry Solution

• The Ministry Solutions’ team managed this new church build, fostered peace of mind, and created ministry capacity for the leaders of Christ Presbyterian Church.
• Dave reviewed and modified the design of the sanctuary for higher volume and better natural acoustics.
• Our team brought in an AVL group to integrate new systems into the design and adjust all of the children’s and youth spaces for appropriate sizing and character.
• The project was completed on time and on budget, with continual monitoring due to a low contingency budget.

The Outcome

This beautiful new building started as a leadership team vision and came to completion as an iconic “church on the hill” with “the best sounding acoustics in Oxford”. 

The Ministry Solutions’ team is thrilled to have partnered with Christ Presbyterian Church and will watch with excitement as light continues to shine from our partner and their church on a hill.