You Don’t Need A Building
Posted on 24. Aug, 2009 by Steve Swisher in Church Planter University, Leadership
Every month I meet someone who asks me the question, “So when do you think you’ll get a building?” It’s as if that’s the goal. Many people assume that a building means stability or success as a church plant. The idea is that when you get a building you graduate out of the ranks of church plantings and get to be considered a “real church” or something.
But one thing that church planting has taught me is that you don’t need a building to have success in ministry. Several years ago God brought Chris Hodges into my life. He is the pastor of Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, AL. I met him before I became a church planter and I asked him that question, ”so when are you going to get a building?” The two things he said when he answered my question floored me.
First, he said, “right now even if we had all the money in the world, there isn’t any land that we could purchase and build a building a reach the community that we are trying to reach. We’re meeting in the high school which is in the best location possible to reach the community.” Second, because our building cost is so low, we have more money to spend on ministry. Money is no object right now. We have a few million dollars in the bank because we have brought in more money than we have spent. We will meet in a rented facility until we grow to the point where we can’t do it any more.” I have never heard a pastor say that they had over a million dollars left over after expenses. Just this past year Church of the Highlands finally moved into a building. Even though they had launched several other campuses all over the city and throughout the state, they got to the point where there just wasn’t enough room for them to go other than building their own facility. Oh by the way, they were the fastest growing church in the country last year.
If you aren’t convinced yet, read the following story from the New York Times that was published last December: Foreclosures Don’t Spare the House of God. It’s a must read for every church planter. The whole article is about church plants that felt they needed to buy a building. What happened was that the building really hindered the growth of the church and is some cases killed the growth of the church. When you’re putting all your extra money towards a mortgage, it’s hard to find the money for outreach, additional staff, and community ministry. How many churches aren’t growing because they’re ”house poor”?
The final thing that Chris Hodges shared with me about buildings is that a building is no different than a computer, a trailer, or a new sound board. He said, “we bought those things because they were necessary for us to accomplish our mission. A building is no different. If at some point it becomes necessary for us to accomplish our mission, then we’ll look into getting a building.” He and Church of the Highlands really lived that out. They didn’t get a building until it was absolutely necessary and God has blessed that decision. In addition to the multiple campuses they were spread across they also started a ton of churches. Chris’ father-in-law, Billy Hornsby, is the head of ARC (Association of Related Churches) which is a strong supporter of church plants. Every time I am asked about a building I share Chris’ story. I would encourage you to share it too.
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