Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines plans campus expansion
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A rendering of the building extension at Lutheran Church of Hope in WDM. Rendering: Courtesy of Lutheran Church of Hope
Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines, the largest church in Iowa, plans to expand its campus by 14,000 square feet, per a council meeting— including a gym, teen center and a larger food pantry.
Why it matters: The $20 million project, funded through donations, reflects the church's efforts to encourage more in-person interactions and accommodate a growing congregation, Pastor Jeremy Johnson tells Axios.
State of play: The first phase of the project is underway, including the opening of Café Hope — a coffee shop and restaurant that serves breakfast and lunch, with all proceeds going to nonprofits like Genesis Youth Foundation.
- Other renovations include a new food pantry that helps around 70 families every Friday, Johnson says. They also plan on opening a sensory room.
The next phase is to construct a two-story addition at the northeast corner of the building, which will include a larger pantry and outreach center, a youth center for teens, and a gym that will offer group fitness classes, pickleball and basketball.
What they're saying: "It's all about, 'How do we best provide spaces for people to come into?'" Johnson says. "People are looking, especially in an increasingly digital world, ... for spaces to be able to meet, to have face-to-face interactions."
- "I think a lot of people experience a culture that seems to be more divided than ever," Johnson says. "People are saying, 'That's not the way it's supposed to be.'"
Between the lines: After paying off the building's mortgage in 2013, Johnson says Hope committed to not taking on debt again.
- If costs rise, construction won't continue until there is cash in hand, he says.
The big picture: Hope's expansion comes as a yearslong decline in U.S. church attendance shows signs of leveling off, per Pew Research Center.
- Following a prolonged period of decline, church attendance started holding steady around 2020, which Johnson attributes to a national post-pandemic loneliness and a sense of cultural division.
- The Christian share of the U.S. adult population has remained relatively stable, hovering between 60% and 64% since 2019, per Pew.
What's next: Construction for the shell of the addition is expected to start next spring, while the final phase of the capital improvements will involve filling in the building.