When is Renovation Church Getting a Building?

When people find out that I lead Renovation Church and that we meet at the Garretson School for services, one of the first questions they ask is, “So… when are you guys getting your own building and becoming a ‘real’ church?”

It’s a pretty innocent question but the assumptions behind it are fatally flawed.

For those who are curious as to when Renovation Church will get our own building – the answer is probably never… at least not while I am the pastor (unless God clearly makes it known to all of us that He wants us to purchase a building).

There are two primary reasons why our vision is to remain a portable church:

1. Mission Drift
When you purchase a building, the people of the church begin to believe that the church is a building. The truth is, the church is a PEOPLE called by Christ to be on mission with Him to make disciples of all the nations. For the first 300 years of the church, there was no such thing as a church building!

Virtually every church will affirm that the “church” is not a building but rather the people who follow Jesus. Nevertheless, it is clear by the way most churches spend money and by the very language they use, most don’t really believe this. As soon as a congregation purchases their first building, the temptation is to fill it with programs so it does not sit empty the entire week. These programs end up giving everyone a full schedule and destroys their witness to the community.

It’s difficult (impossible?) to be a witness in your family, community, and workplace when you are trapped in a holy huddle at the church building every night of the week.

2. Financial Difficulties
If you have ever attended a church business meeting, you will quickly realize that 99% of the time the members are obsessed with maintaining the church building. They are forced to do bake sales, fundraisers, and other means in order to keep the lights on and pay for the debt the church finds itself in. Even if the building is paid off, maintaining a church building comes with an EXTREMELY high price tag! (The Church and the Government have something in common – both are really good at having expenses  exceed income… which brings devastating debt).

In our first year as a church, we have given over $17,000 to outreach (both locally & internationally). At our last Member Meeting we decided that we would begin giving away our entire offering every 2 months and we voted on who we would give our money to. I do not think fundraisers are always bad but I find it a little silly that the church has to ask for money from the community so that they can use that same money to try to reach the community (or, let’s be real, to pay off the debt they find themselves in due to their building).

Do you disagree with me? Do you think church buildings are something all churches should aim for? Let me know your reasons by leaving a comment. I’d love to hear from you!