What are some of the things a church building cannot do?
There are lots of things, like wash your car, do the dishes, preach a sermon, and so on…but…
Here are 3 facts that address many misconceptions church leaders have about what a new church building or a building program can/cannot do:
1. A building cannot stimulate growth
If you are not growing now, 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.
2. A building cannot improve members’ giving to ministry
Again, if the congregation is not already giving and living a life of spiritual 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 closet to give to a “project,” but that in and of itself is not going to motivate them to adopt a Biblical approach to financial stewardship. You may want to consider exploring this further with a Generosity Coach (if you need some names, call me).
3. A building cannot motivate people to minister
I’ve heard it time and time again. ‘Well, if we just had a building program, our people will want to get out there, and they will want to evangelize, and they’ll want to witness.’ No, they wont!
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.
I was part of a fast growing church back in the 1990s that had an incredible culture of service, ministry, and outreach…then…we built a lovely new sanctuary with pews and a permanent sound system…meaning no weekly setup required in the gym, to list just one change the new building caused. The culture of the church became one of a Country Club (with “member privileges”) instead of a community of missionaries to their culture.
