Updates from Buenos Aires and Hong Kong

As part of our Daring Faith campaign, we want to grow our church family by filling God’s house with 40,000 worshipers at our weekend services by the year 2020. Taking a big stride in this faith step are our international campuses with a cumulative growth of over 35%.

“Our international campuses are growing dramatically,” says Ron Keck, Saddleback Pastor of Campuses. “They are making a real impact on their communities. As more people hear about them, they are telling their friends and people are coming to know Christ. There is a spiritual hunger in these cities.”

On August 22, Saddleback Hong Kong received the keys to their new building and are planning to begin construction in the coming months! They proudly announced on their Facebook page, “We've got the key of our new spiritual home at The Sparkle! Renovation works will be started in full speed. Praise the Lord and be excited about the future!”

Nearly a year ago, Saddleback Hong Kong started searching for larger space, with a goal to relocate by the end of the summer. God opened a door for the campus to lease an entire floor of The Sparkle high-rise in West Kowloon. The location—next to a major residential area, near the MTR line—is ideally positioned to reach the community for Christ.

Through Daring Faith contributions, Saddleback Hong Kong are in the process of building out the entire floor for weekly services that have grown to 600 people in just two years. They also have tentative plans to create a Saddleback Training Center for PEACE and Purpose Driven events for Mainland China.

Other international campuses helping to fill God’s house are Saddleback South Manila with 30% growth, Berlin with 36%, and Buenos Aires with a staggering 55% increase in attendance!

With a congregation of 600 people between four services, Saddleback Buenos Aires is considering adding a fifth service on Sunday mornings. In order to reach that goal, they want to see a new wave of growth that puts them closer to the 1,000-attendance mark.

According to Saddleback Buenos Aires Pastor, Sebastián Ojeda, “Growth comes in phases. Last year, our campus almost tripled its attendance from 250 to 600. No church can grow that fast for a long time. It´s unnatural. You need time after such a jump. I believe that curve is coming to an end, and we’re ready for the next jump by trying to become as healthy as possible.”

The campus is taking steps toward church health by building small groups, developing PEACE initiatives, empowering volunteers, and offering a variety of ministry opportunities. They are also continuing to teach training programs, with plans to host Class 301 by the end of this year, and Class 401 in early 2017.

While there are several factors contributing to the growth of Saddleback Buenos Aires, a key is the culture of authenticity they have created. Presented as a “second chance grace place,” the campus is perceived as a safe refuge where there´s no need to hide or feel shame from the past.

Pastor Sebastián explains, “Starting with me as a pastor, we try to be as honest and open as we can. We are reachable, and emphasize the fact that our position is the same as everyone else. We are all children of God. Maybe our responsibilities are different, like in every family, but no one is more important to God. This ‘come as you are, and let´s start from here’ culture has given many people new hope.”

To create a welcoming environment, everyone is greeted at least three times when they walk through the door. From music and coffee to ministries and maintenance, every detail counts when making people feel welcome. This positioning of warmth and openness often results in first time visitors returning for the friendship, smiles, fellowship, and positive atmosphere.

Pastor Sebastián says above all, he credits God for what is happening at Saddleback Buenos Aires. “Only God could do it. He has brought Saddleback to Buenos Aires, which was not even a dream for me and my wife. When we learned about the plan, our initial thought was, ‘I hope we can help somehow.’ Little did we know, we would see God everywhere. Every person that comes through the door is a miracle. God has sent each one with a unique set of talents and passions, to build the body of Christ that we are becoming. And we like to think that if this was impossible five years ago, then what will happen in the next five years?!”

In their continued vision to fill God’s house, Buenos Aires members are praying that God would open the doors to a warehouse near their current facility. Their dream is that someday, it will be their new worship center, which would allow them to utilize their current building for children and youth ministries.

Echoing their actions, all Saddleback campuses are excited about meeting the Daring Faith goals and being part of this worldwide movement.

“Every time we grow and open a new service, we are placing another hook in the water,” says Pastor Sebastián. “—and that contributes to our first Daring Faith Goal of Filling God´s House. If we catch this new wave, the next attendance growth is right around the corner!”

To learn more about what God is doing at Saddleback Buenos Aires, contact Pastor Sebastián Ojeda at seba@saddleback.com. For information about campus locations, visit www.saddleback.com/locations.