It’s the People, Not the Place that Matters
When visiting a church with family, the minister prayed, “God you know we need a new church building.”
I recoiled at his claim. They don’t need a new building; they merely want one. There’s a difference between needs and wants, something we must distinguish.
What this church need is to throw aside assumption. They need to look at their situation with a creative eye, not follow what other churches do and society expects.
They need to read the books When Not to Build and When not to Borrow. Seriously.
One of the things I like about this church is that they rent space on Sunday and aren’t shackled by an expensive building that sucks away mass amounts of money and is underused most of the week.
I don’t want to attend a church that will assume a million-dollar debt just to have a nice place to meet on Sunday.
Instead, what if they would commit the same fervor and funds to help those in need or send missionaries around the world? That would be a holistic cause, righteous stewardship of money.
I could go to a church that thought like that; I could support a church that acted like that.
If this church builds a new facility, I doubt I’ll ever go there again. I want to attend a church committed to making a difference in the world around it.
We already have too many churches housed in grand edifices or erecting self-serving monuments to their view of success.
This church doesn’t need a new building. What they need is a new perspective, God’s perspective.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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