Biblical Approach to Designing and Building Churches
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Scriptural Foundations Biblical Approach to Designing and Building Churches
by Don Emmitte, DMin
I am always amused at the varied approaches by churches and church members to the necessity to expand their facilities. Most of the time the expansion is necessitated by either actual growth or the anticipation of growth. As is true with any decision we make as an individual or a church we ought to base these decisions on Scriptural principles to insure success. In the next few paragraphs I will outline and touch upon five passages of Scripture that I believe will give you A Biblical Approach to Designing and Building Churches.
The Importance of Vision
I have read the story of an early settlement on the northeast coast. It was about 350 years ago that the shipload of travelers landed on the coast of America. The first year they established a town site. The next year they elected a town government. The third year the town government planned to build a road five miles westward into the wilderness. In the fourth year the people tried to impeach their town government because they thought it was a waste of public funds to build a road five miles westward into a wilderness. There reasoning: “Who needed to go there anyway?”
It is an altogether familiar sequence of events, especially for the church. Here were people who had the vision to see three thousand miles across an ocean and overcome great hardships to get there. But in just a few years they were not able to see even five miles out of town. They had lost their pioneering vision. With a clear vision of what we can become in Christ, no ocean of difficulty is too great. Without it, we rarely move beyond our current boundaries. The Wisdom of Solomon undergirds this principle:
Where there is no vision, the people perish [are unrestrained] (Proverbs 29:18 KJV).
Bob Logan said it this way: “Vision is the capacity to create a compelling picture of the desired state of affairs that inspires people to respond; that which is desirable, which could be, should be; that which is attainable. A godly vision is right for the times, right for the church, and right for the people. A godly vision promotes faith rather than fear. A godly vision motivates people to action. A godly vision requires risk-taking. A godly vision glorifies God, not people.” Vision is essential to the success of a church. (For more information see “The Strategic Master Planning Process – Clarity in the Process of Growth”).
A Story of Destruction
Vision must also be communicated clearly. There is a wonderfully descriptive verse tucked into the book of Judges during the time soon after the death of Joshua that is helpful:
In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes. (Judges 17:6 KJV).
The background of this verse and the rest of the chapters to the end of this book was the spiral of sin and idolatry that led to the destruction of Israel. It is clear that while the nation was happy under the Judges’ leadership, they were certainly unhappy when there was no Judge. The love of money made Micah so undutiful to his mother as to rob her, and made her so unkind to her son, as to curse him. Outward losses drive good people to their prayers, but bad people to their curses. This woman’s silver was her god, before it was made into a graven or a molten image. Micah and his mother agreed to turn their money into a god, and set up idol worship in their family. It was one small step and soon they did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.
As a church we can fall into the same trap. When we fail to clearly define and communicate the vision, it leaves a void that will be filled by the aimless insistence of individuals. Often this causes misunderstanding, and at other times the destruction of relationships and communities of faith.
We’ve all heard the story of the church trying to decide how to spend a recently received endowment. They all agreed the church was in desperate need of a lighting upgrade. Of course, being an independent church, a conference was called to make the decision. The pastor had done his due diligence and presented the cost of several options for new chandeliers. After the discourse and presentation, an elderly gentleman, long a member of the small rural congregation stood to his feet in protest. He began his eloquent plea to the congregation before the vote was taken. He praised the work of the pastor in gathering the information. He praised the deceased donor and his remaining family for the generous gift. And then the other shoe fell! He said, “We all know that we are a simple church. We need simple things in our church. While the pastor’s call for new chandeliers may be good for some of those wealthy city churches, we don’t need no new chandeliers. What we need in our church is some new lights!” It is an amusing story, but illustrative of how failing to understand, develop, and communicate the vision of the church can be destructive.
The Source of the Vision
The vision of a church should be born out of the will of God. Jesus is our best example of this truth. In talking with his disciples even he said:
I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. (John 5:30b KJV).
I have heard it said and seen it proven that the will of God never will lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you. Of course this does not mean that you should rush headlong into the future without using every resource or determine and understand the will of God. In fact the opposite is true. EVERY means should be used. However, I find more churches paralyzed into inaction because of their fear of the future and over analysis than not. Often if we will simply take the first step, praying and listening, God will do the rest. We are required to take the steps though.
Like the golfer on a bright Saturday afternoon teeing up to the most difficult hole on the course, nearly 180 yards of carry over a water hazard. He debated if he should use his new golf ball. Deciding that the hole was too treacherous, he pulled out an old ball and placed it on the tee. Just then he heard a voice from above say loudly: “Use the new ball!” Frightened, he replaced the old ball with the new one and approached the tee.
Now the voice from above shouted: “Take a practice swing!“ With this, the golfer stepped backward and took a swing. Feeling more confident, he approached the tee when the voice again rang out: “Use the old ball!” It must be the will of God, nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else.
Counting the Cost
Inevitably I find that many churches who determine God’s vision and commit themselves to going forward often fail because they do not count the cost. In the midst of a discussion about discipleship and the cost of following Jesus, the Lord uses a pointed illustration:
Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, “This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” (Luke 14:28-30 NIV).
I have dealt with many churches that have made this mistake. The scenario usually plays out with at least disappointment and often with disillusionment. The church clearly hears the will of God to develop space to accommodate their ministry growth. Typically their next step is to engage an architect to draw some plans and then place them for bid. It is always amazing how often the bids come in at double or triple what the church can legitimately afford to do at that time. They have moved from back to front.
This does not discount the absolute truth that God has unlimited resources. However, it does cut across the truth that we are to plan within the will of God differently than that. Within the framework of Strategic Master Planning the tasks of vision clarification, feasibility studies, phased facility design, open construction budgeting, financial planning and sourcing, and capital campaign coordination should be broached before anything is committed to paper and bids. It’s simply wise. It is more work, but it WORKS!
Good Planning Requires Good Teamwork
You have a vision; you have clarity and communication; you’ve reached consensus – what’s next? Everyone who is necessary to be involved in the successful completion of the project needs to be at the table doing the planning. That means the church leadership, the architect, and the builder. Once again I turn to the Wisdom of Solomon:
Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. (Proverbs 15:22 NIV).
Canada Geese are amazing creatures. When they fly either south on their way to a warmer climate or north back to their breeding grounds, they often cover thousands of miles before reaching their destination. They always fly in a “V-formation.” Have you ever studied why they fly as they do? It is fascinating to read what has been discovered about their flight pattern as well as their in-flight habits. Four have been proposed. First, those in front rotate their leadership. When one lead goose gets tired, it changes places with one in the wing of the V-formation and another flies point. Second, by flying as they do, the members of the flock create an upward air current for one another. Each flap of the wings literally creates uplift for the bird immediately following. One author states that by flying in a V-formation, the whole flock gets 71 percent greater flying range than if each goose flew on its own. Third, when one goose gets sick or wounded, two fall out of formation with it and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with the struggler until it’s able to fly again. Fourth, the geese in the rear of the formation are the ones who do the honking. I suppose it’s their way of announcing that they’re following and that all is well. For sure, the repeated honks encourage those in front to stay at it.
As I think about all this, one lesson stands out above all others: it is the natural instinct for geese to work together. Whether it’s rotating, flapping, helping, or simply honking, the flock is in it together, which enables them to accomplish what they set out to do. Following the principles of Scripture will always bring success!
A Note about the Author: Don Emmitte, Church Navigator with Trinity Design Group, is a new “old hand” in church growth, facility design, and management. After serving for over thirty years as a pastor of churches with over two thousand resident members, founder of Grace Restoration Ministries, and author of Morning Devotionals, he joined the team at TDG in 2009 to expand his passion: helping churches reach their God-given goals by making the most of their resources. For more information, contact Don at demmitte@trinitydesigngroup.com, or visit the web site at www.GraceRestoration.org.
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