Church of the Nazarene HQs moving to Lenexa.

StL_Dan · Post by **StL_Dan** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 12:20 pm

Posted on Wed, Jan. 07, 2004

Nazarene church considers big move
Next headquarters may be in Lenexa
By KIMBERLY SWEET and BRAD COOPER The Kansas City Star

The Church of the Nazarene is poised to buy land in Lenexa for a possible move across the state line for its international headquarters.

Church leaders are negotiating to buy 37 acres at Renner Boulevard and Prairie Star Parkway, near Interstate 435. Tentative plans call for a three-story, 100,000-square-foot administrative office building to house the headquarters' 265 employees.

The Lenexa Planning Commission on Monday night endorsed the plans and sent them to the City Council.

The church's current headquarters is at 6401 the Paseo in Kansas City.

The Lenexa land would be large enough to accommodate a publishing house and theological seminary that also are housed in buildings on the Paseo and at 2923 Troost Ave. Church leaders say that they don't expect those facilities to move but that the land would provide room for growth.

Jack Stone, general secretary and headquarters operations officer for the church's international headquarters, said no moves had been finalized.

But, he said, aging buildings have forced the organization to look into ways to upgrade.

â€œWe're in an active mode to raise funds and to build, because our facilities need help,â€

Brooksider · Post by **Brooksider** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 6:34 pm

I see this as a real blow to Brookside. The Nazarenes and Cleveland Chiropractic really anchor the east side. As part of the 63rd street corridor study group we really counted on them as a anchor for the neighborhoods. I'm sorry to see them leave the area.

scooterj · Post by **scooterj** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 6:40 pm

Their existing campus on the Paseo is really a beautiful sight (and site), with excellent highway and boulevard access... it should be able to find another use quickly.

(From what I understand though they are just moving the administrative offices and everything else on the existing campus would still remain there.)

KCDevin · Post by **KCDevin** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 8:32 pm

i think they should build a large church downtown or at midtown.
alot of cities have noticable churches/cathedrals (although catholic) in their skylines. Yes we have the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception but it is only 80ft tall (doesnt show up much in the skyline other than the gold shine)
Its not that I want something tall. I just want to see a beautiful church in the skyline (get some better looking spires too )

ShowME · Post by **ShowME** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 8:33 pm

Another score for the Kansas leeches.

eliphar17 · Post by **eliphar17** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 8:54 pm

Okay, enough with the "leeching" theme, ShowME. Did you by any chance read the article up there? Allow me to quote:

Church leaders considered renovating those buildings, Stone said, but decided that constructing one building and relocating would be more economical. The Lenexa location was attractive because of the acreage available and its proximity to I-435.

In other words, the church decided all on its own that it wanted to move to Lenexa. There is no leeching going on here. Lenexa is not a vicious, bloodthirsty parasite trying to suck KCMO dry, as you would have us all believe. Some companies/organizations happen to have their needs better fulfilled in the suburbs. I dislike leeching as much as the rest of us, but we can't avoid the fact that some people are going to move to the suburbs regardless of what anyone thinks would be "best for the city".

KCK · Post by **KCK** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 1:09 am

ShowME wrote:Another score for the Kansas leeches.

Let me correct you before you look foolish, another score for johnson county leeches. They claim they need more space, so why didnt they build a new building in Kansas City? Why do they think that a location 20 miles from the core of the city is better? I am totally against this bullshit. I am so sick of JOCO getting all the businesses that used to be in the rest of the metro. Now brookside will have a large "beautiful" vacant building.

eliphar17, you are fooling yourself, and I would expect such a response from a JOCO resident. KCK has plenty of cheap I435 property, but you dont see them picking KCK. No they just happened to choose a county that is known for taking large companies away from the urban core. Lenexa is evil.....lol

phxcat · Post by **phxcat** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 7:59 am

In this case, that is not the most unreasonable location- with MidAmerica Nazarene nearby in Olathe, the two schools can do more together. I knew several MANC people who went there for seminary- not to go into the ministry, just to go to school.

GRID · Post by **GRID** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 10:04 am

phxcat wrote:In this case, that is not the most unreasonable location- with MidAmerica Nazarene nearby in Olathe, the two schools can do more together. I knew several MANC people who went there for seminary- not to go into the ministry, just to go to school.

Whatever guys. There is nothing central about 95th and Renner. I would be just as dissapointed if they moved to Adam Dairy Pkwy in BS or Todd George in LS or Route 58 in Raymore or 152 in Liberty.

Just another to add to a long list of people ditching KCMO for flat, cheap and inccenative loaded land in JoCo. They could and should have stayed in KCMO, there is plenty of vacant land there if that's what they really wanted.

This is a major, major, major blow to the 63rd st corridor, we will look back in ten years and know exactly when this area turned a corner for the worst.

StL_Dan · Post by **StL_Dan** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 10:21 am

phxcat wrote:In this case, that is not the most unreasonable location- with MidAmerica Nazarene nearby in Olathe, the two schools can do more together. I knew several MANC people who went there for seminary- not to go into the ministry, just to go to school.

I don't know the actual stats related to total degrees earned at MNU, but, I'd bet a hefty sum religion degrees account for a mere 20% of the total, if that high.

MNU is a liberal arts school that is funded in part by the General Church of the Nazarene. It's foremost purpose is to offer a quality liberal arts education.

Nazarene Theological Seminary (NTS), located on the Paseo, is the Nazarene institution primarily attended by those desiring to focus on theology and future service as pastor, church executive, etc.

Most people confuse MNU's primary reason for being with that of NTS since there is a little building on campus called Weatherby Chapel that has a steeple on it. They think MNU is some sort of "monestary". When, in reality, it is not unlike William Jewell, Baker or Evangel.

In regards to HQ relocating, I think a major reason for the relocation, aside from great location and acreage available in Lenexa, would be the proximity to the lion's share of Nazarenes in the bi state area, also known as the KC District for the Church of the Nazarene. College Church of the Nazarene, is a "mega church" located in Olathe that has a membership of 3,500 and hosts the annual week long KC District Assembly each August. Nearby KC First Church of the Nazaren on State Line Road has a membership of 1,000 and hosts many other major KC District events throughout the year.

The third largest church in the KC District is on 87th St Pkwy. It is called Central Church of the Nazarene. Some of you that know a lot about KCK will remember this church body relocated to Lenexa from downtown KCK many decades ago.

In my estimation, 90% of higher level Church "business" at the administrative level occurs in JoCo and South KC (State Line Rd location). The total members in these churches prolly represents around 60% of all Nazarenes in the KC District.

Thirdly, a large percentage of theology students make their homes in apts and rentals in south KC and JoCo. Up unitl the Bruce Watkins extension was completed a few years ago, the drive from these areas to NTS was inconvenient, indirect and time consuming at best.

Even now that the Watkins is completed, it is still a long drive in comparison to where most students live. If expansion of NTS classes are moved to a Lenexa campus, it would be a welcome relief and time savings for many students. It will also be much appreciated by those church officials that are concentrated mainly in South KC and JoCo.

Good2Great · Post by **Good2Great** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 1:38 pm

ShowME wrote:Another score for the Kansas leeches.

Why is it that ignorance has overcome this forum like the plague? The Nazarene Church has a massive operation in SOuth JoCo which has already been noted in this thread.

Here's an economic development secret.......CHURCHES DON'T PAY FREAKING TAXES; THEY REMOVE VALUABLE TAXABLE LAND FROM THE TAX ROLLS!

No one has RECRUITED them for this move...THEY FOUND THE LAND ON THEIR OWN! Religious orgs are nice amenities to have in a community, but no one EVER recruits them as they actually create a minor strain on local governing authorities. Sure they create a few jobs, but they provide nothing to the local tax base, yet create an increased burden for police, fire, public works and other municipal services.

How about pulling the gun all the way out of your holster when you're ready to shoot next time.....this time you got stuck with the barrel against your nads.

OPEN YOUR MINDS AND THINK ABOUT A PROJECT BEFORE YOU ATTEMPT TO BLAST IT.

LyRiCaL GanGsTa · Post by **LyRiCaL GanGsTa** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 2:01 pm

Religious orgs are nice amenities to have in a community, but no one EVER recruits them as they actually create a minor strain on local governing authorities. Sure they create a few jobs, but they provide nothing to the local tax base, yet create an increased burden for police, fire, public works and other municipal services.

Are you stupid or just biased? The employees pay local, state, and fed taxes. The utilities at the location are taxed and distributed back to the municipality & state whe applicable. I wish people would stop Religious org/church bashing. The real loss here is what kind of people/neighbors we are losing. The nazerene church is a great group of caring people. The Nazerene Hdqtrs move would be a terrible loss to the city of KCMO. imagine if they instead built a campus on the east side of downtown, what life, vitality and jobs (printing and warehousing) it would bring to that desolate area. Instead...it's cornfields-R-us and strawberry fields forever....

StL_Dan · Post by **StL_Dan** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 2:20 pm

LyRiCaL GanGsTa wrote:
Religious orgs are nice amenities to have in a community, but no one EVER recruits them as they actually create a minor strain on local governing authorities. Sure they create a few jobs, but they provide nothing to the local tax base, yet create an increased burden for police, fire, public works and other municipal services.
Are you stupid or just biased? The employees pay local, state, and fed taxes. The utilities at the location are taxed and distributed back to the municipality & state whe applicable. I wish people would stop Religious org/church bashing. The real loss here is what kind of people/neighbors we are losing. The nazerene church is a great group of caring people. The Nazerene Hdqtrs move would be a terrible loss to the city of KCMO. imagine if they instead built a campus on the east side of downtown, what life, vitality and jobs (printing and warehousing) it would bring to that desolate area. Instead...it's cornfields-R-us and strawberry fields forever....

i'm happy to know you consider NazHQ a great neighbor, but, they wouldn't relocate to the east side for the reasons i gave above in my lengthy second post

GRID · Post by **GRID** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 2:47 pm

Nice post Dan, you make a lot of good points, I didnâ€™t know this about the church. I still think itâ€™s another slap in the face to KCMO because of the JoCo influence in the Church. Sure people might have to drive into the city. Itâ€™s too bad this is considered such a bad thing for so many people.

This has nothing to do with Lenexa being leaches, but Lenexa better not be giving a bunch of incentives to help them to move over. We are still talking about 250 paying jobs that will be â€œNEWâ€

Good2Great · Post by **Good2Great** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 2:55 pm

LyRiCaL GanGsTa wrote:
Religious orgs are nice amenities to have in a community, but no one EVER recruits them as they actually create a minor strain on local governing authorities. Sure they create a few jobs, but they provide nothing to the local tax base, yet create an increased burden for police, fire, public works and other municipal services.
Are you stupid or just biased? The employees pay local, state, and fed taxes. The utilities at the location are taxed and distributed back to the municipality & state whe applicable. I wish people would stop Religious org/church bashing. The real loss here is what kind of people/neighbors we are losing. The nazerene church is a great group of caring people. The Nazerene Hdqtrs move would be a terrible loss to the city of KCMO. imagine if they instead built a campus on the east side of downtown, what life, vitality and jobs (printing and warehousing) it would bring to that desolate area. Instead...it's cornfields-R-us and strawberry fields forever....

You didn't get it. I'm a non-biased pro-religeon guy, but I can assure you that NO ED AGENCY is actively recruiting projects like this. It's not that they aren't wanted or appreciated, but the ground on Renner has been developed to attract corporate HQ's willing to spend in excess of $10 million to go back into the City of Lenexa's tax base.

They're great if they come along, but no one is recruiting. I was merely responding to the commetn that someone made about JoCo raiding MO companies or something. In fact, aside from pimping QofL issues, I would be willing to bet that KCMO couldn't offer a thin red dime as an incentive to stay in KCMO.

StL_Dan · Post by **StL_Dan** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 3:30 pm

GRID wrote: Sure people might have to drive into the city. Itâ€™s too bad this is considered such a bad thing for so many people.

i'm back

i never sensed people that drove to HQ and NPH and NTS didn't like KCMO. rather, it would just be nicer to have the above venues closer to where they and most others lived...students especially. the one's i knew had barely a nickel to their name and found transportation of any kind a luxury.

heck, i work downtown and love downtown kc and all that goes along with it, but to be honest, many times i've found myself wishing i didn't have to deal with the commute from olathe. but, that's all on me...it's not a knock on downtown. if i REALLY felt strongly about my disdain for the commute, i'd just find a new job closer to home.

i think the tone i've sensed from commuters to the 63rd St area is very similar to my sentiments

personally...i'm sad to see a majority of HQ personnel leave that area of kcmo too...it's a really neat area that is enhanced by a wonderful organization

but lenexa did not lure them.....the decision was seeker initiated and finalized...not solicitor initiated

scooterj · Post by **scooterj** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 3:52 pm

Good2Great wrote:You didn't get it. I'm a non-biased pro-religeon guy, but I can assure you that NO ED AGENCY is actively recruiting projects like this. It's not that they aren't wanted or appreciated, but the ground on Renner has been developed to attract corporate HQ's willing to spend in excess of $10 million to go back into the City of Lenexa's tax base.

Just like in SimCity... when a church goes in, you bulldoze it because you don't gain any tax money from it.

Post by **staubio** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 3:52 pm

StL_Dan wrote:
heck, i work downtown and love downtown kc and all that goes along with it, but to be honest, many times i've found myself wishing i didn't have to deal with the commute from olathe. but, that's all on me...it's not a knock on downtown. if i REALLY felt strongly about my disdain for the commute, i'd just find a new job closer to home.

You could find a new home closer to work.

phxcat · Post by **phxcat** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 6:39 pm

That was my point too (sorry, too lazy for the quotes this time)- I just didn't want to characterize Olathe as Nazarene Land, though College Church is freakin huge and Olathe South is also known as MidAmerica Nazarene High School. The move makes sense for the church because of that. Sure, you could say that the church could have helped the city by building the college in around Paseo, but that was 30 years ago! Now, the Nazarene community is where it is.

Dan, my having had experience with both MANC and Baker, let me tell you that they are not the same thing. Baker is Chrisitan in name only- and with a chapel and a Bible collestion. MNU is a school full of Christians. (Not completely full, but there is a huge conservative Christian majority there)

StL_Dan · Post by **StL_Dan** » Fri Jan 09, 2004 9:17 am

staubio wrote:
StL_Dan wrote:
heck, i work downtown and love downtown kc and all that goes along with it, but to be honest, many times i've found myself wishing i didn't have to deal with the commute from olathe. but, that's all on me...it's not a knock on downtown. if i REALLY felt strongly about my disdain for the commute, i'd just find a new job closer to home.
You could find a new home closer to work.

I agree. That's why I never get all fussy about the commute. It's America....I'm free to get a new job closer to home or move to a home closer to work. It's up to me.