LENEXA, Kan. — Members of a church here are celebrating paying off a nearly $27 million mortgage, by now pledging to use that mortgage money to help charities in the community.
A lot of homeowners can identify with being able to “burn their mortgage,” after paying it off in just 15 years. That’s what happened Sunday for members of the Lenexa Baptist Church.
In 1999, the congregation started building a nearly $27 million church campus. They’ve been making mortgage payments of at least $75,000 a month ever since.
The pastor pledged to donate $1 million dollars to charitable causes in the community once the debt was retired.
Thanks to membership that has grown to about 3,000 people, that final payment has been made this month.
“We believe that God has told us to be givers,” said Chad McDonald, senior pastor elect.
“And to be generous. The whole idea behind this is that we would be freed up to do more. It’s not just a principal for our church, to our congregation as well. The borrower is a slave to the lender. And we want to be freed up to do all that we can for Christ.”
The church started making good on its commitment during Sunday’s service when it donated $10,000 to the City Union Mission, an organization the church has supported for nearly 10 years.
The founding pastor, who is set to retire soon, says he’s never been part of a church that’s been completely debt free until now. He calls it a wonderful feeling to be able to give that money to neighbors in need instead of to the banker.
