The Latimer Church Building Project is a 5-year plan to provide a new facility for Latimer church with several outcomes;

- To provide a home base that enables Latimer Church to grow for the glory of God
- To provide a welcoming and suitable space for existing congregations which enables them to grow and plant new churches.
- To provide a facility that will not only bless existing congregations, but those for the next 100 years
- To provide a home for Latimer which will enable it to support CCAANZ

The building project acquisition team found that the inner-city market couldn’t realistically deliver all three priorities at once - Enough space (~5000m2 building with generous land), central city location, and $5-$10m price. Broadening the search (still within Christchurch) surfaced Rosebank: a large, established site at a sustainable price that could be adapted to our brief.

The size of the property is a major opportunity. It gives room for a 500 seat auditorium, dedicated ministry spaces, and room for future growth without squeezing ministries on day one. Since purchasing, we’ve also secured additional adjoining land, which improves parking and long-term site planning.

Budgets have evolved with design progression and a very challenging construction market (post-COVID cost inflation, supply chain volatility, tender timing). Today the total project budget (excluding fitout) is $16.95m. That figure covers the site purchase, all design phases, council and consultant costs, the main construction contract, and project staffing.

Fitout (furniture, AV/IT, kitchen, signage) and land development (parking, outdoor areas, landscaping) are being scoped and staged by the Property Committee, with recommendations being brought to Vestry for approval.

The vision of the building project is long-term: we’re building a base intended to serve the next 100 years of gospel ministry, which requires a balance of good stewardship now, with choices that avoid costly re-work later.

The design has been shaped by a comprehensive user brief - feedback from ministries and the wider church. We can expect a space that looks and feels like a church, is warm and welcoming, and is highly flexible for ministry.

Some of the features include

- 500 seat auditorium designed for clear speech and congregational singing
- Large foyer that connects everything and encourages community
- Meeting “bubble” of rooms sized for children’s ministry and mid-week ministry.
- Youth lounge and multipurpose spaces
- Dedicated office/administration areas
- Extensive outdoor areas for play, gathering, parking and events
- The existing hall, retained for flexible use.

The building is designed to host all of our services on site. At the same time, following a whole church survey, a team is actively considering the best long-term service pattern, including whether to retain a city centre service. We will update the church as that work concludes.

Construction is well underway. The current target for building handover is mid-2026, with the possibility of early access for some fit-out work just prior to handover. As with every construction project, dates are indicative and depend on construction progress and consents.

Berwick street has been sold to St Stephens church, with a lease-back arrangement for Latimer in the transition period. This provides continuity until Rosebank is ready and we can move across in a planned way, and in God’s Provision enables a place for St Stephens to proclaim the gospel in St Albans.

Pray for generous hearts and wise stewardship, for Vestry, the Trust and the Property Committee as they make decisions, and for our neighbours and the Gospel opportunities that will come as we move.

Give towards the project as we seek to raise the final funds and ensure the building is fit for purpose as we move in. (More information can be found on our give page)

Volunteer with your time. As we move closer to completion, more opportunities will arise to reduce cost and support the transition. (More information can be found on our get involved page)