Grace Pointe Church spreads the Gospel in strip mall setting

PLAINFIELD – Grace Pointe Plainfield is no ordinary storefront church. It takes up most of a strip mall. The church even owns the strip mall.

Tenants include a Chinese carry-out restaurant, cheesecake shop and Christian dance studio.

“You take on the responsibilities that any commercial real estate owner would have,” Pastor Dan Painter said. “I’m lucky that I don’t have to be the one to manage all that.”

Grace Pointe has a business manager at its home church in Naperville who deals with most of the tenant issues, while Painter focuses on ministry.

The mixture of church and commercial real estate caught the eyes of Plainfield village planners recently. They noted that it's a trend occurring more often in Plainfield and elsewhere in the United States. The village enacted an ordinance requiring churches to get a special-use permit before opening in certain commercial areas.

The new rules do not affect churches already established in commercial areas, such as Grace Pointe. Other already established locations include a church at a former car dealership and another in the former Plainfield police station.

If storefront churches are becoming more popular, it’s probably because it’s one way to get established without the expense, time and risk of building a church.

Grace Pointe started in 1964 as Naperville Bible Church, which is there today – a traditional church with a steeple. About 15 years ago, the church bought property in Plainfield with plans to build a second church.

That plan got bogged down financially, but Grace Pointe actually has been in Plainfield since 2002. For years, the church leased space at Plainfield schools before leasing space at the strip mall and taking space formerly occupied by Crosswinds Church, now located in the former police station on Route 59.

Dayfield Commons strip mall

When the opportunity arose to buy the Dayfield Commons strip mall, located on U.S. Route 30 at 143rd Street, the church made an offer, which was initially rejected but later accepted.

The church’s reasons for being there aren’t much different than any other potential tenant.

Grace Pointe needed space for a church. Leasing space was more viable than building new, so it moved into the strip mall on Route 59. When the opportunity arose to buy the mall, it was still a more practical alternative to building a new church.

“There are a few advantages,” Painter said. “It’s cost-effective as opposed to building a new church. ... It’s nontraditional. Some people like the tradition. I’ve heard people say they like to have a traditional church that has a steeple. Then there are people who say they like this.”

Kathy Schneiter of Plainfield left a traditional church and a mainstream denomination before joining Grace Pointe.

“I grew up in a nondenominational church. This is very comfortable to me,” Schneiter said. “The building makes no difference to me.”

Schneiter said she visited several churches before joining Grace Pointe.

“I think this is great,” she said. “This is a great use of space.”

The auditorium area where services are held features a high ceiling, large stage and ample space for Grace Pointe’s 200 members.

But it’s only one part of the church space. The entry area is a large lobby with comfortable chairs, a counter for coffee and snacks, and two large-screen TVs where the service is played for those who step outside the auditorium.

Another section of the contiguous space is a room for a children’s church. Another area contains a nursery and church offices. There are separate units along the strip mall, which include space for a youth ministry and a “Sportz Court,” which contains a small gym with basketball hoop.

Storefront trend

For all this, Grace Pointe pays less on its mortgage than it would have paid to continue using space at a local school, said Dennis Holt of Shorewood, a church elder.

Holt agrees with the Plainfield’s Planning Department’s assessment that storefront churches are a trend.

“It’s the hottest thing,” Holt said.

His daughter is a member of an Indiana mega-church that expands to new locations by opening storefronts, Holt said.

“Mainly, I think people don’t want to build,” Holt said. “The modern kids don’t really get excited about facilities and seeing the large services. They like the local services and the bands. ... I think the modern generation says this is what we want.”

Elder Leslie Wiseman said Grace Pointe is active in the community. The church has a relationship with two local schools and opens up the facility for a Christmas party for needy families.

Special use permit

The Plainfield special-use permit does not keep churches out of commercial storefronts, said John Proulx, a planner with the Village of Plainfield. It was created in recognition of the trend and to give village officials the ability review parking and other considerations before a church moves into a strip mall, he said.

A special-use permit already was required for churches locating in the downtown business district and areas zoned for industrial use. The new permit applies to churches locating in commercial spaces along highways and in neighborhoods.

“It’s affected by economic conditions where the commercial centers are operating at less than full capacity,” Proulx said. “The landlords are looking for ways to fill the space.”

Painter said Grace Pointe is looking for ways to fill needs in Plainfield.

“The way I look at it is, the church actually exists for the city. In Jeremiah, we’re told to work for the peace and prosperity of the city,” Painter said. “We want to be here for Plainfield.”