Hey everyone, I’m Justin Trapp, and this is your Ministry Minute. A podcast where I share real ministry stories that encourage and inspire you in your ministry journey.

Picture this: You planted a church. You meet in an elementary school every single week. Your volunteers are worn out. Momentum comes and goes. Every Sunday starts with a trailer and a prayer. Then one day, another struggling church down the street hands you the keys to their multi-million-dollar property.

That’s exactly what happened to Pastor Derrick Drake.

A few years earlier, Derrick had planted Collective Church.

At the beginning, they were averaging around 100 people. It was sustainable, but barely. Momentum would rise, then crash. Volunteers were wearing thin, and Derrick found himself praying for something to shift.

Then a church down the street reached out. They had the building, but not the people. Collective had the people, but no permanent space to call home.

So they offered Derrick a lease on their two-building campus. He and his wife Lindsay took a step of faith, and they signed.

Six months in, the other church could no longer afford to keep the lights on. Collective stepped in and began covering the bills.

Two months later, Derrick sat with their pastor and heard something that stopped him in his tracks. “We want to give you the property, Derrick.” He was stunned.

A multi-million-dollar campus has been handed over. Not leased. Not sold. Given.

Yeah, there was a catch. There was about $475,000 in debt that remained on the property, but compared to its value, it was a miracle in the making.

Collective raised the funds, secured financing, and the deal was done. The keys were theirs.

Today, they’re averaging over 300 people every single weekend, and in two years, they’ve tripled in size and seen a move of God no one could have planned.

But Derrick will tell you the property wasn’t the finish line. He said this: “A building doesn’t solve all your problems. It just gives you a different set.”

Now he wasn’t just a lead pastor. He’s also a property manager. He does repairs, maintenance, staffing, bills, and decisions after decisions.

But his biggest takeaway from this whole experience was not to lead in isolation. An advisory team became a lifeline for him and his wife and for the church. Wise counsel, he said, was one of the greatest gifts in this entire process.

And he’ll never forget the moment it all changed. “I was sitting in the office I’m in right now,” Derrick said. “Tears were running down my face, and the other pastor said that they were giving us the building. It was holy ground, kingdom work at its finest.”

If you’re setting up chairs in a cafeteria every Sunday, wondering if a breakthrough will ever come, don’t give up. Sometimes God opens a door, and sometimes He hands you the keys.

This is the Ministry Minute Podcast. I’m Justin Trapp. If this story encouraged you, share it with someone who needs a reminder.

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