Latimer Church's Project Director reflects on seven years building a new church facility
Tim Capill, Associate Pastor at Latimer Church, interviews Geoff Banks, the volunteer Project Director who has overseen the church's building project for seven years.
Summary
Tim Capill interviews Geoff Banks, a semi-retired structural engineer and Latimer Church member who has volunteered as Project Director for the church's new building project since 2019. Geoff traces the project from its origins in a 2019 congregation meeting through site acquisition, design, funding challenges, and construction, culminating in a handover scheduled for 25 September and a commissioning service on 15 October. He describes a critical moment when the concept design came in $4 million over available funds, requiring a last-minute decision to proceed as a single stage rather than compromise the building or defer the youth area. Geoff estimates that between 25,000 and 50,000 volunteer hours have been contributed across the seven-year project, and he identifies eight specific ways he believes God provided for the project, including unexpected funding of around $200,000 when a new motorway was built over one of the church's stormwater drains.
Key Takeaways
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Introduction and how Geoff came to lead the project
Tim Capill: Welcome back to Latimer Life. Thanks for tuning in. I'm Tim Capill, and today's conversation is a little bit different because I've got a guest here with me. The building project has been underway for seven years now, and Geoff and I were just chatting. Geoff is the person here with me. Geoff Banks has overseen the project for the last seven years as the Project Director. Geoff is married to Gay, and they are members of our 9am congregation, and when they can't be at church in person, they often listen online. Geoff has a background in civil engineering and has kindly volunteered hours into this project. So thanks for joining me today, Geoff. Do you want to tell us how you started the project? How did you end up the Project Director? Did someone twist your arm, or did you put your hand up for it?
Geoff Banks: Well, Tim, I think the project actually chose me through a series of events. As you've mentioned, I studied engineering, becoming a structural engineer for some years, but around 2010 I'd been trying to quietly step back from my role as I was getting a bit older. But then the earthquakes happened. That was a one-in-two-and-a-half-thousand-year event. It's what you train for but never expect to happen. Our family had joined Latimer about 10 years earlier, and with my engineering background, I was happy to assist with advice on the damaged church building in Latimer Square. During that work, I came to really appreciate what an enormous amount of work and sacrifice it must have been for the original congregation to have built that church in 1864 — by people I'd never heard of. There was a time capsule buried somewhere, but they forgot to tell us where it was, and we never found it.
So when the congregation decided to get on with a new church building in 2019, I was drawn to getting involved. Around that time, I also saw a presentation by Tim Keller on a gospel view of retirement, comparing a cruise ship lifestyle to that of a battleship. He quoted that a battleship mentality views the community as being on a unified mission — everyone on board has a specific role, a specific job, and active duties, because they're engaged in a larger spiritual purpose. So to answer your question, I can't pinpoint who asked me what and when exactly, but whoever it was, I knew the answer was yes. I'd been given a career that filled a role that was needed.
Finally, as if to cap it all off, when routine checks were done before buying Rosebank, I was reminded I'd worked on the site four decades ago — when my signature was found on the original Rosebank drawings for what has now become the new youth hall.
Tim Capill: That's amazing. So you've actually been involved in this project for 40 years — you started well before the rest of us. It's amazing, isn't it, when you can look back and see how God has brought things together in a way that you would never have guessed. Hearing how God used your experience as a structural engineer and then brought you to using those gifts as you have — and I also think you're a wonderful example of someone who uses semi-retirement to put yourself to work for the sake of the kingdom.
The scope of the building project
Let's go right back to the beginning. Some of us have only ever seen the building from the outside, or maybe seen photos on the screens in church presentations. Tell us a bit about what the project actually is and what we've actually built.
Geoff Banks: Well, the project really started with a congregation meeting in 2019, which concluded with three key objectives. The first was a home base for Latimer — which we didn't have at that time — that enabled growth for God's glory within the next two to five years. The second was that it needed to bless not only the existing congregations but those for the next hundred years, and to be welcoming. The third was around the budget. The budget was established as $10 million for a 2,000 square metre building on a 5,000 square metre site, but a fatal flaw would be if it happened to cost more than $15 million. So that was the initial brief.
Tim Capill: So out of those three objectives, how many have we managed to achieve?
Geoff Banks: Well, on reflection, we failed on two of them. Clearly it's taken more than two to five years — it's taken seven years to complete. And you might say that we've blown the fatal flaw budget of $15 million, until you consider that construction inflation has been rampant since then, to an extent of roughly 40%. That would put that fatal flaw figure in today's terms at $21 million.
Tim Capill: Well, let's count that as achieved then, and thank God for the way he's very generously provided for us. Tell us a bit about the scope of the building. What is it we've built?
Geoff Banks: What the congregation agreed further was that in order to fulfil the mission, we needed a building that could seat together an absolute minimum of 300 people, ideally 400 — but that was later increased to 500, I think, as the congregation had grown during that period. What's now built is a 2,200 square metre building on roughly one hectare of land, if you include the adjacent land we've also purchased. There are four zones in that building: the main auditorium, which seats 530, with acoustics for really clear speaking and singing; a robust youth area and function hall with dedicated youth space; a kids' zone with multiple flexible spaces; and a great reception and admin area for visitors and staff — and in addition, plenty of outdoor space.
From idea to building: the seven-year journey
Tim Capill: It's been seven years since it first began as an idea. You mentioned the congregation vote, and that was seven years ago. Seven years is a very biblical number, and here we are. Tell us a bit about how it goes from an idea to a building that we're actually about to move into.
Geoff Banks: Well, I could spend all day talking about this, but I'll try and condense it. The first stage was really critical. We had to see what properties were available, from a range of bare land to existing buildings. So a small acquisition team was formed, and we ended up looking at 26 properties over the next two years — and perhaps quite an extended time, because it was in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each month the top three options would be presented to the project board with an initial business case. The board finally settled on Rosebank after one unsuccessful offer beforehand.
So having found a site, there are then typically four phases of a building project. The first stage was the due diligence phase, when we had a conditional offer for buying Rosebank. Before asking the congregation to confirm the purchase, we needed to do some checking — making sure we knew what we were buying, what sort of building might fit on the site, and what the budget might be. So we researched site constraints, consents needed, and started to outline the building and parking areas. This was done around late 2021 and then also led to a rapid initial fundraise to be able to pay at least for the purchase of the property.
The second stage is the detailed concept phase — working out what we could build once we bought the site. That involved employing quite a number of consultants, from architects to traffic experts. It also meant asking everyone involved in Latimer what they wanted from the project, from must-haves to nice-to-haves. Thankfully, Barnaby was available to help with organising much of that work, which produced some quite long lists of priorities. The second part of stage two was coming up with a concept design to provide a much clearer picture of what the building might look like and how it could work. In my view, this is the most important phase of any building project — gaining clarity on needs and priorities, and alongside that, a better idea of the budget. It's quite interactive as you try to match what you would like against what you can afford. For those who've built a house, you'll be familiar with trying to get those things to match.
For me at that time, the biggest concern was if we ran out of funds before finishing the building — that would be terrible. My experience is that mostly this happens when not enough time is spent on the concept phase. If you're just producing pretty pictures but don't dig deep into their costs, that can be a problem. So that took us until the middle of 2022 to resolve.
Stage three is the stage most people would think about: the detailed design. We were ready to start that in the middle of 2022, alongside reaching out to the congregation and others for full funding before committing to a building contract. We really needed to fully design all aspects of the project to be able to apply for a building consent and seek tenders with confidence. Short-cutting would have almost inevitably led to taking more time and costing more in the long run. We applied for the building consent in July 2024, sought tenders the following month, and confirmed the contractor in October when funds and pledges allowed us to do that.
Stage four, you might say, is almost the easy part for the congregation — it was the builder building it. Handover is now less than two weeks away, on the 25th of September. Inevitably, there'll be a few minor issues to be tidied up in the following 12-month maintenance period. Perhaps for us there is also stage five, the fit-out, which has a little bit of overlap with the building now. In our case, it means everything we have extra funding for — from car parks to sound systems to shifting chairs. In other words, lots of working bee potential.
Tim Capill: There will certainly be a few of those working bees coming up, no doubt. It's really helpful to get a picture of the project, and a project like this is often much bigger than people realise. Could you say something about some of the parts of a project that most people just have no idea need to happen — the things that are unseen?
The unseen work behind the project
Geoff Banks: Sure. There's lots of admin in the background, one of which is consents. There were pretty much six separate consents we needed to seek before we could start. We had, for example, Environment Canterbury resource consent for stormwater, City Council consents for planning and traffic, the main building consent, and a further consent when we bought the site next door. We had to get approval to remove an old protected tree that was in the way of Costa's office. We had to talk to Heritage New Zealand and get an archaeological assessment throughout the project. The nearest we found to an artefact, by the way, was some more modern-looking crockery, which wasn't deemed to be an issue.
Other things happening in the background were the meetings with multiple builders before we chose a tenderer, lots of health and safety reporting and auditing through the job, and all of the above needed massive digital systems by all the parties to manage and record documents, communications, inspections, and finances. And of course, the Latimer teams were meeting regularly throughout — particularly the Trust and Project Board checking the risks, controlling finances, as well as navigating construction obstacles and many other issues.
Tim Capill: There's a huge amount of work that goes in, and we're super thankful that a lot of it has actually been done by volunteers. Do you have any idea how many volunteer hours might have been poured into the project?
Geoff Banks: It's really hard to do that, Tim. The answer is no — and in fact, I don't think even AI could work that out at the moment. We do know, of course, that God knows, and maybe we can ask him one day. It's hundreds of people helping where they can with the talents they've been given over a seven-year period. I did actually attempt it. One of the few things I could measure was around 10,000 emails in my system that were deemed important enough to hang on to. Bear in mind, an email has at least two parties involved in it. Add to that all the other volunteers' files that they hold, multiply the time that people spend working on those as well as working bees and meetings, and I think the answer is somewhere between 25,000 and 50,000 hours of volunteer time over seven years. I did manage to condense that to several days of volunteer time for each square metre of the 2,200 square metre building.
Tim Capill: That's extraordinary, isn't it? And it's worth pausing on that and as a church actually really thanking God for the people that he's raised up who have contributed so generously. When you add it all up, as you say, we really can't get a certain quantity on it, but it has saved us hundreds of thousands of dollars. And you're one of those people who've been very generous with your time — we're very thankful to you, Geoff — but there are many others. Barnaby Coxon volunteered above and beyond many hours. Chris Henschel has volunteered a huge amount of time in setting up the sound system and will continue to do that as we set it up in the building for fit-out and then training people on how to use it. We've had kitchen and kids and youth teams who've contributed their time to help us get the building right. There's those who've cared for the property over the period of time before we started construction and then in an ongoing way now. And there's been many, many regular meetings of the Latimer Church Trust, and some of the members of the Trust have put in a huge amount of hours — the Latimer Vestry, the Project Board, the Project Committee. The list is just humongous. Rachel Aspinall, as Treasurer for both Latimer Church Trust and Latimer Church Vestry, has done an extraordinary amount of work. So we really should praise God, and I hope at the end of this conversation people might take a moment to do that.
Personal reflections: gratitude and what kept Geoff going
Geoff, as you look back over all of the project, what are you most thankful for personally?
Geoff Banks: Probably two things stand out for me. One is quite a personal one, and that is that the project has not been a burden — it's been a real joy to be involved. Now, that's not to say there haven't been times of pressure and uncertainty and a little bit of conflict to work through and getting frustrated at times. But as a Christian, I've been able to toss away anxiety — that's what we're instructed to do — in a way I've not done on any other building project in my career. For the church itself, I'm enormously thankful for the unity I've seen in the congregation and staff throughout. Again, not that there haven't been differences of opinion on a few matters, but that it hasn't divided us as a church. My greatest concern at the start of this project was the potential for a lack of unity. But what I've seen is just the opposite.
Tim Capill: What about for us as a whole church? We can join you in praising God for those two things, but as a whole church, what do you think are the things we should be thanking God for?
Geoff Banks: Well, there are lots of things along this journey that have been fantastic — things that don't normally happen. So just eight of those things I've written down to remind me.
The first is a bold vision from the whole church seven years ago. It was a pretty big vision that was conveyed at that first congregation meeting.
The second thing was a site we thought we couldn't buy that became available. Originally it was being marketed in a way we couldn't respond to — we didn't have the funds — and then it changed.
The third thing is the support we've had from way outside of our city and our country. People who've donated half the funds we needed, and they're largely unknown to us, alongside, of course, our congregation during really difficult financial times.
The fourth thing is a sweet spot for actually building a project like this, where the pricing was competitive. The three tenderers bid almost the same amount each. The construction resources were available and supply chains weren't being disrupted by pandemics or natural disasters, even though they had been happening around us.
The fifth thing is that funds were provided when needed, but even an extra amount of around $200,000 that we hadn't expected, because the new motorway was inadvertently built over one of our stormwater drains.
The sixth thing was meeting our new neighbours. They were former missionaries returning to run the motel next door. What a blessing — and they've been really supportive through the project.
The seventh thing was some difficult foundation problems we met when we were piling, but we managed to work through that, and it became indicative of the really cooperative relationship with the builder throughout the building project.
And the final thing — last but not least — was the safety of people building the project. It was monitored really closely, and in spite of a few minor incidents, there was nothing major that occurred to the contractors. And there were over 50 people working on the site for a lot of the time.
Tim Capill: It'd be easy to look at the building now and just think of it as nothing more than a building. But then when you start, as you've just done, outlining some of the details of how God has provided for us, it really is much more than just a building. It's a great testimony to God's care for us as a church, his generosity towards us. I remember in our first Latimer Life conversation, Costa reminded us of the previous owners who were believers themselves and wrote a letter — how thankful they were that a church was buying the property, and how excited they were that it would be a place where God's word was proclaimed. So praise God.
The toughest moments in the project
You mentioned there had been some more difficult times, and inevitably that would be the case. What have been genuinely some of the tough parts?
Geoff Banks: Probably the toughest stands out for me, and that was when the detailed concept design needed $4 million more than the funds and pledges we had. We looked at stripping back almost everything in the project except what kept the rain out, but there was still a shortfall. So we looked at a zero fit-out budget and particularly looked at doing the part of the building that was the youth area as a second stage. But it risked a compromised building and prioritising other ministries over the youth ministry. I think we all felt uncomfortable about that. I can remember Costa returned from overseas saying we just had to do it as one stage and had to find $4 million at short notice to confirm the building contract. The funds were found, people dug really deep. We found a few smaller savings and got over the line with a tiny contingency — but what you'll see at the opening on the 15th of October really was a consequence of making that call.
Tim Capill: I remember that time really, really clearly. I remember it being very hard and thinking, gosh, if we stage this project, we may never complete it because of how much it extends both the cost and the time to get it done. So praise God for his provision at that moment. Was there a moment where you wondered whether the building would actually all come together?
Geoff Banks: Never. No, there was never a moment of doubt.
Tim Capill: I take it that's related to your comment before about not feeling anxious — because you just know that God is the one who's sovereign, he's in control of it. Through those tougher times, what's kept you going and helped you keep perspective when it's been hard?
Geoff Banks: Well, I did keep in mind those who did what we're doing now 160 years ago, and they did it successfully. It was pretty ambitious. That's really what this mantra of "not just us and not just now" looks like after a period of time. So I think that "not just us and not just now" — looking forward 100 years — is what drove everyone involved in the project. I kept in mind so many things that we've talked about earlier that made me understand that this was God's plan, not just ours, and it was his project that we were working for. So we're so thankful for that, and it relieved any anxiety and kept that perspective. And at times when things were pretty intense, Gay and I could also find a bit of time to re-energise when we needed to.
The final weeks before moving in
Tim Capill: Tell us a bit about where we're up to right now. What state is the building in today?
Geoff Banks: Well, super exciting — without getting too emotional about it. Last time I was on site a few days ago, cleaners were there delicately cleaning parts of windows. Most of the flooring is down. The final bit of construction, which is the stage area, was just being finished off. There's a lot of tidying up going on and a lot of paperwork being sorted out. So that's the broad picture.
Tim Capill: What has to happen in the next few weeks before we can move in?
Geoff Banks: A couple of key things. One is we need the council to sign a final code compliance certificate — they've got all the information to do that, they just need to finish processing it. And even if they take the full length of time they're allowed to take, we've got a bit of time up our sleeves. The second thing is the formal handover from the contractor. The end of his contract is next week on Friday, the 25th of September. We will actually have the key, and they won't. So that's what's happening in the next couple of weeks. The commissioning service is on the 15th of October — a Thursday evening — and we'll invite a number of the people who've been involved in the project over seven years, as well as our church family.
Tim Capill: Just walk us through the final stretch and the lead-up to that.
Geoff Banks: Well, thankfully Josh Cornish and Barnaby are leading the charge on this, because it largely relates to fit-out, and many other people are being involved in that. Imagine moving into the new house you've bought — you turn up, the paint is finished. That's about where we will be. Your furniture will have been moved in, as much of it as you have. And that's what's happening before the 15th of October. That team will really have to put in quite a lot of work.
Tim Capill: So it'd be great if we can remember them in our prayers — Chris Henschel with the sound, as well as Josh and Barnaby, as you mentioned. What are the things that right now, Geoff, you're keeping an eye on that perhaps could still trip us up?
Geoff Banks: Well, in the military they call them the unknown unknowns. The things that we know about that could trip us up are unlikely to trip us up. Perhaps the most critical of those is the council giving us the code compliance certificate. But I'm relatively relaxed, given all the feedback we've had from the council and from the builder, and the fact that they've got all the information — I don't think there'll be a problem. And if there was, we actually have a backup plan. Nothing that we don't know about will trip us up. And just remember, it's God's plan, so he wants us there on the 15th.
Tim Capill: Excellent. Practically, how can the church help in these last couple of weeks?
Geoff Banks: Just a few things that come to mind. Perhaps a state of mind — if the church can be really looking forward to it, be thankful for how we've come together as a church over the last seven years, and also looking forward, praying that the next 100-plus years will really be fruitful for Latimer. The second thing is when we move in, again like any new home, you'll probably think of a few things we could add or change in due course. Please provide that feedback to Barnaby. He'll keep track of those things, and in due course they'll be looked at, prioritised, and dealt with — it's a project for many people we don't know and who may never know us. And the final thing is please register with the fit-out and/or maintenance teams. You'd be surprised how many tasks there might be in a new building, and your talents and enthusiasm will find a home there. And also think about giving to help pay to complete the fit-out — that would be fantastic.
Tim Capill: Well, Geoff, thank you for the countless hours that you have put in, and pass on our thanks to Gay as well, because it's a sacrifice for you and her. You've conducted your work with great care and you've carried it very faithfully. And I think one of the things that I've been very thankful for in watching you do it is that you've always done it with a gospel mind. It's never just been about a building — the building itself is never the point. But as you've already said today, we've wanted to keep Jesus front and centre, and we're doing this to reach many, many more people with the gospel of Jesus. And God has provided us with a wonderful building. He's used you to help do that. So thank you, Geoff, and thanks for joining us for this conversation today. And as a church family, let's praise God and pray for these final weeks — for Geoff and the team, for Barnaby and Josh — and let's get ready to gather there in just a few weeks, and use this building now for the reason it's been built: to reach people. Let's pray that that would be the case.