By Steve

A thought on church...
If you build it, they will come...so say some. When speaking of church, it seems to work. When my church in Reno built its first building, the attendance doubled grand opening weekend. There was a second large growth spurt when we completed the second phase.

A couple of years ago, I was speaking to a realtor who lived in Orange County. She told me that she attended Mariners church in Newport Beach (Mariners is a huge church and had just completed a massive building project). I asked why she chose Mariners and she simply stated, "it's the nicest church in town." You can't expect people who live in multi-million dollar homes to attend a shabby church she asserted. We have nice homes (inside and out), cars, home theaters and so on, and we want to feel at home (comfortable) when we go to church. This is no secret, pastors and architects know this so they design and build to please.

On one level this makes sense. I'm not suggesting its good or right, it just makes sense. I don't go looking for the worst of things. I don't really like mediocre. And I'm prone to upgrade like the rest of you. But there is another level (if not many other levels) at where this is troublesome. Should the church build the best that money can buy? Should people be telling others that they attend because its the best church in town? Should we be surprised, or even impressed, at what millions of dollars can achieve in church architecture?

And I have another problem. When something is the best, most popular and trendy, it seems that nearly all of us want in. Sure, some probably still use a typewriter, have a cord on the phone and carry a boombox on their shoulder, but most have determined there is something better. And it's not just a computer, but a mac or Dell, it's the iphone and ipod. And its not the old ipod but the newer video one that we all "have" to have. But when it comes to church, it doesn't really work.

I said build it and they will come, but will they really come? A church may double, but there are still many more people not coming than are. And if a particular church really is the best...the upgraded model, how come we all don't go? Instead, few attend (relative to a cities population). I'm not sure how much big new buildings and fancy everything really impress people when considering church. Of course they attract many people who attend other churches close by, people who see the construction, read the newspaper articles and receive the flyers...people who decide they want a new model (I wonder how many small churches close when one mega church opens?), but I'm not convinced that the millions of dollars put into structures is the way forward for the kingdom and message of God.

At the heart of it, I want to (and I want others to) be in love with the Creator God and speak passionately about him and what it means to have life in Jesus, the Christ. Forget about all the talk about the building.