It may be that the day of judgment will dawn tomorrow. In that case, we shall gladly stop working for a better future. But not before.
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer
I feel the need for a “time out.” Everything that we have addressed above may require a lot of work on your part. It may feel overwhelming. For some, it may feel contrived or manipulated. I assure you that that is not my intent or motivation.
Here is the bottom line. Facilities are merely tools to assist a church or ministry to fulfill its vision. I would be the first to encourage you to first consider if a facility is the right tool. It has been the acceptable fallback for most churches in North America, but is it the right tool? I have taught a seminar for years entitled “Why Build When You Can Grow.” Your facilities alone will not make your church grow, and there are some pretty compelling reasons not to invest in more facilities. I encourage every church leader I meet to first consider every possible option to do ministry differently before they elect to build, buy, renovate, or expand.
What are some of the things a church building cannot do? Here are three main things a building cannot do:
- A building cannot stimulate growth. If you are not growing now, then you do not need a building to stimulate growth. People think, well, if we build it they will come. If we build it, it is going to create excitement. If you are not already at a point where your growth is a primary factor for building, then building will not stimulate your growth. We have actually seen instances where the opposite has happened and the building initiative has put the church in decline, because the motives were wrong.
- A building cannot improve members’ giving to ministry. Again, if the congregation is not already giving and living of life of generosity, a building project cannot get them to become regular contributors. Now, you might do a campaign, and you might have some people come out of the woodwork to give to a specific project, but will not cause them to adopt a biblical approach to financial stewardship.
- A building cannot motivate people to minister. If we just had a better building, then our people would do more. No they won’t! If you build a building prior to establishing a culture of evangelism, outreach, and service, what they are going to want to do is huddle inside the building. They are not going to want to get out and further the ministry. They are going to want to get inside those four walls and be comfortable in their new digs.
All facilities tell a story, and this story should be congruent and contextual with your vision. I firmly believe that having the right “bait” on the hook can be a positive in using the facility in the art of architectural evangelism. And I have strong convictions that while a building cannot save a single soul, it can be a distraction to a guest that could hinder them from hearing and seeing the word.
But church facilities are still just tools and not the gospel. The building is not the story. The gospel is the story that needs to be told. The problem is that some church buildings don’t help tell the story.
