For many of us, the most visible parts of a building project are the beginning and the end: purchasing land, breaking ground, and eventually walking through the doors of a finished building. Over the past several months, I’ve had a front-row seat to a part of the Antioch Initiative that most of our church family hasn’t been able to see. There have been countless meetings with architects, engineers, contractors, city staff, elders, and ministry leaders, all working through details that may never be obvious once the building is finished. This work has happened behind the scenes, but the encouraging news is that we are reaching a point where it is finally becoming visible.
A Generous Beginning
The Antioch Initiative began with a vision to continue establishing Providence Church as a gospel-centered “Kingdom outpost” in Collin County and beyond—a church that preaches the Word, welcomes people, equips disciples, sends missionaries, and plants churches.
After the Lord providentially provided approximately 27 acres for our future home, we launched the Antioch Initiative capital campaign in October 2025.
Our church family’s response has been remarkable.
More than 330 households pledged nearly $15 million over three years toward the Antioch Initiative. Since the campaign began, we have received more than $5.5 million in pledged gifts and approximately $230,000 in additional unpledged gifts.
Amount Pledged
Gifts Received (To Date)
As elders, we’re grateful for our church family’s generosity, prayer, and faithfulness. We also recognize the responsibility that comes with that generosity. Throughout this process, the elders’ highest priority has been to steward those resources wisely.
Building for the Providence of Today and Tomorrow
Our design process began by asking an important question: What does Providence need today, and what will we need in the years ahead?
Our current facility is approximately 26,000 square feet. Early concepts for the new building began around 50,000 square feet and grew as ministry needs were considered. At one point, the design reached approximately 72,000 square feet.
As pricing and construction realities became clearer, the design team of architects, engineers, elders, ministry leaders, and volunteers worked carefully to distinguish between what was essential and what could be adjusted. The current plan has been refined to approximately 60,000 square feet.
We’ve had plenty of conversations where we looked at something we would love to include and had to ask, “Is this something we need now, something we can plan for later, or something we simply need to release?” Those are not always easy conversations, but they are important ones. But that is just one of the challenges of building for a growing church. We do not want to build something Providence will immediately outgrow, but neither do we want to build more than we need or can responsibly afford.
Balancing ministry opportunity, future growth, and financial stewardship has guided the project from the beginning.
What’s Been Happening Behind the Scenes
With the major design work largely complete, The Antioch Initiative has moved through the site permitting and city approval process.
The City of Frisco requires Providence to submit a master plan for the entire property, including potential future use of all 27 acres. The plans must account for landscaping, open space, traffic, site access, building appearance, and numerous other requirements.
That back-and-forth process with the city is now largely complete.
The architecture and engineering teams are currently developing the detailed construction documents that will turn the design into something a contractor can actually build. At my Fall Kickoff update in August, the project was about 50% complete on construction documents, with 100% expected by the end of September.
Once those documents are complete, Providence can submit the building permit application. The building permit review could take approximately 45–120 days before full construction begins.
From there, the construction phase is anticipated to take roughly 14–16 months.
Lord willing, the current target is to move into the new Providence Church campus in August 2028.
After months of unseen effort, something visible is finally happening.
One of the most encouraging developments may also be one of the first visible signs of progress on the property.
The future church building will sit near the highest point of the land, requiring significant grading. Approximately 100,000 cubic yards of dirt will need to be removed from the site.
Our civil engineer identified an opportunity to coordinate with a neighboring developer who can use that dirt on an adjacent property. By moving it directly across the street before nearby road construction is complete, Providence could avoid significant hauling costs.
With cooperation from our developer, contractor, and the City of Frisco, the grading permit was fast-tracked and is now underway.
So the next time you drive by and see trucks, equipment, or a changing landscape, know that you’re looking at more than dirt being moved. You’re seeing one of the first physical steps toward our future home.
What We’re Building and Why
The current design includes a bright exterior with significant natural light, a dedicated student ministry space, children’s ministry space on the first floor, future administrative and adult education space upstairs, and an outdoor gathering area where people can connect before and after services.
At the center of the building will be an approximately 1,050-seat worship center.
Even with a larger room, our design team has intentionally worked to maintain a sense of intimacy. The goal is not simply to fit more people into a building, but to create a space where the church can gather around the Word of God and worship together.
Why This Matters Now
The need for additional space is not theoretical. We continue to see new people walk through our doors each week. Recent Sundays have required multiple overflow spaces during some services, and our current 9:30 and 11:00 gatherings regularly experience significant capacity pressure.
That is a good problem, but it is still a problem we want to steward faithfully.
Until the new building is complete, we will continue looking for ways to make room for the people the Lord is bringing to us, whether that means shifting attendance to less crowded services, adjusting ministry rhythms, or eventually adding additional services if necessary.
But The Antioch Initiative has never ultimately been about solving a seating problem.
This is not simply about a building.
It is about a people who gather around the Word of God, grow together as disciples, and are equipped and sent into Frisco, Collin County, and the nations with the gospel.
Buildings are tools for ministry. My prayer is that this future home will help us faithfully preach the Word, disciple families, equip believers, send missionaries, plant churches, and welcome the people the Lord continues to bring to us for many years to come.
We are grateful for how far the Lord has brought us, for the generosity and patience of our church family, and for the work that has happened behind the scenes and is now happening on the land.
