Since 2018, Redeemer’s leadership has worked with multiple architects, engineers, and planners to study the possibility of modifying or expanding our existing facility. We have studied everything from adding additional sections of seating to our current sanctuary to building an entirely new sanctuary on the property that we own. All of those plans have proven to be too challenging and expensive while still including significant drawbacks and disadvantages. 

In short, it would require nearly the same amount of funding as the Trinity Medical Center site while still limiting our ability to live out our core convictions.

The site was originally used for the Trinity Medical Center, an acute-care hospital that ceased operations in 2015. Over the past decade, it has largely been left vacant as dozens of potential uses have been studied. What made the site good for a hospital has proven challenging to repurpose for other uses. Thankfully, we believe that the site is well suited for a new home for Redeemer.

The Trinity Medical Center site is special for a number of reasons, but the most significant factors are location, size, and cost. 

First, the site is located only 1.5 miles from our current sanctuary and is within city limits. The bulk of our church family lives within 5 miles of this site, and is easily accessible from multiple nearby neighborhoods. 

Second, finding a facility that can accommodate the unique needs of a church, especially with significant traffic considerations, is a massive challenge. While it doesn’t look like it from an aerial view, this site is one of the most parking-dense options in the greater Birmingham area. Additionally, the buildings represent more than double the square footage of all of our existing structures combined. 

Lastly, due to the unique qualities of the site, we will be able to spend a much greater percentage of our overall construction budget on spaces that accomplish ministry, rather than spending money building out parking lots.

While a team of our leaders and professionals have been working on this project for nearly a year, we are still in early stages of the design and planning process. It has become increasingly clear over the past few months that this is the best path forward for our church family, and we recognized the need for prayer and input from our broader church family. 

This announcement represents the next step in the process, but there are many hurdles still to overcome to complete a facility of this scale. We will be sure to keep our church family informed as we learn more.

While a team of our leaders and professionals have been working on this project for nearly a year, we are still in early stages of the design and planning process. While we have a rough understanding of the potential cost, we have been waiting to get the property under contract to perform additional testing and design verification. 

That said, we understand that a facility of this size and scale will require substantial funding, and we deeply desire to be prudent in our financial planning for the health of our church.

That’s a fantastic question, and we’re not sure, yet. Our current priority is to pursue the viability of this new facility. However, there are plenty of opportunities for our existing sanctuary to continue serving God’s people for decades to come.

Redeemer’s elders have been earnestly seeking the Lord’s wisdom and guidance on potential facility solutions since 2018. In April of 2022, a smaller, elder-led Facilities Committee was created to study the merits of renovating our existing facility or pursuing other locations. Since then, they, in consultation with industry professionals, have looked at numerous options before agreeing that the Trinity Medical Center site is the best path forward. Redeemer is governed by a plurality of elders, and all decisions regarding the future of this project will be made by them. 

In the coming months, we look forward to welcoming other Redeemer members into the decision-making process to ensure that any new facility would represent a variety of backgrounds, voices, and opinions.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about this project! Because so many people are involved in this process, we encourage you to reach out to building@rccbirmingham.org. Whether your question is about building design, finances, or general concerns, we’ll make sure your message gets to the right individuals for a response.