Theologically, I think we can all agree that \u201cchurch\u201d and \u201cchurch buildings\u201d are not synonymous terms. Just like you, I know the church isn\u2019t a building. I know churches can thrive without a building.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s only half the story.<\/p>\n
Your community identifies your church with your building. The unchurched people around you aren\u2019t making theological conclusions about the nature of the church. When they hear the name of your church, it\u2019s the building that comes to mind.<\/p>\n
Plus, the church must gather somewhere \u2013 whether it\u2019s Sunday morning, Wednesday night or a ministry event you host. The very people who always note that we don\u2019t need buildings eventually realize they\u2019d like a building to do certain ministries.<\/p>\n
Your building matters. Even dying churches have them. In fact, dying churches likely have more building than they\u2019re using. With that in mind, let me give you four reasons your buildings matters as you\u2019re trying to replant a dying church.<\/p>\n
1. Your building represents something to your community.<\/strong><\/p>\n You need to make it a priority to figure out what your building is saying to your community. For example:<\/p>\n None of these are messages any church wants to communicate. No matter what \u2013 even if your facilities look great \u2013 they\u2019re telling your community something. If you want your building to work for you, rather than against you, you need to figure out what it\u2019s saying.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why I think it\u2019s important to have someone you respect, and who will be impartial, to take a look at your building and let you know what your facilities communicate to them. Be clear with the person what kind of feedback would be helpful. Encourage him or her (or better yet him and her<\/em>, to get the perspective of both men and women) to be thorough, gathering insights about both the inside and outside.<\/p>\n 2. Buildings can be tools for ministry.<\/strong><\/p>\n We don\u2019t gather as much as we did when I was a kid, but we still gather, usually on Sunday morning. And when you gather, you need a place to do so. It\u2019s where you host Bible studies and vacation Bible school. You can certainly gather without a building of your own, but a building helps.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also the base of your ministry operations, an important beachhead into the community. Your building isn\u2019t just for corporate worship; it needs to be a site for ongoing ministry in your community.<\/p>\n In Reclaiming Glory<\/em>, I told the story of my experience with Wornall Road Baptist Church in Kansas City. When I first arrived, the building sat empty most of the week. One of the most important steps of replanting the church was to change that. We hosted multiple church plants in the building. Several nonprofits that were helping the community called it home. In time, every room was full. The parking lot was regularly packed. For the first time in a long time, the community saw the church as a living congregation, not something that was dead.<\/p>\n If you have vacant rooms in your church, use them. Convert them into birthday rooms that people in your community can use to host birthday parties. Open your kitchens to host family reunions. Invite a nonprofit that\u2019s doing great work in your neighborhood to use office space in your building. You\u2019re only limited by your creativity.<\/p>\n 3. Taking care of your building is a matter of good stewardship.<\/strong><\/p>\n I know the temptation. You don\u2019t have the money to fix your facilities, so you just let everything go. But it doesn\u2019t get any better. In fact, the situation will get worse \u2013 and more costly.<\/p>\n We need to be good stewards of our buildings. Communities can be positively impacted by church buildings. Your building is worth investing in because it\u2019s a ministry tool. Often, I hear church people say they want to avoid putting money into a building so they can invest more in people. That\u2019s a false dichotomy. If you\u2019re using your building for ministry, spending money on it isn\u2019t just a matter of bricks and paint; it\u2019s about people. It\u2019s good stewardship to invest money in a building that helps you reach and disciple people.<\/p>\n 4. Deficient buildings can be hazardous and impediments to non-believers. <\/strong><\/p>\n If you don\u2019t take care of your building, not only will it not attract non-believers in your community, but it actually will repel them. I remember one church I entered where, once inside, you were immediately hit with strong stench. You couldn\u2019t ignore it. I was told the church had a problem with the dishwasher and couldn\u2019t fix it. But understand this, if this is your church, you must fix it<\/em>, even if it means you need to buy a new one. If you\u2019re in the building a couple of hours a week, maybe you\u2019ll get used to it. A guest will not \u2013 and they won\u2019t return even if your preaching knocks it out of the park and the music could win a Grammy.<\/p>\n Initially, as you\u2019re replanting a church, the two most important elements of your building will be your restrooms and your children\u2019s area. Your restrooms need to be clean and handicapped accessible. Your children\u2019s area must be clean and safe. You don\u2019t need a bunch of fancy toys. It\u2019s more important that you present an inviting, clean environment than to have a room full of flea-market toys.<\/p>\n Also, watch out for places in your building that can be dangerous, such as spots that don\u2019t meet the fire code or broken steps where people can trip. The gospel should be dangerous; your church shouldn\u2019t be!<\/p>\n Your church building isn\u2019t the most important part of your church\u2019s replanting, but it is important \u2013 likely more important than you realize. As a good steward, use it to the best of your ability as a tool to reach and disciple people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Theologically, I think we can all agree that \u201cchurch\u201d and \u201cchurch buildings\u201d are not synonymous terms. …<\/p>\n\n