God is Moving

Pastor Andrew Hayward & Family

The mission of Central Baptist Church (CBC) in Mansfield is to “Love, Serve, and Multiply.”  The church seeks to love God and love others (Luke 10:27) by being the hands and feet of Jesus by serving its neighbors locally and worldwide. While CBC has been blessed and seen many new people added to the church, their prayerful desire is to see God multiply membership and ministry as they fulfill their mission.

For over 60 years, Central Baptist Church  has existed in old and outdated buildings with limited space and only 18 parking spots.  Twenty years ago, God provided a vision for the church to relocate and worked out a miracle whereby the church could purchase a nearly 11-acre tract of land, which is now one of the busiest intersections in Mansfield.  When Andrew Hayward became pastor five years ago, God immediately began opening doors for the church to sell its old buildings and begin plans to construct a new campus.  

Hayward was initially reluctant to put the church he loved in debt.  Still, when the church’s leadership compared the rate of raising funds to the rate at which building costs were increasing, they realized that it would be more expensive to wait than to act.  “The choice to use the Foundation was easy because their values matched with ours as a church,” Hayward commented.  The Foundation uses lending proceeds to further the kingdom of God and to bless churches across Texas, and it’s a “Christian company that we can trust has our best interest at heart.”  

The journey hasn’t always been easy.  The church faced financial challenges as building costs were greater than expected, and the $1 million project quickly turned into more than $2 million.  Yet amid challenges, doubts, and weakness, God proved His strength and faithfulness over and over again.  The church responded with sacrificial giving, and the Foundation came came alongside CBC to provide the funds needed to finish the project.

When asked what advice he would give to fellow pastors with a desire to build a new facility, Hayward offered the following:

1. Be patient.  The planning and permitting process is long, arduous, and often frustrating.  While the construction of the building took only eight months, the planning and permitting took almost two years.

2. Be aware and realize that constructing a church building is more expensive than you may expect.

3. Trust God.  He worked out the timing of our project perfectly and provided the funds in miraculous ways.

At the Southern Baptists of Texas Foundation, we are available to assist your church through the lending process.  For more information, call 844-351-8804 or click the button below.