GuideStone launches new era at Pinnacle Tower

Reflecting on the number of days GuideStone Financial Resources has served hundreds of thousands of participants, O.S. Hawkins noted that Aug. 20, 2018 – the first day at GuideStone’s new home – was a momentous one, following the 100th anniversary of its beginnings in Dallas on July 31, 1918.

“In Psalm 90:12, the prayer of Moses says, ‘So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom,’” Hawkins, GuideStone’s president, noted. “We’re good at counting months or years. In the financial industry, we number quarters. But a heart of wisdom counts the days.”

GuideStone occupies the top five floors of the 24-story Pinnacle Tower at 5005 LBJ Freeway across the Dallas North Tollway from the Dallas Galleria shopping center.

The lease includes signage on the east and north sides of the building, with more than a half-million vehicles passing by daily.

John R. Jones, GuideStone’s chief operating officer, said the new space “accomplishes two goals for GuideStone: it helps us in our ongoing efforts to aggressively manage costs and it helps create a workspace conducive to the way we work now, fostering collaboration, innovation and efficiency.

“We have always aimed to be a ministry that adopts and operates with best business practices for the benefit of our participants,” Jones said, “and we believe this new space accomplishes both the business and ministry needs of the organization very well.”

GuideStone’s previous home in Dallas’ Uptown neighborhood was sold in December 2017. That building was originally acquired as an investment of GuideStone for the purpose of aiding the organization in providing benefit programs to Southern Baptist participants. Proceeds from the sale continue to drive the benefit programs for Southern Baptists and others GuideStone is authorized to serve as part of its ministry assignment with the Southern Baptist Convention.

The sale and relocation are forecast to provide cost savings of $3 million annually as GuideStone shed unused office space and moved to a more cost-effective location. The location, which sits within a 45-minute commute of two-thirds of the workers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, is a prime area of redevelopment with improved highway access over the last several years.

“We believe that, just as our Uptown location served us well for the last 29 years, this new location is a long-term solution that will benefit our participants and our employees,” said Hawkins, who has led the SBC entity since 1997. “As we marked our centennial anniversary in 2018 and said goodbye to our old home, we look forward to embarking on this second century of service in our new home with excitement and expectation for all the Lord will do through us as we seek to honor Him through our service to our participants.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE – Roy Hayhurst is director of denominational and public relations for GuideStone Financial Resources. Reprinted from Baptist Press, baptistpress.com, news service of the Southern Baptist Convention.)