Images courtesy of Kirk of the Hills

What started as a small idea to update the church’s gym floors turned into a multi-million dollar building campaign that will soon lead to a new and improved school building and more space for student ministry and discipleship.

The Kirk of the Hills PCA in St. Louis, Missouri, had a plan, but the Lord made it clear to church leadership that there was much more blessing coming their way than expected. 

Ben Porter, senior pastor at the Kirk, notes in his video on the campaign’s website that part of the motivation for this project is the “dechurching” that many American communities are facing. More and more people are leaving the church, and the authors of “The Great Dechurching” posit that soon the majority of Americans will have never set foot in a church building. The modernization of our society has improved so much but has left a massive void where God belongs in daily life. 

As disheartening as it is to hear repeated stories of churches closing or ministry leaders leaving the field, the Kirk represents the opposite trend. The Kirk’s ministries, particularly children’s, youth, and adult discipleship, continually add more events to their calendar, with pastors saying they’re bursting at the seams; more ministry interns join the staff each year through the partnership with Covenant Theological Seminary. And Kirk Day School, the church’s private pre-K through 6th grade school, sees more and more families applying every year. 

Porter sees the Kirk’s building campaign as a way to allow the spiritual and numerical growth happening at the church to overflow into the community around them. 

This church and school growth has been encouraging, but it overwhelmed the Kirk’s existing facilities. Multiple ministry groups took 40 minute shifts using the gym each Sunday night, generous KDS teachers allowed their classrooms to be used as youth small group areas, and administrative professionals and special services teachers used spaces like the nursing mother’s room as a classroom space as more and more families signed up year after year. 

Kirk Day School is “dedicated to educating the children of believing Christians.” The KDS building is attached to the church, and with over 300 students plus a team of more than 30 staff members, KDS leadership knew the school would outgrow its facility sooner or later. 

For several years the Kirk had been feeling the space limitations and coming up with creative solutions. Staff saw that the school and church both needed increased space, and they began dreaming about what could be next. 

Immeasurably More Than All We Ask or Imagine

Initial space planning conversations started in early 2024, and as church leadership honestly assessed their needs, the proposal grew. 

“The project really grew in a lot of ways as we dreamed bigger and bigger,” said Chad Townsley, associate pastor at the Kirk. “A lot could be done if the money was there.” 

After a feasibility study and numerous conversations, the staff realized that there was far more support and anticipation for this building project than they originally thought, with Townsley noting, “The church wants to see big things happen.”

The congregation responded powerfully to the news of the campaign, named A Bright Future. Even when the cost of the project grew in the midst of construction due to unforeseen terrain issues and rising construction costs, the church pledged the remaining money in full. In total the Kirk community pledged more than $14 million toward the campaign. 

Mike Hall, the Kirk’s pastor of mission and administration, has been floored by the church’s outstanding reception to this project, noting the congregation’s flexible and gracious attitude amidst inconveniences. 

“Any construction project of this nature is disruptive to the community,” he said. 

The Kirk’s project is no exception: With half of the church’s parking lot taken up by construction equipment, leaders completely changed how they organize church and school traffic. This summer’s interior construction phase has forced ministries and staff meetings to take place in atypical spaces. 

Even amidst all of these schedule and building changes, Hall said he has not heard any grumbling or complaining, and instead the congregation has responded to the inconveniences with an abundance of patience and flexibility. 

The building project will end up adding 25,000 square feet to the church campus and renovating another 25,000 square feet of the church’s existing footprint. The congregation broke ground in July 2025, starting with the new portions of the facility. Right as school let out in May 2026, construction began on the existing facility, with the goal of finishing in mid August.

The new space will be divided into six classrooms and office space for school administration, The existing space will be repaired and revamped to better host the church’s growing congregation and ministries.

The building campaign website highlights a video that details the five elements that are most essential to the project: building a safe and secure entryway for students, adding sunlight to classrooms, constructing a new standard size gymnasium, updating the church commons area, and transforming the old gymnasium into a next generation ministry hub with discipleship and small group spaces. In addition to all of this, the new facility will also house a library and media center as well as a dedicated daycare facility. 

Townsley said that in order for a church to have a Christian school, “your church has to be on board for it to be healthy and thrive,” especially when the church funds the school’s new construction. He, like Hall, has experienced the congregation’s generosity and graciousness, and he is thankful to be involved in a community that is so dedicated to God’s work among his people.

Hall also noted that the Kirk has a commitment to “seeing the next generation embrace faith,” not just for the duration of their school years, but for a lifetime. The renovations to the church and KDS facility serve the greater purpose of allowing staff the space and functionality to walk alongside students and families and minister to them as they embark on that lifelong journey. 

For Us and Those Around Us

The Kirk sits strategically in the middle of multiple St. Louis neighborhoods, yet the church’s vision expands even further than that. 

“So much of who we are is about where God has placed us,” Townsley said. 

And where God has placed the Kirk is in a zip code with a median household income exceeding $250,000. Ministering in an upper-middle class region brings unique blessings, yet no amount of wealth or privilege can eradicate spiritual and relational brokenness. The Kirk ministers to the people under its care, with an eye toward welcoming those not yet familiar with the gospel. 

From organizing its own outreach events to hosting a myriad of ministry partners, the Kirk wants to show neighborly love to its local community. Over the years the church has welcomed ministries like Bible Study Fellowship, FirstLight, Fellowship of Former Christian Scientists, The Center for Faith & Work STL, local Christian sports leagues, and many others to use its facilities. 

“The opportunity to better host these groups and give them a welcoming place to do their work is a huge goal,” Hall said.

As they move toward their late summer completion, Townsley can’t help but be reminded of the name of their building campaign: A Bright Future. Adding windows and skylights to new classrooms and discipleship spaces quickly became a very important part of the construction plans.

“If we’re called to be a light to the world,” Townsley said, “let’s let the light coming in the windows be a reminder of the light of the gospel of grace, that God showers his grace and kindness on us and on these kids every day.”