God is doing amazing things at Otterbein Church! Much has happened since 2018 when we moved into our new worship facility. Lives and families have been transformed by Jesus Christ. We have had the privilege of serving others in Jesus’ name in our community, nation, and world. And God has added many people to our church family. But God has more for us to do and experience at Otterbein. TRANSFORM NEXT is a God-sized vision for our future as we take our next step to reach the next generation for Christ.

OUR TRANSFORM NEXT VISION

Between June 2023 and December 2025, we are trusting God to help us accomplish the following five things: (Click on the + symbol to learn more)

  • In the years since we moved into our new Worship Center, our children’s ministry (birth-grade 5) has grown 38%. Because of our growth, we need to add an addition to our facility to help make additional room for our growing K-Grade 5 OC Kids ministry. The two-story addition will be located on the south side of the church building and will include 8 small group rooms and will have the flexibility to be reconfigured easily into 4 larger group rooms. When it is not being used by our children’s ministry, it will be available for our growing adult small group ministry. Construction is scheduled to take place in the summer of 2023.




  • We live in a digital culture! Since the pandemic, we have seen a significant increase in the number of people who join us online (more than 300) for worship services every week. We believe God wants us to do more than just offer online worship services on Sunday mornings. Our vision is to improve what we are already doing and expand our digital ministries to more effectively reach the next generation for Christ.

  • Our Community Center and Park on Welty Road are great blessings to both our church family and our community. It is used daily and allows us to serve our community in Jesus’ name. As part of our ongoing development of the park, we are constructing a permanent outdoor stage which will enable us to have additional outdoor worship services at the park along with other special events. The stage will also be available for community use. Beyond the stage, our long-term vision is to pave our parking areas and driveways and make other improvements as funding becomes available.


  • In 2018-2019, we borrowed close to 4 million dollars to renovate and add to the building where we currently have our Worship Center and to construct the Otterbein Church Community Center on Welty Road. We currently have 3.3 million remaining on our mortgage. Accelerating our payment schedule for our mortgage will allow us to significantly reduce the amount of interest we will pay while also positioning the church for future growth.

  • While the gospel message of Jesus Christ can never change, the way we communicate the message has to change to reach every new generation. Throughout the history of Otterbein Church, there has been a willingness to take bold steps to reach more people for Christ. This has included new facilities, multiple worship services, service time changes, different kinds of technology, and changes to the music and worship services. In the years ahead, we will continue to seek God’s direction and vision for beginning new ministries and making changes to existing ones so that we can more effectively reach the next generation for Christ.


SPECIFIC WAYS YOU CAN HELP OUR CHURCH TAKE THE NEXT STEP TO REACH THE NEXT GENERATION FOR CHRIST

PRAY REGULARLY FOR GOD’S BLESSING AND PROVISION

God-sized vision requires God’s provision, blessing, protection, and guidance. Proverbs 16:3 it says, “Commit your actions to the LORD, and your plans will succeed.” God responds to the prayers of His children. Please join us in praying regularly for our TRANSFORM NEXT vision.

GIVE A ONE-TIME OFFERING FOR TRANSFORM NEXT

We encourage you to prayerfully consider giving a one-time offering to help us jump-start our TRANSFORM NEXT vision. As you give, please give “above and beyond” your regular church giving and give “willingly and cheerfully” in response to God’s blessings and generosity in your life (2 Corinthians 9:6-10). You can give your offering HERE or on the OC App, just select "Transform Next/Building Fund" on the giving page. You can also use the TRANSFORM NEXT envelope (available in the back of the chairs in the Worship Center or at Connection Point) to give your offering at the Worship Center or you can mail it to the church.

MAKE A FAITH COMMITMENT TO GIVE TO TRANSFORM NEXT

BETWEEN JUNE 2023 AND DECEMBER 2025

We ask you to prayerfully consider how you might invest in our TRANSFORM NEXT vision between now and December 2025. Click HERE to communicate your TRANSFORM NEXT faith commitment to give regularly. Please keep in mind the following as you consider what you might give:

  • The amount you put on the card/form is a faith commitment between you and God. It is NOT a contract with the church. Your faith commitment and offerings are always kept in complete confidence. If your financial situation changes, you may increase or decrease your giving level.
  • Sharing your faith commitment with us helps us plan for our future and be good managers of God’s money and your gifts. It will also help you follow through with your commitment and provide a benchmark for you to see how God provided what you are trusting Him to help you give.
  • If you are currently giving to the Building Fund, please include that amount as part of your faith commitment.
  • If you choose to give stocks, bonds, or assets, please note your desire on the faith commitment card. We will contact you to talk about the best way to make those kinds of donations to the church.
  • You can submit the digital faith commitment card HERE or on the OC App. You can also submit your faith commitment card (available in the back of the chairs in the Worship Center or at Connection Point) in the Worship Center offering baskets or mail it to the church. 



TRANSFORM NEXT IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GROW YOUR FAITH

God wants us to grow our faith in Him and learn to trust Him more. One of the best ways to grow your faith is to do things outside of your control that requires you to trust in God. Choosing to become involved in Otterbein’s TRANSFORM NEXT vision and making a faith commitment to give financially provides an excellent opportunity to grow your faith.

WE ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO DO SOMETHING

We hope that everyone who calls Otterbein their church will become involved in Otterbein’s TRANSFORM NEXT vision. We encourage everyone to pray for our church. For anyone not currently giving, we encourage you to begin giving. For those of you already giving, we encourage you to consider increasing your giving. When we who are part of His Church each do our part, God promises to bless His Church and do amazing things in us and through us!

WATCH PASTOR MIKE INTRODUCE THE TRANSFORM NEXT VISION

On Sunday, April 30, Pastor Mike introduced the TRANSFORM NEXT vision in the Worship Services. In his message, he explained why we are taking this next step along with additional information about TRANSFORM NEXT. You can watch the message by clicking on the link or you view it on the OC App.




HAVE QUESTIONS?

If you have questions, we encourage you to email the church at info@otterbeinchurch.org or speak to any member of the church staff or one of the elders. Contact information is available on OUR LEADERSHIP page.