StoneBridge Benson

Growing Our Multisite Vision

In 2018, StoneBridge embarked on our Unfinished capital campaign. Within that campaign, we had three major goals: to build a new auditorium for our main campus in Omaha, to fund church plants to India in partnership with the Mid India Christian Mission, and to open a third multisite campus in neighboring Benson.

Our multisite campuses at Fremont and Millard had been tremendously successful, so we expanded our vision for launching additional locations in communities that weren’t home to a Christian Church at that time. We determined that Benson was the best site for the next campus. This was the area of Omaha we originally envisioned launching our church’s first multisite campus.

Previously, we had begun discussions to partner with churches in the Benson area, but those arrangements fell through. Over the course of several years, we formed a relationship with Temple Baptist Church, whose congregation had decided to relocate. Conversations and negotiations continued until late 2018, when StoneBridge ultimately purchased Temple’s building as part of Unfinished. 

We started our work on the Benson campus with volunteer construction leaders, who began work on “rehabbing and making it look more like StoneBridge” says Mitch Chitwood, Executive Pastor at StoneBridge. “The beautiful thing about this church property is that it was already zoned as a church, so we didn't have to do much to the overall structure.” Besides the great structure to work with, the location was also perfectly suited as it was located just one block off of Maple Street, the main thoroughfare in Benson where all of the action happens.

Since we’d purchased an existing church building, updating its look was a matter of replacing fixtures, furniture, and flooring to give it a fresh, modern feel. We wanted to make the space open and inviting, but also fun! We accomplished this by making a bright and friendly lobby and coffee bar, but also included a swing and giant slide! Plus, the basement was painted bright, fun colors and a rock wall was even installed. We concluded the refurbishment on budget and launched StoneBridge Benson in late fall 2019. By then, we were well versed in launching multisite campuses. 

To prepare for the campus launch, we assembled a launch team, hired staff, planned outreach and service initiatives in the community, and built volunteer teams. Benson’s opening was highly successful, and we built momentum there until the COVID-19 pandemic forced churches nationwide into online worship.  “With our campuses closed for months, COVID massively disrupted any momentum we’d had at Benson before,” Mitch says. “It has been the hardest recovery in the aftermath.”

It has been a season of growth and learning how to adapt and reach people in the current environment. We are planning new ways to strategically serve and invest in the Benson community.

Preparing for Future Growth at Benson

As far as the future is concerned, Benson will continue to grow and evolve. We’re still learning how to best serve the surrounding community and will continue to offer community events, such as family Halloween celebrations and Easter events. Since the building is large and still has room for renovation and improvements, our team has plenty of leeway to imagine and design exactly what we want that space to be. 

“We're still dreaming,” Mitch says. “We have rooms that we haven’t renovated yet, which means  we’ll be able to grow into this building.

“In the meantime, we've been able to pivot and do things differently over the past few years to meet the needs of the community.” 

Over the course of the past two years, some of the additional space at the Benson campus has been used strategically to positively impact our community. For example, we’ve been able to use some spare space to store Afghan refugee relief supplies. We also ran a little free pantry through the height of COVID to provide food and care items during a time when food and resource scarcity became a bigger reality for many people who lived near our campus.

Chris Marshall: A Reluctant Leap of Faith

Chris Marshall was an active member at the Omaha campus, participating in mission trips to Mexico and various other activities with us. He’d heard about the Benson launch team, and was on the fence about whether to leave the environment he’d grown comfortable with to help start this new location. With the help of a few good friends, Chris began to embrace the idea of helping to launch Benson--albeit reluctantly.  

“At the time, I wasn’t super excited,” Chris says, “I was still trying to catch the vision for the campus, even though it was going to be closer to home.

“There was a prayer and worship service that shared the vision of reaching our neighbors, and at that point I started getting excited.” 

Chris found himself looking forward to being part of Benson’s mission to the surrounding community. Quickly, he began to involve himself in more activities and initiatives with the church. He discussed the idea of starting a small group with the leadership team, and after a few months of mulling it over, he decided to jump in. 

“We started inviting people and forming a small group, and it was cool how relationships started,” he says. “We usually shared a meal, then went through the sermon study guide.” 

For eight months, Chris’s group met regularly. He also participated in service projects and social events. After the small group disbanded, Chris got involved in Rooted, a 10-week discipleship experience offered across all StoneBridge campuses. 

“It’s really cool to be part of Rooted and to see what God is doing at our church. It’s an opportunity to grow deeper with other people from your campus and to participate in different faith-building activities and service projects.” 

Since then, Chris has continued to be a willing and agile volunteer, serving in First Impressions and on the tech team, most recently learning the ropes to be an audio engineer.

Considering a Multisite Move? Take the Leap

To members who might be considering joining Benson--or any of our multisite campuses--Chris says take the leap.

“Give it a chance,” he says. “God is at work; it’s still one church, just in different locations. Benson is nice because it’s a bit smaller, and that can be helpful for developing relationships.” 

“But whatever campus you’re part of, just get involved. Go deeper, whether that’s mission trips or other experiences.” 

If you’re interested in building relationships, sharing unforgettable experiences, and making lifelong friendships, visit the Benson campus.