by Fred Goldschmidt
The church is growing, the budget is creeping upwards, and for two weeks now the Johnsons have gotten to service too late for their “reserved” seat in the back of the sanctuary. Time to raise the money to build.
Surely somewhere in the King James Bible there is a verse that instructs pastors to build a new church when the sanctuary is 80 percent full. We all know it’s in there, but none of us can cite it.
Before raising the money to build a new church, there are a few thoughts you might want to consider:
Three Misconceptions of Church Building Projects
Believe it or not, even Spirit-filled churches can succumb to misconceptions! Such as …
1. “If you build it, they will come.” Far too many pastors thought the harvest was so ripe it would jump into the next silo that was built. New is the way to go! Yet evidence shows that God’s Spirit working through his people will pack a crowd into any building-new or old. There are also a few examples of lovely new buildings only half full, their people struggling to pay the bills. The Spirit of God working through the people is the most important component of every church and every harvest.
2. “A building project will solve our problems.” Building campaigns are a little like engaged couples. All starry-eyed and silly in love, they can’t see their shortcomings for all the excitement of the coming wedding. What a surprise to discover that, just as marriages are made in heaven, so are thunder and lightning!
Churches often find that planning a capital campaign and building a new church brings an uncommon unity of purpose in the people. That is a wonderful thing … but it may not last. The same problems a church had before the building program will come back. And, when they do, there will be more bills, higher maintenance, and, hopefully, more sheep to care for. Point is, deal with the problems now. Pray through, preach through, encourage, instruct and rebuke. Church health is too important to neglect.
3. “More space is what we need.” Space may well be what you need, but there are several ways to get it. Have you considered what would happen if you offered more service times and perhaps even services on other days of the week? It would be hard work, for sure. But you knew that when you signed up for ministry. I’ve heard it said that “the greatest waste of kingdom resources is empty church buildings.” Empty as in a sanctuary that is only used on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights.
More space can also be gained by church planting. Raising pastors up out of your congregation is the ultimate in discipleship. It is possible that more people will be won to the kingdom through many churches rather than through fewer bigger churches.
Remember, the money you raise is kingdom money, and it should be spent where it is most likely to do the most good.
Three Great Reasons to Raise Money for a Building
I love progress and am a proponent of capital campaigns and building projects. Here are a few of the best reasons to extract the money from your congregation’s pockets to spend on construction supplies and contractors:
1. To increase the missions sending base. The church is supposed to be a home base for sending people out. The bigger, more stable and vibrant the home base, the more resources should be available to the mission field. Capital campaigns should lead to more for the mission field, not less.
2. To make room for people in your area who are not yet saved. Any church with a passion to reach the community for Christ should make room for the anticipated growth. Ask yourself, “If half the people in my church lead someone to Christ, where would they sit in the church?” Long-time FCA pastor Henry Jauhiainen helped me understand this when I told him of our plans for building at our church. He listened and replied, “If you build it big enough, I’m all for it!” Gotta love that man!
3. To provide ideal meeting space for making disciples. Many church buildings are unwieldy. They’re handicap-restrictive, or they have long hallways connecting small rooms. Sure, these rooms and buildings worked in the past, and continue to be usable, but there can be great value to upgrading. The building should function well to accomplish the goals of the church.
If you’re looking for the worst reasons to build, I can offer a few of those as well:
To make existing church people more comfortable
To impress the community
To build a legacy
To find something to do with all that extra building fund money!
The Greatest Worship Building Project
Perhaps the most impressive of all building projects, by the sharpest guy on the planet, was Solomon’s Temple. On the great day of dedication (see 1 Kings 8), the project showed wonderful “flaws.” I hope we will all have similar results.
This brand-new, state-of-the-art facility couldn’t seat the crowd. Despite the design (and plush seats?), verse 11 says the priests couldn’t stand because of the glory of the Lord. What’s worse, Solomon acknowledged that the new temple wasn’t big enough for God. Verse 27 admits that, if the heavens can’t contain the Almighty, neither can a building on earth. Finally, it appears that the altar was too small for the willing sacrifice of the people. Despite its ample proportions, verse 64 says the altar overflowed with grain and fat offerings onto the newly-laid floor.
If you go ahead with a capital campaign and follow it up with a well-designed building, may you “fail” in these same ways. May the glory of God be too awesome to dismiss. May your God be too big to be restrained by your walls. And may the outpouring of the people be too much to be contained in the sanctuary.
Fred Goldschmidt is associate pastor at Cloquet Gospel Tabernacle in Cloquet, Minnesota.
