Bishop Marvin Winans Gives an Inside Look at New Church

The Dream That Refused to Die: Inside Detroit’s Nearly 20-Year Perfecting Church Project

More than 20 years ago, Bishop Marvin Winans unveiled an extraordinary vision for a new Perfecting Church in Detroit. The proposed development carried a price tag of roughly $60 million and was intended to create far more than a sanctuary. It was envisioned as a major religious and community destination, occupying more than 16 acres near Woodward Avenue and Seven Mile Road.

But ambitious plans collided with reality.

The financial crisis of 2008 became one of the biggest turning points in the project. Construction stopped, and the massive property remained largely unfinished for years.

Yet Winans maintained that the vision had never disappeared.

While the building stood incomplete, the congregation continued growing. The church kept looking for financial institutions willing to support the project, but finding the necessary financing proved extraordinarily difficult.

“There was some financing that was lined up,” attorney David Jones explained, “local banks,” but those institutions ultimately withdrew.

The unfinished structure became a familiar sight in the Detroit neighborhood. Although it was enormous, the project appeared frozen in time.

Then came a new confrontation.

In 2023, the city of Detroit sued Perfecting Church, arguing that construction had not progressed quickly enough. The legal dispute transformed what had already been a frustrating construction delay into a much more serious battle over the future of the property.

City officials argued that they needed evidence demonstrating the building could actually be completed. Perfecting Church, meanwhile, rejected the characterization of the property as blighted or abandoned.

The church pointed out that the building had security around the clock and lacked many of the obvious characteristics associated with neglected properties.

There were no broken windows or graffiti-covered walls.

Inside, the picture was considerably different from what an abandoned building might suggest.

The church had already invested millions of dollars into the structure. Approximately $20 million had been spent, and that amount had reportedly been paid in full by the church.

Major infrastructure work was already complete.

Underground plumbing had been installed. Electrical systems were in place. Heating systems, gas lines for the future kitchen, sprinkler systems, and fireproofing had been addressed. The core structural steel was complete, and the building had been protected against water intrusion.

But the city wanted something more than assurances.

Detroit’s corporation counsel argued that officials needed a responsible completion plan supported by financial evidence. The city requested documentation involving architects, contractors, structural certifications, and a credible timeline.

The possibility of a court-appointed receiver became part of the dispute.

If the church could not demonstrate that it could finish the project within a reasonable period, city officials argued that the property could potentially be sold, with proceeds returning to Perfecting Church.

The church responded aggressively.

Its attorneys filed a countersuit and argued that the city was pursuing the property without sufficient justification. They wanted the court to see the building firsthand and determine whether it truly represented a public nuisance.

The message from the church was unmistakable: Perfecting had not sought a fight, but it would not surrender the dream it had spent decades pursuing.

Eventually, the two sides reached an agreement. The lawsuit was dropped in exchange for specific construction goals and a timeline that the church would be expected to meet.

That agreement marked a crucial turning point.

Construction could move forward again.

And this time, the building was no longer merely a distant rendering.

Workers returned.

Tools Contracting Group took a central role in advancing the project. Teams began working both inside and outside the enormous structure, transforming the once-stalled site into an active construction zone.

The scale of the project remained staggering.

The building covers approximately 168,000 to 170,000 square feet and sits on more than 16 acres. Plans call for a sanctuary capable of seating thousands of worshippers, along with a smaller chapel, Sunday school facilities, executive spaces, banquet areas, and extensive parking.

Earlier designs envisioned a sanctuary seating more than 4,000 people. Other descriptions placed the main sanctuary capacity at more than 3,000, alongside a 500-seat chapel and an outdoor amphitheater capable of accommodating hundreds.

A grand staircase was designed as a dramatic centerpiece of the interior.

Stained glass would eventually flood portions of the building with color and light.

The development was never intended to be simply another church.

It was supposed to become an asset to Detroit.

But even after construction restarted, obstacles remained.

The project had originally been imagined as an approximately 18-month construction effort. By the time the renewed work progressed, the schedule had already stretched beyond that estimate.

Some of the complications came from circumstances that did not exist when construction initially began.

Storm-water retention regulations had changed during the long interruption. As a result, the project required a new water-retention system to comply with updated laws.

Interest rates and tariffs also became concerns.

Long-lead materials meant that certain components had to be ordered months ahead of installation. Every delay could ripple into another delay.

Winans described the process as a continual grind—sometimes moving quickly, sometimes slowing because essential materials or financing required additional time.

But by 2025, visible progress was finally transforming the property.

The surrounding land was being graded. Tree removal had been completed. Curbs and sidewalks were taking shape. Parking areas were emerging, with space planned for approximately 705 vehicles.

Inside, crews had completed fireproofing and were working on acoustics.

For the first time in years, the massive structure looked less like a monument to an unfinished dream and more like a building approaching its intended purpose.

Winans remained optimistic.

His goal was to open the church in 2026, although the precise opening date remained dependent on the completion of construction and other final requirements.

The significance of that target goes far beyond a calendar date.

For the congregation, 2026 represents the potential conclusion of a journey that began more than two decades earlier.

The building has survived a financial crisis, years of inactivity, financing problems, changing construction requirements, legal confrontation, and the uncertainty of a project that seemed at times as though it might never be finished.

Yet the vision remained.

For Winans, the new Perfecting Church is not merely about concrete, steel, glass, parking spaces, or an enormous sanctuary.

It is about creating something that can serve Detroit for generations.

The delays may have changed the timetable, but they did not erase the original purpose.

Now, as construction crews continue working, the once-stalled project has entered perhaps its most important chapter.

The question is no longer whether the dream can survive another setback.

The question is how soon Detroit will finally see the doors open.

After nearly 20 years, the answer may finally be getting closer.