Church Buildings and Church Planting
Historically the church has always seen value in sacrificing time, energy, resources, and talents to purchase and build buildings that would be set apart for worship, ministry, and mission. Many of the cathedrals still standing today were built over the span of multiple generations. One of many examples is Notre Dame Cathedral which took nearly two hundred years to build—its iconic twin spires weren’t completed for another 600 years. This means one generation would sacrifice so another might benefit from a space that had been set apart for purposes the founding generation would never see born to fruit. It is only in recent years, where trends have begun to push against the value in having a specifically built and designed space dedicated for ecclesial purposes.
Many of these trends that have swept through the modern church as a result of social media, large conferences and connectivity are an attempt to search for the remedy to the rapid decline in the Western church. As church buildings in Europe have turned to community centers and coffee shops, the American church has had its own questions of what to do with buildings that were once full and now seem vacant. The decline in the Western church has led to a resurgence and emphasis in church planting and church revitalization.
In the space of training church planters a unique countertrend has emerged—one where place and space has been deemphasized. It was not long ago that many church planters stepping into ministry were met with the refrain, the church is more than a building. The subtle and yet clear message was that the building in which you gather is not something that needs to be prioritized. And while it is technically true that the church is more than the building, for many pastors this has created a false dichotomy positioning the mission of the church against gathering place of the church.
Possibly more dangerous than this false dichotomy is the disorientation that has followed. Here is the simple truth: the mission of the church will always be carried out in real time and real space. Before a pastor can lead their church into a successful building project, they must have personal conviction and clarity around the value and purpose of this pursuit. Stated plainly: a pastor cannot lead with integrity if they themselves lack clarity. While the trend of the church is more than a building may possibly be in the rearview mirror, its lingering effects still show up in the language of those leading our churches, networks and denominations. The church is “the assembly of the called out” or “the gathered ones.” While the church is the people, it is more than just the people… it is the people gathered. The early church recognized the need to have a place for the gathering of the people (i.e. the church) and many would offer their homes as a place for this assembly. Throughout the centuries as the number of people gathering grew, the need for larger places also grew. A home was no longer a sufficient space for the people to gather in and thus we see the building of buildings dedicated to these purposes.
It is not just in the early church we see the dedication of space for worship, but maybe equally importantly we see God command His people in great detail to construct the building of the temple (and then reconstruct it when they returned from exile). While this may be an oversimplification of history, here is the simple point: there is great biblical and historical example that demonstrate the value (and I might add responsibility) in setting a part places for the unique purposes accomplished through the local church. With this in mind, might I offer just a couple thoughts that I hope will encourage and empower you to pursue a space that has been set apart for your people to gather:
THE RESOURCES ARE IN THE HARVEST
Pastor, you must be aware of your resources. I am not encouraging you to cross any ethical lines. That being said you have to know what you have before you can steward it. The wisdom of Solomon calls the shepherd to know the conditions of his flock (Prov. 27:23). Equally significant, when God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, one of the questions Moses asked God was, “how will they listen to me?” (Ex. 4:1). God’s response was simply asking Moses to look at what was in his hand (Ex. 4:2). God simply needed Moses to see that it was what he already possessed that would be used, not what he thought he needed to possess in order to be used. It was the staff in Moses’ hand that would demonstrate God’s authority to the Pharaoh and the magicians of Egypt.
Similarly, we see this principle carried out in the Parable of the Talents. The faithfulness of the servant was not the increase of the investment, nor was the faithfulness determined on the amount of what was in their possession; the faithfulness was determined by the use of what was already in their possession (Matthew 25:14-30). I have heard many pastors and church planters share the aspirations of the church that they desire to pastor, but those aspirations should never cause us to look past the people we are pastoring. In fact, I would argue that it is through the faithful pastoring of your congregation today, that you will move towards pastoring the congregation you hope for tomorrow. The faithful pastor must use what they have. This principle carries beyond the values and culture of your church and into the finances of the church. A pastor must know the financial health of the church and ministry in order to faithfully steward what God has entrusted into their care. Here are some things I have found helpful in gaining a clearer picture of the financial health of my church:
1. KNOW THE NUMBER OF GIVERS
I know we need to be careful about not showing favoritism and there are many different thoughts on whether a pastor should be aware of who gives to the church. I don’t care to dive into those conversations here, but I will say that a pastor who is unaware of the number of givers (giving units) in his church will find it difficult to grasp the financial health of the church.
2. AVERAGE GIVING PER GIVER
This will vary on the affluence of your community but will be helpful as you make decisions regarding the future. If you take on debt to purchase a building, how many new families will you need to add to your church and what percentage of those families need to participate in giving. These are questions a leader needs to be able to answer when stepping into conversations around buildings and the answers are not as allusive as some suggest. The answers come from knowing your congregation and learning to steward not just the resources you have but lead your church in generosity.
3. IF A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THE OVERALL GIVING COMES FROM ONLY A FEW SOURCES
This is particularly important in affluent communities. If one family gives 10-20% of your entire budget, you should know this. While you don’t need to know the names of your givers, it is important to know one giver carries a significant percentage of your overall budget. This does not necessarily mean you need to steward these resources differently, but it is better to be aware of this than to be caught off guard should the circumstances of this family change (i.e. move away, job change, etc.). In our early years this was the case, and so while we budgeted these funds we used them for the budgetary items that were strategic and future focused, not on daily operations.
4. AVERAGE MONTHLY GIVING AND MONTHLY EXPENSES
I hope this final note goes without saying, but a pastor needs to know if the income is covering the expenses and the difference between the two (whether it is running positive net gain or a negative balance). The information above will help the pastor understand how to narrow the gap in a deficit and how to plan strategically for the future.
Once you know what has been placed in your hand you are in a better position to steward it.
ONCE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE, YOU CAN USE WHAT YOU’VE GOT
If you planted a church then you already have a bit of entrepreneurship in your blood, maybe even a streak of creativity. If you are thinking about a building project, it likely means you have thought creatively about space and have worked hard as a mobile church. You have done this because you believe in the mission, maybe more explicitly because you believe in the Great Commission. So let me encourage you with this, the same creative genius and hard work that has allowed you to get to this point, are the same qualities that will help you move forward in a permanent facility. If you are convinced that the permanent building is necessary for the growth and posterity of the ministry, then apply the skills you have already demonstrated toward this end.
I don’t want to oversimplify it, but I do want to encourage you to have freedom to think creatively to solve the problem of space usage. There is no one size fits all in a building campaign or strategy but here are some ways our church and others have thought creatively and, in God’s grace, landed a permanent facility:
1. INVITE INVESTORS TO PARTICIPATE
I imagine you have people in your church who invest in various things: stocks, real estate, 401k, IRA’s, etc. There is a way for you to invite these individuals to privately invest in real estate that would be purchased by the church. This essentially looks like a mortgage that is privately financed. There are organizations that have been set up to help non-profits invite people to self-direct their IRA’s, savings, or portfolios into shared/financing for the purchasing of real estate. These investments get a return usually 4-6% over the agreed upon terms. For many individuals this aligns their interests in stewarding their own resources and serving the church.
2. LOOK FOR LIKE-MINDED PARTNERS
There are many partners a church can look to but one of the most natural partners is a Christian School. The days and times a school needs a space tend to be the exact opposite of the days and times a church needs a space. Particularly in an urban setting, the affordability of space is difficult and partnering with a school could be a missional win for both organizations. There are ways to negotiate space usage, equity of ownership, etc. based on the dollars each organization is bringing to the purchase. If you can’t afford a building by yourself, prayerfully consider partnering with a like-minded organization.
3. LOOK FOR UNDER-UTILIZED CHURCH BUILDINGS
We are on the front end of a leadership crisis and in a decline across mainline protestant churches. This means there are many church buildings without people and a number of buildings who have people but are without leadership. It could be that the Lord led you to a city not simply to plant a church but to revitalize one. In some cities across America there are buildings that were purchased by the sacrifice and generosity of generations that precede us, in order to secure a Gospel witness in that particular community. Do not be afraid to help the vision of these previous generations carry forward through the faithfulness of your ministry.
In reality, I share these thoughts from a position of humility and gratitude. I do not believe it is primarily a strategy that will accomplish the work you put your hand to, but rather faithfulness. First, the faithfulness of God to His bride and to His people. Second, your faithfulness to your King and to your Savior. Where strategy fails, your Savior will sustain… where initiatives stumble, your Savior is still faithful. It is the sustaining work of your Savior who will accomplish His work in and through you (Phil. 1:6). So run the race with endurance, joy and