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Latest News - as of July 12, 2022

We want to make you aware of a developing situation between Kingsway Christian Church and Kingsway Christian School. 
 
For some background - Kingsway Christian Church owns the facility and grounds at 7981 E. County Road 100 N. in Avon. Kingsway Christian School leases space from the Church. The Church and School are separate entities. 
 
Kingsway Christian Church and Kingsway Christian School are both growing ministries with Christ-centered missions. The growth experienced by both organizations and differing priorities has made sharing space and other limited resources very challenging for a number of years. 
 
This year, the Church and School have been in a confidential mediation process to agree on a new lease that would have been effective next June for the 2023-2024 school year. There have been external advisors supporting both organizations. 
 
While leaders of the Church and School desired to reach favorable terms for both ministries in a new lease, we have not been able to come to agreement. It has become clear that God is leading both ministries to continue growing in size and impact from separate locations. 
 
With no lease in place, the School will be securing other space. The School will move out of its current location next June 2023 before the 2023-2024 school year.
 
We know this is a significant change especially for the Kingsway Christian School community. Plans are underway by the School’s leaders to determine good next steps for the full school family. 
 
Leaders from Kingsway Christian Church have said repeatedly to the leaders of Kingsway Christian School: We are committed to a smooth and God-honoring transition. We are praying for both ministries and are focusing on the future that God will provide.
 
We are praying for everyone involved and asking you to join us,

Brett Cadwell
Executive Pastor
  

Supporting the Families

Our pastors are committed to supporting the families of Kingsway Christian Church who are also connected to Kingsway Christian School.

Please use this form to let us know of any questions you may have, and we will be in touch to help walk through this with you. 

Questions?

Here are some questions and answers to provide additional information: 

Kingsway Christian Church has valued its ministry partnership with Kingsway Christian School. However, both the Church and School are large organizations and are striving to serve others. It can be challenging to share space and limited resources every day of the week. Each organization has a unique mission and sometimes those come into conflict. 
 
Resources and space have been a tension for many years. Both the Church and the School have attempted to work through different solutions which led to this current mediation process. The leaders of Kingsway Christian Church prayerfully walked through this process to look at the whole of what is needed for both the Church and the School. We care and want the very best for both the Church and the School. 

The Church was started in 1973, and the School was started as a ministry of the Church in 1977. Both organizations have continued to grow throughout the years. The School became an independent entity in 2018. Since that time, the School has been renting space from the Church and that will continue through next June 2023.

Kingsway Christian School became its own, separate legal entity in 2018. It received recognition of its tax-exemption status from the IRS in 2020. The School has continued to take action and make decisions out of that independence, and Kingsway Christian Church fully supports that. 

The Church and School have been in a mediation process to find resolution with a new lease agreement. This involves an outside mediator (an agreed upon facilitator) guiding the leaders of Kingsway Christian Church and Kingsway Christian School to bring reconciliation and seek agreement. This was a confidential mediation process. We want to honor that confidentiality. 

 

Brett Cadwell, Executive Pastor, took the lead with a mediation team made up of: Matt Nickoson, Lead Pastor; Ben Bullard, Executive Director; and three Church Elders. 

A lease is a tool that has helped both organizations have a voice to communicate with each other. A lease helps build trust, gives clear expectations and is a built-in opportunity to work out finances and other terms and arrangements as we share space and resources. 

The Church and School did have a long-term lease in place to help have some structure in our relationship together as we shared space and resources. In an effort to open communication and work through some challenges between the Church and School, the Church ended the long-term lease in January 2022 with the goal of improving communication and negotiating a new short-term lease with the School through a mediation process. This was a necessary step outlined in the original lease to allow both organizations to talk through challenges and seek new solutions to long-term issues.

The Church leaders have a responsibility to steward the generosity of our congregation in a God-honoring way. Finances were considered in this process. Therefore, the School's rent was going to increase since the current rent to the Church does not cover the School's actual costs for its use of the facility and grounds.

Yet, in the end, the overall issue with our lease and shared space is larger than finances. This process is about both the Church and the School having different needs and priorities. It has become challenging for both organizations to share limited space and resources as both ministries are growing.  

This option was considered a few years ago. However, with COVID and other economic factors, the Church decided to stay in its current space and the School rents space from the Church.

The Church has been communicating updates about this situation in Elder and Staff meetings and several Town Hall meetings over the past 18 months. Now, we’ve been communicating through email with the congregation. We believe this is the most effective way to share these timely updates to a large group of people.

This is a significant change - especially for the School as they relocate. However, we believe both the Church and the School will find a positive way forward to continue growing their ministries and the people and families they serve. 

Yes, the Church and School have shared the name of Kingsway since the founding of both organizations. The Church was started in 1973, and the School was started as a ministry of the Church in 1977. In the future, there will be a change for the School with their name and branding, but that is for the School to communicate about.

The Church values each of its ministry partners. Kingsway Christian Church has supported Kingsway Christian School at a greater level than any other ministry partner since the School was started. We are open to offering support in the future. 

At Kingsway Christian Church, we want everyone to be inspired to live out our mission - to become more like Jesus. We are striving to grow spiritually, multiply our impact, grow leaders and to love our neighbors. We are keeping all of this in mind as we are navigating this situation with Kingsway Christian School. Both ministries have an important mission to steward.

Kingsway Christian Church leaders are considering options and see several possibilities of how we can use the campus to serve the greater Avon community in the future.

If you have questions or would like more follow up, please fill out this form or reach out to Executive Pastor Brett Cadwell.