Capital Campaign
Rhinelander Campus Capital Campaign
“MORE THAN A BUILDING”
Building Dimensions
Approximately 10,360 square feet with a large worship area, kitchen, office/classroom spaces, outdoor patio, and plenty of parking on site. Situated on approximately 11 acres with landscaped grounds and a septic system designed for a church (2,000 gallon lift tank & 2,000 gallon separation tank).
The Story So Far
The history of Northlife is more than a timeline of buildings, pastors, and milestones. It is the story of God faithfully working through ordinary people who were willing to take the next step of faith.
While every generation faced different circumstances, the pattern remained remarkably consistent:
God led.
People responded.
More lives were changed.
The invitation passed to the next generation.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, families in the Northwoods longed for a Bible-centered church closer to home where future generations could grow in faith. Long before there was a church building, there were people opening their homes, gathering around potluck tables, studying God’s Word, and taking one faithful step at a time. God was already building His Church.
As the congregation grew, so did the opportunities to follow where God was leading. Land was given. A permanent home was established. Ministries expanded. Families invested their time, talents, and resources because they believed they were building something that would strengthen faith for generations to come. The building was never the destination—it was a tool for ministry.
As Northlife continued to grow, God expanded not only the church’s capacity, but its vision. The focus shifted beyond the walls of the building and into the surrounding community. New ministries were launched. Saturday night services were offered. Summer services in the park drew in the entire community. More people found a place to belong. Lives were changed. What began as a church serving one community gradually became a church influencing the Northwoods.
That same story continues today.
In 2022, God opened another door by leading Northlife to plant a campus in Rhinelander. What began as an act of faith has become a thriving church family where people have found community, grown in faith, and encountered Jesus. The campus has continued to grow beyond the capacity of their current facility. Church leadership has prayerfully sought God’s direction for what comes next.
Today, God has opened the opportunity to purchase the Pines Community Center—a facility originally designed as a church and has continued to be used to bring people together. With worship space, classrooms, gathering areas, and room for future ministry, it provides an opportunity to establish a permanent home for the Rhinelander campus. More importantly, it creates space to continue welcoming people, investing in the next generation, serving our community, and reaching beyond our walls so more people can encounter Jesus for years to come.
While the facility is move-in ready it is not yet ministry-ready. Faithfully stewarding this opportunity requires looking beyond the day we receive the keys. Additional investments in worship technology, seating, storage, and future building systems will prepare the facility not simply to open its doors, but to support vibrant ministry for years to come. Other improvements, such as parking, outdoor gathering spaces, and permanent signage, can be completed over time as resources become available.
Like every generation before us, we are also called to count the cost. Jesus reminds us in Luke 14 that wise builders carefully consider what lies ahead before they begin. Faith and wisdom are not opposites—they walk hand in hand. As we pray, plan, and prepare, we seek to steward this opportunity with both confidence in God’s provision and
responsibility for the resources He has entrusted to us.
This is not unfamiliar territory for Northlife.
In 2015, the congregation stepped forward in faith to expand its ministry in St. Germain. Through generous giving and God’s remarkable provision, the church raised 80 percent of the project cost and paid off the remaining debt in just four years. More recently, even before a building had been identified for Rhinelander, nearly $480,000 was given to the building fund—a testimony to a congregation already preparing for whatever God might do next.
We cannot predict exactly how God will provide in this chapter. Some gifts will come immediately. Others will be fulfilled over the three-year campaign. Future members—people we have not yet met—may one day become part of God’s provision, just as they have in previous generations.
What we do know is this:
God has been faithful before. He continues to be faithful today.
The Same Invitation
Every generation of Northlife has inherited a place that someone else prepared.
The people who gathered in living rooms prepared the way for those who worshiped in a rented building. Those who sacrificed to purchase land prepared the way for families who would one day call Northlife home. Those who expanded buildings and ministries prepared the way for a church that would reach beyond one community into the Northwoods.
Now, that invitation has been entrusted to us.
Our opportunity may look different than it did in 1990, 1995, or 2015, but the invitation remains exactly the same.