Building Project
Building Project Progress Report | October 2026
Advancing the Vision: Design, Engineering, and the Road Ahead
Dear Pilgrim Family,
Since our comprehensive building project report in June, significant progress has been made. We have transitioned from identifying Pilgrim’s long-term ministry priorities into the architectural, engineering, and financial planning necessary to determine how those priorities can be translated into a viable building project.
Our Building Steering Committee has been working closely with Plunkett Raysich Architects (PRA), Moore Construction Services, Pinnacle Engineering, Kirkegaard Associates, and our specialized consultants to coordinate the many interconnected elements of the project.
This includes architectural programming, schematic design, structural and mechanical considerations, acoustical engineering, civil site development, parking and traffic circulation, stormwater management, municipal zoning, construction estimating, and capital campaign preparation.
Although much of this work takes place behind the scenes, it represents substantial progress toward establishing a project that is architecturally appropriate, financially responsible, and aligned with Pilgrim’s ministry needs.
Architectural Planning: Advancing Through Schematic Design
One of our most significant milestones has been progressing through schematic design with PRA.
Schematic design establishes the project’s fundamental architectural framework: building footprint, floor plans, spatial relationships, overall massing, rooflines, elevations, preliminary structural systems, and the relationship between new construction and existing facilities.
This phase also coordinates major building systems and establishes sufficient design definition to support preliminary construction pricing and municipal review.
Over the summer, our team has evaluated multiple floor-plan iterations, three-dimensional architectural studies, sanctuary geometry, gathering spaces, educational facilities, accessibility, and pedestrian circulation.
Current planning concepts include a sanctuary designed for approximately 500 seats, with a smaller initial seating configuration; expanded gathering and fellowship space; additional educational facilities; and improved connections between the church, school, and surrounding campus.
A central priority remains creating a sanctuary that is timeless, distinctly Lutheran, and acoustically exceptional.
PRA is working closely with Kirkegaard Associates and Bruce Case, our organ-planning specialist, to coordinate sanctuary volume, ceiling geometry, reflective surfaces, mechanical-system noise criteria, speech intelligibility, congregational singing, and organ acoustics.
Sanctuary height continues to be evaluated in conjunction with architectural proportions, structural feasibility, construction cost, and Village zoning requirements. Maintaining unobstructed sightlines and creating an uplifting worship environment remain important considerations.
It is important to understand that schematic design is not final design. Its purpose is to establish a high-level configuration, scope, and feasibility of the project—not to finalize every architectural detail, material, or finish.
Design Development: The Next Opportunity for Congregational Input
Following schematic design, the project will move into design development, when the architectural concepts become more detailed.
This phase addresses interior elevations, architectural finishes, building materials, lighting, furnishings, decorative elements, and the many decisions that ultimately determine how the completed spaces look and feel.
We anticipate much of this work occurring during the capital campaign, allowing for additional and meaningful congregational participation.
Our intention is to involve PRA’s architects directly in this process. Members will have opportunities to review design alternatives, understand cost and performance considerations, ask questions, and provide feedback on specific design options.
The surveys and listening sessions conducted earlier this year helped establish the priorities guiding schematic design. Design development will provide opportunities to translate those priorities into more detailed architectural decisions.
We are developing the framework for a future building—not presenting the congregation with a finished design. There will be substantial opportunities for member input as the project moves through its next phases.
Site Engineering, Property Acquisition, and Municipal Approvals
One of the most consequential aspects of the project involves our campus site plan and the potential acquisition of an adjacent residential property.
The Building Steering Committee recommended pursuing this acquisition, and the congregation approved that recommendation. The Church Council is managing the acquisition process, working through the appropriate negotiations and due diligence.
The potential acquisition has significant implications for the campus master plan.
Working with PRA, Moore Construction Services, and Pinnacle Engineering, we have been evaluating property boundaries, site grading, parking geometry, vehicular circulation, stormwater detention, utility easements, building setbacks, landscape buffers, and municipal zoning requirements.
Acquiring the additional property could provide sufficient site flexibility to preserve both our existing church building and an existing residential home, rather than removing those structures to satisfy parking, stormwater, or other site-development requirements.
Preserving the existing church would retain valuable space that could be repurposed for future congregational, educational, or other ministry uses. The additional property may also allow more convenient parking adjacent to the sanctuary, improved traffic circulation, better stormwater management, and additional flexibility for future campus improvements.
In September, our team participated in a pre-application meeting with the Village of Menomonee Falls to review preliminary development concepts and identify the applicable regulatory requirements.
Topics included potential rezoning of residential parcels to an appropriate institutional zoning classification, parcel consolidation, required setbacks, landscape screening, stormwater regulations, utility infrastructure, and the anticipated site-plan and architectural review process.
An important point is that the adjacent property acquisition is now a critical-path item in our project schedule.
Before we can advance the formal Village approval process, we need the residential property to be under contract and the final campus property boundaries established. Those boundaries determine the site configuration upon which the engineering plans, zoning applications, parking calculations, stormwater design, and municipal submissions must be based.
Moving forward with a preliminary property configuration could result in substantial redesign, additional engineering expense, or repeated municipal submissions.
For that reason, our project team is coordinating the acquisition process with the architectural and civil engineering work to avoid unnecessary cost and rework.
The purchase has not been finalized, but it remains an important component of establishing the most effective long-term campus plan.
Capital Campaign Preparation
Our Capital Campaign Committee continues preparing the organizational foundation for a successful fundraising effort. This includes campaign planning, communications, administrative procedures, financial tracking, donor correspondence, and the development of consistent campaign materials.
We have also benefited from the guidance of Pastor Mark Jeske, whose extensive experience in ministry leadership and fundraising has provided valuable insights into campaign strategy, stewardship, and organizational preparation. We have explored the possibility of his continued involvement in an advisory capacity.
Our dedicated Building Project Communications Team is helping keep members informed through Angela’s Angle and other regular updates.
It is also encouraging that Pilgrim’s PTA has agreed to pursue fundraising for playground enhancements and upgrades associated with the project—an example of the broader church and school family becoming involved in planning for Pilgrim’s future.
Looking Ahead: Key Project Milestones
The next several months will focus on advancing multiple interconnected workstreams.
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October–November 2026 | Property Acquisition, Schematic Design, and Preliminary Pricing
Continue advancing the property acquisition process, establish the final site configuration, refine schematic architectural plans, and coordinate civil, structural, mechanical, and acoustical requirements.
Moore Construction Services will use this information to develop planning-level construction estimates and identify potential value-engineering opportunities to balance project scope, cost, and long-term functionality.
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November–December 2026 | Municipal Review and Financial Feasibility
Once the property is under contract and the site boundaries are established, advance the appropriate rezoning, parcel consolidation, site-plan, stormwater, and architectural review submissions to the Village.
In parallel, evaluate construction pricing, overall project scope, fundraising requirements, and financial feasibility.
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Early 2027 | Anticipated Capital Campaign Launch
Subject to satisfactory progress on project costs, financial planning, and campaign preparation, we anticipate launching the congregational capital campaign.
This will provide an opportunity to share a more comprehensive project vision, outline preliminary financial objectives, and invite the congregation to participate in supporting Pilgrim’s future ministry.
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Winter 2026–2027 and Beyond | Design Development and Congregational Engagement
Continue more detailed architectural planning alongside the capital campaign.
This phase will include opportunities for members to meet with our architects, review architectural alternatives, and provide feedback on finishes, materials, furnishings, and other important design elements.
These milestones represent our current planning sequence, not fixed deadlines. The schedule remains dependent on property acquisition, municipal approvals, engineering requirements, construction pricing, financial feasibility, and the appropriate congregational decisions.
Launching the capital campaign will not, by itself, constitute authorization to begin construction.
Moving Forward Together
Our purpose has never been simply to construct a larger building.
It is to provide the facilities needed to support the proclamation of God’s Word, the administration of the Sacraments, Christian education, fellowship, and outreach for generations to come.
Since June, we have advanced architectural planning, coordinated specialized engineering and acoustical studies, engaged the Village in preliminary review, pursued an important property opportunity, and established the organizational foundation for a capital campaign.
The work ahead is significant, but each milestone brings us closer to understanding what is possible, what is financially responsible, and how best to serve Pilgrim’s ministry for future generations.
Thank you for your continued prayers, questions, encouragement, and involvement as we seek God’s guidance throughout this process.
To God be the glory!
Joel Schwartz
Chairman, Building Steering Committee
Pilgrim Lutheran Church & School
Chairman, Building Steering Committee
Pilgrim Lutheran Church & School
June 2026 Building Project Report
The report that is linked via the button below is intentionally detailed and longer than a typical ministry update. It is not a campaign advertisement, fundraising appeal, or attempt to persuade anyone toward a particular outcome. Instead, it is a comprehensive summary of the work completed so far and the ministry priorities, opportunities, concerns, and congregational feedback that are helping shape future planning.
In many ways, this document represents the foundation of the project and the “why” behind future decisions and updates. We are still in a season of learning, listening, and discovery. Before architectural concepts, budgets, and major decisions emerge, we felt it was important to provide the congregation with a thorough understanding of what has been learned and why certain conversations are taking place. Future updates will likely be much shorter and focused on specific milestones and progress. This report is different. It is intended to serve as a foundational source of truth that members can reference as the project continues to unfold.
We encourage every member to take the time to read it carefully. As we continue this journey together, a shared understanding of the opportunities, challenges, priorities, and values that have emerged will help ensure that future conversations are grounded in facts rather than assumptions. Thank you for walking alongside your Pilgrim family as we seek God’s guidance for the future.
Over the past several months, Pilgrim has been thoughtfully considering how to best steward the resources entrusted to us and how our physical space can continue to support faithful worship, provide Christian education, welcome all people, and strengthen our ministry for years to come.
As part of this process, the Church Council has appointed a Building Steering Committee to explore the possibility of a new sanctuary. This webpage will serve as a place where updates, information, and resources related to this exploration will be shared with the congregation.
At this stage, no final decisions have been made. Our focus right now is on thoughtful conversation—listening to one another, considering practical realities, and seeking wisdom together as people shaped by God’s Word.