Ever since our founding as a church in the fall of 2016, we have known that there was a distinct calling on us to be salt and light to a city desperately in need of a savior (Matthew 15:13-16 MSG). When we finally found our first Sunday meeting location at Dobie MS, we were beyond confident that this area was to be our home as a church. We could tangibly feel the impact of being light to a neighborhood so long dominated by the dark. In fact, only a few months into us meeting in the area we had a woman come and thank us after an Easter Carnival saying, “I’ve never seen this neighborhood so peaceful.”

As a church we have always known though that this wasn’t the only area in need. In fact, we live in a city full of it. That’s why from the very beginning we have felt the leadership of the Lord to be a multi-campus church with a gathering place for every corner of our city. We are more convinced than ever that in order to see this God-given vision fulfilled, we need to have a strong central hub from which to grow. And that’s why we are putting our roots down here in central Austin.

This process was made possible because of the governance structure of Antioch Austin. Antioch Austin is a Senior Pastor led and Elder governed church. This simply means that as a church we recognize the apostolic gifting on Pastor Jady and the specific calling on him to serve as the Senior Pastor of Antioch Austin at this stage in our church. His primary role is to lead our church into the vision and calling God has for Antioch Austin. Within this structure major and long-term decisions are prayerfully submitted and decided upon by our group of Elders who fulfill the conditions from 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and are part of our local church.

Long before leaving on sabbatical, Pastor Jady was involved and leading our staff and Elders in the process of seeking God and talking about where we felt led to be. Although the team has prepared this communication while Pastor Jady is away, Jady’s direction in the initial conversations, trust of the staff and Elders around him, and our ultimate return to our original vision from God has made this decision possible.

In addition to Pastor Jady’s leadership and the prayerful discernment of our Elders, our outside Board of Advisors have been integral as they have provided wisdom and counsel throughout this discernment process.

While we are actively engaged in the process of the sale of the Monterey Oaks property and exploring options for a new permanent home, we are responding to the leading of God to put down roots in the central Austin area.

By purchasing a permanent facility, we will be able to respond to God’s leading to establish a strong central hub for the purpose of long-term impact throughout the Austin area for decades to come. Pastor Jady Griffin will be pulled into this decision if it falls within his sabbatical. This involvement will not include any day-to-day activity during his sabbatical. Upon returning from sabbatical, Pastor Jady will resume his job activities and be a driving force behind the process of making a new building “home” for Antioch Austin.

Given the vision and direction God is leading us as a church, our Elders and the Building Advisory Team have concluded that the best course of action is to sell the Monterey Oaks property and look to reinvest the proceeds into a new permanent home in the central Austin area. We are currently actively engaged in the process of the sale and exploring a variety of options for a new permanent home.

We have always believed that facilities are there to facilitate the vision. We are grateful for the wisdom to purchase the Monterey Oaks building many years ago. Because of this wise decision we have been able to have a homebase in which to live out our vision in the city. In this home we were able to minister to many lives seeing hundreds come to salvation and be baptized. We have also had a homebase in which to train and send field staff out to share the Good News of Jesus to the nations.

In addition to the ministry that has taken place this property has served as an excellent source of additional revenue for the church. By leasing out the spaces not used by the church we were able to pay for the note on the property, property maintenance expenses, and build up savings for our future. We are blown away by the favor God has shown us over the years and by the wisdom displayed through leaders in establishing the Monterey Oaks building.

Once the direction for Antioch Austin was clarified, the decision to sell the building became quite clear. Owning a building is important for a church, especially in an expensive city like Austin. We were able to act as landlords for other building tenants, which served us well when it was our primary location. However, with putting down roots in central Austin, serving as a landlord for a property we will not use is not the calling of Antioch Austin. We are called to be an effective and healthy local church in our city, equipping the saints and reaching the lost. That is our primary aim and we felt that splitting our attention to be a landlord while trying to also build an effective and healthy church is not the correct course of action for us going forward.

As we work to identify and secure a new long-term home for Antioch Austin we will continue to meet at Juan Navarro on Sundays. We are grateful for the opportunity to meet in this space, to work alongside the AISD staff and reach out to the surrounding neighborhood.

Once a new permanent home is purchased any necessary work to update or retrofit the space will be done. Depending upon the building improvements needed, we could begin using the new space for offices or other events. Those decisions will be dependent upon the state of our new permanent home. In the meantime, we feel called to be here in this school now and the central Austin area for the long haul.

At this time our staff is working to secure a temporary office solution that would allow for staff to continue our hybrid work environment of balancing working from home, the office, and around town for pastoral meetings. In addition to office space in a temporary location, the options we are negotiating would include a small meeting space for smaller group events to take place.