Oklahoma Baptists eye moving headquarters to former Sonic HQ in Lower Bricktown

A Southern Baptist ministry is under contract to buy the former Sonic headquarters with plans to bring the offices of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma to Lower Bricktown.

The convention, now going by the name Oklahoma Baptists, approved a plan by the Baptist Foundation of Oklahoma to purchase the building at 300 Johnny Bench Drive. The foundation, which goes by the name WatersEdge, is hoping to close on the purchase by April.

Todd Fisher, Oklahoma Baptists executive director-treasurer, said the organizations’ current headquarters at 3800 N May Ave. will be listed for sale once relocation of operations to Lower Bricktown is complete.

“The move to a new building is a significant opportunity for Oklahoma Baptists,” Fisher said. “The decision did not come lightly, but rather came through a long period of prayer, due diligence, collaboration among our ministry affiliate leadership, and our joint affirmation to put us all in the best position possible to accomplish our common goal of advancing the gospel and serving Oklahoma Baptist churches.”

Sonic Drive-In moved into the four-story, 100,000-square-foot building in 2003. At the time, the company employed 250, but that number dwindled when it was acquired in 2018 by Arby’s parent company Inspire Brands. Dozens of Sonic employees were laid off or transferred to the company’s Atlanta offices. The company consolidated remaining operations in Oklahoma City to the building’s first floor in December.

WatersEdge is a nonprofit foundation that assists with donors’ contributions to ministries while also managing trusts and financing of ministry projects. Robert Kellogg, CEO, said the group oversaw a loan portfolio of $200 million last year and facilitated a record $35.2 million in distributions from donors and endowments to charities.

Tenants in the Sonic building also will include staff for Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children and Baptist Village Communities. WatersEdge will make the move first with 80 employees. Another 90 are expected with the remaining tenants.

Kellogg said Sonic will continue to lease the ground floor.

Oklahoma Baptists are the largest faith group in Oklahoma, with 1,750 churches throughout the state, representing more than 578,000 Oklahomans, according to the organization's leaders. The Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, as it is formally known, is the state affiliate of the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest Protestant denomination.

The Rev. Doug Melton, longtime senior pastor of Southern Hills Baptist Church, said this is an exciting time for the Oklahoma Baptists.

"I am thrilled and I really believe that it's going to be well received," he said. "I think folks are going to understand that this will allow even more money to be able to go towards advancing the Gospel, and enabling our churches to fulfill the mission that the Lord has given us."

The south Oklahoma City minister said the benefits to the move will help when the faith group says farewell to the iconic building on May Avenue, which they often refer to as "the Baptist Building."

"We're thankful for the building that the Lord has allowed us to occupy ― really all the buildings that the Lord has allowed us to occupy — over the years," he said.

"I'm thankful for Dr. Fisher and Robert Kellogg and the board of directors of both entities having the foresight to spend the necessary time to research every option and to come to the place of this being the best way forward."

Baptists say they now can invest more into churches, instead of an aging building

Oklahoma Baptists left their historic home in Midtown in 1990 at a time when the neighborhood was in deep decline and downtown was struggling to recover from the 1980s oil bust. They bought their current headquarters after it went into foreclosure with the collapse of its anchor tenant, Allied Oklahoma Bank.

“The current Baptist Building, as is, can no longer accommodate the growth of WatersEdge, and remodeling the Baptist Building is cost prohibitive,” Fisher said. “It was vitally important for the convention and affiliates to office together in the same building under the umbrella of Oklahoma Baptists enhancing the unity we enjoy and appreciate.”

Oklahoma Baptists expect the move to Lower Bricktown will result in an estimated annual savings of $500,000.

“In short, this move will enable our state convention to invest more resources into churches and pastors instead of using those resources toward the upkeep of an aging building,” Fisher said.

Kellogg said the Sonic building purchase is a “value proposition,” adding the property is well built and move-in ready.

“Since our founding, we have benefited from being the sole incorporated trust agency for Southern Baptist work in Oklahoma,” Kellogg said. “With that privilege comes a responsibility to steward well what has been entrusted to us and to make wise financial decisions. The Lord has blessed us to be in a position to step forward and expand our facilities, and it’s now our privilege to provide the affiliates an opportunity to come with us.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Former Sonic HQ to become new Oklahoma Southern Baptists home