When We Cannot See the Church for the Building

The Lord's Church in modern America has a serious first-world problem. It should be a blessing, but has it not become a stumbling block? I'm speaking of our church buildings. We've all heard the expression “can't see the forest for the trees.” I'm afraid now we can't see the Church for the buildings.

While I do not wish to imply that it is inherently sinful to build one, I want to suggest eight reasons why I believe our buildings can become “Christian traps” ensnaring our good intentions and causing much of our energy and potential to be wasted.

First: It's easier to do things for the building than for the body...  The building never complains or complicates our efforts. It is very willing to operate on our timetable. It never insinuates that we should have done more or done differently. It asks for nothing, so our service to it is self-limiting - uncomplicated by scope-creep. It offers visible evidence to show everybody our good deeds and makes it extremely convenient for us to punch our own tickets and feel good about serving God without ever actually interacting with other humans.

Second: The existence of the building sets our expectations for the size and appearance of the church - which is the body of Christ, the people. Even though the majority of the pews may be empty, we grow accustomed to everybody's usual place and it looks right to us. The orientation of our four walls doesn't allow us to see outside them to the size of the world full of lost souls everywhere. These walls shield us from seeing the ugliness of sin and the disturbing needs of the people all around us. When we all clean up in our “Sunday best” we hide our needs, our pain, our sins, and present a homogenized and sanitized view of life that is far easier to swallow than the truth, but we leave unfulfilled and hurting without getting the support and help we really need. What would people think of us if they really knew our situation...

Third: Because fellowship can happen in the building, too often it only happens in the building. We fail to realize that true fellowship doesn't mean a potluck meal. It means bonding and being each other's center of support in this life in real, tangible ways. It's more than saying, “Be warmed and filled.” Once we have a building, we select a schedule for “worship services” that will be held there. Once these times are chosen, we take our cues from them. We feel we have done our duty when we have attended these “services.” After all, usually nothing else is scheduled... We have lost sight of the fact that those scheduled services are the bare minimum, not the ideal. If we are to realize our potential as Christians and truly live a life of service dedicated to God, it's going to take a lot more than warming a pew on a Sunday morning.

Fourth: The building becomes our focal point for church activity. This was not the case in the first century! We must understand that the bulk of the work of the church happens outside the building – not inside it. Churches may have fellowship meals, children's classes, baby showers, and plays and while all of those things are nice, none of them truly fulfill the work of the church God described in the Bible. The work of the church is helping each other in real life and saving lost souls who will never see the inside of the building unless we take our faith outside it.

Fifth: Buildings cause us to lose new members in two ways. First, thanks to denominational aberrations, many people are now very “turned off” by what has come to be called organized religion. They've been burned and they're very intimidated by the building. Second, we don't spend enough time together to actually bond. When new members do come in, we have our order of worship and we have a specified end time. Every minute is orchestrated. Everyone is usually gone within 15 minutes of the conclusion of our service and we feel awkward and apologetic if we delay our departure beyond that interval. As long as we neglect to meet the social and emotional needs of our new converts, they have no choice but to turn back to their support network in the world. That's why they backslide. That's how we lose them. The building is a cold substitute for the loving spiritual home the church is meant to be.

Sixth: The building takes over our budgets. How many well-appointed and carefully maintained buildings sit idly six out of seven days while members languish in homes with leaking roofs and struggle to feed their children for all seven of those days? Elderly folk who can't get out and single folk who don't fit in feel the ache of loneliness which no church member should ever need to fear, and thousands of lost souls never hear the good news that God is waiting for them with open arms. But doesn't the building just radiate holiness sitting there looking all...churchy? Are we not like the young nation of Israel begging for a king so they could look like all the other nations? God gave them kings, and all the problems that came along with them. But God said that the Church would be known by how we love each other, not by our buildings.

Seventh: The existence of a building has an institutionalizing effect on the church. It encourages a “clergy-laity” mentality in which “regular” members become consumers who believe it is the preacher's or possibly the elders' place to reach out to the community, study with the lost, visit the sick, and more. This dynamic breeds immature members who never shoulder the kind of responsibility that fosters personal or church growth. It also leads church members to regard preachers as employees to be evaluated, compensated, and regulated. This undermines the authority of the preacher and prevents him from wielding the beneficial influence God intended and the church desperately needs. He is reduced from a position of honor to one of struggling against the temptation to please the congregation to retain his position when he should be free to dedicate himself to study and the edification of the membership.

Eighth: Many congregations, especially the smaller ones, can't afford to pay our preachers much above minimum wage, and it is often suggested that our full-time missionaries should just “get a real job.” But what could we do if we didn't need to pay for the building? Along with buildings come insurance, maintenance, utilities, upgrades, bond issues, mortgages... but we need that building! For two or maybe four hours a week, we need that building. Do we really, or has it become our spiritual security blanket? Why do we need it? Because without it, we honestly have no idea how to be Christians. The building gives us an incredibly defining sense of self, but that definition is not from God. Do we really have a “church” if we don't have a building? Are we living up to our potential if we do have one? With great blessing comes great responsibility...

In many cultures, religion revolves around an idol that “lives” in its temple. Nobody takes it out of its place, but the followers visit it periodically at prescribed times... sound familiar? Those idols are not alive; they have no purpose outside their temples. They exist to supposedly grant wishes if their foolish followers please or appease them sufficiently. How easy it is for us, as enlightened Christians, to see that idol worship is an exercise in futility. But do we walk away from our relationship with God when we leave the church building as though He isn't real? Have we built a temple and put our God in His place? Have we interred Christ in our building as though He never rose from the grave? Have we idolized the Almighty God?

What about you? Perhaps we all need to work our way through the following assessment to determine whether we are Christ-focused or building-focused. Please join me in honestly considering these 10 important questions:

1. Does your building get more of your annual budget than your preacher?

2. Does your building get more of your annual budget than missions?

3. Does your building get more of your annual budget than benevolence for members, other congregations in need, and the community?

4. Do you use your building for anything other than those two to four hours of “worship service” each week?

5. How much time do you devote to God outside of the building?

6. How much time do you spend in fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ outside your building?

7. When was the last time you set foot in the home of a fellow Christian?

8. Not including regular worship services, does your church have more organized efforts for building maintenance or for member edification?

9. When was the last time you spoke of God to anyone outside your building?

10. Based on your answers to these questions, are you truly your Father's child? Are you honoring Him by taking care of what He cares about? Hint: He doesn't care about the building.

Jesus said that if something causes us to sin, we should cut it off and throw it away... Is it time we at least acknowledge that our buildings can actually get in the way of serving God, and we need to evaluate our lives? How many of our young children think God lives in the church building because we don't take Him home with us when we lock the doors at noon on Sunday? How many adults live as though they believe that, too? The early church worshiped under trees, in homes, in the Jewish temple...and look how it grew! Worship should infuse every aspect of our lives, too.

It's common enough for us to bemoan the fact that the world needs Jesus, but do we truly understand that Jesus can't leave the building until we do? He has chosen to work through us in this world, and we dare not limit the scope of His work to a building that lies empty 164 out of 168 hours each week! I urge you to let your church building be an ever-present reminder of the empty tomb. He is not here, He is risen. Now, go and tell...

If you are moved by the assessment, there are lots of ways to improve, many are inherent in that list of questions. Some are congregational decisions, and some are personal. All of us can improve our attitudes and our performance outside the building. The great commission applies to us all equally, and we have much good news and love to spread.

If you can't physically go, then pray the Lord of the Harvest to send workers into the harvest. And if you know a man worthy of going full-time, for heaven's sake, support him wholeheartedly!