Minn. Megachurch to Meet in High School Until Economy Improves
A Woodbury congregation of the Eagle Brook megachurch in Minnesota has delayed construction of its new worship center until the economy improves and will meet in a rented space in the meantime.
With weekly attendance of close to 16,000 in four campuses, the Eagle Brook Church congregation of East-Metro will start its weekend services at Woodbury’s East Ridge High School beginning Sept. 10, according to the church’s website.
The megachurch will pay over $200,000 annually to rent the space to relieve overcrowding at Eagle Brook’s other churches, Star Tribune quoted Executive Pastor Scott Anderson as saying. Many church members live in the Woodbury, Lake Elmo and Oakdale areas.
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About 500 to 800 people are expected to attend the first services at the school auditorium which has a capacity of 940. The church will meet at 4:05 p.m. and 6:05 p.m. on Saturdays, and at 9:05 a.m. and 11:05 a.m. on Sundays.
Eagle Brook Church had not abandoned its plan to build a worship center on a 40.5-acre site at Settlers Ridge Parkway and Brookview Road in Woodbury’s northeast corner, but the work was expected to begin only after the economy improves, Anderson said. “We have lots of dreams. We’re just blessed to take small steps forward.”
The delay is partly due to a recently opened campus in Blaine, which cost $10 million, twice the amount originally earmarked for it, Anderson added.
Jason Anderson – not related to Scott Anderson – from the Eagle Brook’s Lino Lakes campus will be the pastor of the Woodbury’s campus. And Steve Duede, Lino Lakes’ worship pastor, will lead the worship.
The plan to build a two-story, 1,500-seat worship center costing $20 million to $25 million has been approved by city authorities. The facility will include a community gathering space, a children’s worship area and classrooms.
The megachurch plans to eventually expand the church to 3,000 seats. The Lino Lakes campus would beam the teaching portion of the worship service in a video broadcast to the Woodbury church, the newspaper said.
The membership of the church in Woodbury is expected to grow, as about 70 percent of Twin Cities residents do not attend church, according to studies. Megachurches, a relatively new phenomenon in America, attract more people because of their large congregations, according to Beyond Megachurch Myths by Scott Thumma, a Hartford Institute professor.
Eagle Brook Church baptized 990 people in 2011 and had over 2,000 people saying “yes” to Christ, according to its annual report. The church, which has over 5,000 volunteers, together with its members gave $1.7 million to causes and ministries outside Eagle Brook.
“People from a wide range of denominational backgrounds feel welcome here, from Catholic and Lutheran, to Assembly of God, and everything in between,” says the church’s website.
