- October 5, 2026
First United Methodist Church of Ormond Beach is beginning a complete campus redevelopment project.
The groundbreaking will take place at 10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 13. The project is expected to take 15-18 months.
The idea for redevelopment began in 2019, after members of the church participated in some focus groups, said First United Methodist Church Lead Pastor Scott Smith. Then, COVID interfered with planning.
But the reality of their campus remained. The church — which will celebrate 75 years at its location at 336 S. Halifax Drive in 2027 — had no master plan, Smith said. Their campus felt like buildings pieced together over the years.
“Most of them were built in the ’50s and ’60s and that’s old,” Smith said. “And they look old. They feel old, they smell old.”
The number of doors, a total of 29, also raised safety concerns. In addition, a parking lot needs to be crossed by church members to reach the children’s ministry, which Smith describes as “a barrier for families.”
The new two-story church building will have areas for childcare, a children’s ministry, multipurpose space and offices. It will have a main entrance with a courtyard.
“It condenses our footprint on the property,” Smith said.
The redevelopment will also address some current drainage issues, and will have green space to the south side of the property that the church is planning to utilize as a small park.
“Not necessarily a ‘play park’, but a meditative, reflective area for people to hang out,” Smith said.
Another component of the project will be the renovation of the sanctuary, which was last completed back in 1995. No upgrades have been made since, and there are plans to make the area larger to host more people and potentially host large community events or seminars.
Within the redevelopment, accommodations will be made to make the new building accessible.
“Shockingly enough, churches are not required to be ADA compliant; we want to make sure our space is accessible to everybody of any ability," Smith said.
All of the old buildings will be demolished and more parking spots will then be generated. However, all of the old trees on the property will be kept intact.
While construction is underway, a modular office complex will be created for church staff. The church will still host Sunday worship in the sanctuary.
“And so on Sunday morning, even though we’re renovating the sanctuary, our builder, in the city, has allowed us to stay in the sanctuary for worship,” Smith said. “They’ll do construction four days a week, clean on the fifth day, so we’ll be able to use it on Sunday mornings.”
