Chapel's Lake Zurich campus will be megachurch's sixth

The ever-growing Chapel is extending its reach across Lake County with the purchase of a church building in Lake Zurich.

The site will be the sixth campus for the 14-year-old nondenominational church. With congregations in Barrington, Grayslake, Libertyville, Mundelein and a site at the Lake County jail, church officials say combined weekly attendance is nearly 5,000 people.

Rick Egbert, The Chapel's pastor of campuses, said the new building is in a prime spot.

"We are so excited about the community," Egbert said. "We've looked at a number of different locations and this one is perfect."

The 23,000-square-foot building was owned by Lakeview Community Church, which has since relocated to smaller quarters in a nearby office complex.

The main sanctuary can seat 600 people. That's about half the size of The Chapel's Grayslake church. When the sanctuary isn't being used for services, it converts to a regulation-size basketball court and gym for youth group activities.

Chapel members purchased the building with cash, Egbert said, but wouldn't disclose the amount.

Senior pastor Scott Chapman said The Chapel had been looking to expand in recent years but hadn't settled on a location. When leaders at Lakeview approached The Chapel hoping to sell, Chapman said, the timing was perfect. "When we arrived at the facility in Lake Zurich, we realized the potential was extraordinary," Chapman said.

Church leaders like the location because nearly 200 Chapel families live within five minutes of the new place. It's also across from the Ela Area Library, post office, the Lake Zurich police and fire stations and Kits Sports Center. "This is the heart of the Lake Zurich community," Egbert said.

Opening day has not been set. Egbert said they haven't selected a pastor yet and need to raise operating funds. But he expects people to be worshipping there in less than a year.

Technology has allowed megachurches like The Chapel and others to grow beyond their main site.

Sunday morning sermons are simulcast live at each location. Leaders say having all members of the congregation see and hear the same message at the same time creates a sense of unity despite being separated by geography. The philosophy of having satellite churches offers an alternative to expensive building additions to the main church.

The Chapel is the largest nondenominational church in Lake County. The Jesus Name Apostolic Church in Waukegan ranks second with nearly 4,000 attendees. Regionally, South Barrington-based Willow Creek Community Church sees more than 20,000 people attend weekly services.

Egbert said this won't likely be the last of new Chapel locations.

"There are no firm plans yet, but we would love to start a church in the McHenry area at some point in the future," Egbert said. "Vernon Hills, Antioch and Gurnee are also towns we would consider."

In a video on the church Web site, Senior Pastor Jeff Griffin said he believes the purchase was divinely inspired.

"This is a God orchestrated opportunity to advance his kingdom through our church," Griffin said. "Lord willing, we'll see hundreds of people coming to Christ in this location."