Immanuel Lutheran Church and School in East Dundee, Ill., had a rather complicated problem in 2023. Their thriving school of nearly 250 students was running out of space. This, in itself, is not an unusual problem in our post-COVID world, where many Lutheran schools have regained momentum.
Immanuel’s problem was that the city of East Dundee had “blessed” their more than 100-year-old school facility by designating it an historic landmark. This meant that they could not substantively change or modernize it to meet their growing needs.
Immanuel had purchased a property adjacent to their current campus with the intent to build a new facility there. In the spring, they burned the mortgage on their church facilities and turned their attention towards the new property. They still owed a substantial amount from the purchase of the land, which kept them from being able to develop it. They enlisted the help of Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) Ministry Solutions to tackle the property debt with a Ministry Expansion Campaign and pave the way toward developing the land.
Pastor William “Bill” Yonker and the people of Immanuel were no strangers to capital campaigns. Pastor Yonker had run several campaigns in his tenure as senior pastor, using different companies and running their last campaign in-house. He said he was tired from all the work it took to raise money in the previous campaign. He hoped that LCEF could facilitate a process that would engage his members in the work and let him lead without having to manage the project.
They established a goal of $1.5 million with four needs:
- Provide funds for feasibility studies to expand the school.
- Increase outreach and marketing efforts.
- Reduce the debt on the new property.
- Expand the church entrance and welcome center.
They brought together a team of strong lay leaders to staff the campaign effort and got to work. Led by LCEF Ministry Solutions Vice President, Rev. Eric Kennaugh, they built the case for the campaign around the expanded ministry of the new school facility and the many new lives that would be touched by the Gospel in the years to come.
They titled their effort “Fearlessly Forward in Faith,” based on Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
The image of Joshua and the Israelites standing on the precipice of the Promised Land, preparing to enter, felt like the moment they were in. The land was before them. They needed to have the faith, courage and confidence to make the necessary preparations to enter.
After a few months of hard work by the campaign team, the effort was a “rousing success,” to quote Pastor Yonker. They raised the funds they needed, exceeding both their expectations and any of their previous campaign efforts. Pastor Yonker said, “This was my favorite campaign ever!” He was particularly impressed that LCEF was able to help them enculturate the campaign and “tailor it to the way we express our Lutheran faith.” Leaders were excited that Jesus was not added in as an afterthought, but rather, “We were able to bring Jesus to the people throughout the program.”
As they bring in the harvest from the commitments of God’s people, they are excited about what the future holds, and they are confident that the future home of Immanuel Lutheran School will be built.
Pastor Yonker started the campaign process weary from his previous efforts, but ended it energized. “I really enjoyed this campaign,” he said. “I know beyond a doubt that we would go with LCEF in the future.”