May 24, 2021
Five Ways to Bring Families Back to Church . . . Eventually
I've discovered five healthy ways to view people who are not physically at the church building, along with ways to help bring families back.
Articles for tag: Church Building
February 26, 2019
IN THE ARENA: Should Churches Embrace and Utilize Debt? (YES)
By Matt Merold There are benefits that come when a church uses debt. Rich and wise Solomon, who wrote some of the strongest warnings against debt, took out a 20-year loan of sorts to help build God’s temple (1 Kings 9:10, 11). Certainly the Bible cautions us about being in debt. Scripture describes what may happen if we borrow money and fail to pay it back. Most of the counsel about financial debt in Scripture paints a picture of the rich exploiting the poor. However, it doesn’t say much about those who calculate the cost, take out a loan, and
June 19, 2017
Here Is the Church . . . but Where Is the Steeple?
Nontraditional approaches to building use and design From urban artists” colonies in the Southwest to suburban Tennessee, independent Christian churches are challenging””and abandoning””traditional American church design. While every church featured this month is seeking to use its facility to further the gospel, each congregation is taking a unique approach. Click on these links for a sampling of some of the most unconventional church building approaches to be found among Christian churches and churches of Christ. These profiles are written by Justin Horey and Jennifer Johnson: Bayside Church, Roseville, California CrossWinds Church, Pleasanton, California Journey Church, Three Way, Tennessee Crosspointe Church of Cary,
June 19, 2017
WHERE’S THE STEEPLE?—Area 10 Faith Community, Richmond, VA
By Justin Horey Area 10 Faith Community was established in the fall of 2008 in Richmond, Virginia—a city incorporated in 1742. (The church takes its name from the designation local Realtors have for downtown Richmond.) Not surprisingly, in a city nearly 300 years old, there is no vacant land available for new churches to buy. Since its inception, Area 10 has met for Sunday worship at The Byrd Theater, a historic, 1,300-seat movie cinema. The Byrd is a local landmark, but it lacks space for children’s ministry and other church needs like offices. One month before Area 10 held its
June 19, 2017
WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” Journey Christian Church, Roswell, GA
By Justin Horey For many years, Journey Christian Church met for worship in a traditional brick building with pews and a steeple. Today the congregation worships in the media room of a local high school. But Journey Christian Church isn”t dying. Journey didn”t lose its building. The congregation willingly sold its seven-acre campus so it could spend more on “ministry and mission” and less on “mortgage and maintenance.” When senior pastor Dan Garrett arrived at Journey (then First Christian Church of Roswell) in 2011, the congregation was averaging around 150 in attendance. Though Roswell has one of the highest per-capita
June 19, 2017
WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” Discovery Christian Church, Broomfield, CO
By Justin Horey Discovery Christian Church already has one slightly unconventional building, but its plans for future development are far more progressive and ambitious. Broomfield, Colorado, is a high-tech city with rural roots, so Discovery”s existing building””a 20,000-square-foot, multipurpose structure designed to resemble a barn””is a tribute to the city”s history. With that facility in place, lead pastor Steve Cuss said Discovery plans to use the rest of its 18 acres in radical ways “to meet the needs of our city.” Discovery”s motto is “Loving God and Serving Others,” and the master plan for the church”s site emphasizes those two
June 19, 2017
WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” True North Church, Perth, Australia
By Jennifer Johnson Perth, Australia, is one of the most isolated major urban centers in the world, more than a thousand miles from another large city and closer to Indonesia than to Sydney. Tens of thousands of aboriginal Australians still live in the region, and their myths and legends continue to influence the area”s cultural values. More than a religion, this indigenous worldview of “the dreamtime” shapes their perspective on the creation of the world and how to live in it. True North Church includes these parts of their story in every aspect of their two campuses, which include a
June 19, 2017
WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” 2|42 Community Church, Brighton, MI
By Justin Horey and Jennifer Johnson 2|42 Community Church (pronounced “Two Forty-Two”) didn”t mind being a portable church in its early years. In fact, lead pastor David Dummitt liked being portable. He found that the weekly set-up and tear-down made it easy to involve men, who sometimes struggle to find their place in a new church. Moreover, the lack of a building allowed 2|42 to invest more money into ministry and community outreach. During that time, Dummitt said, the number one question he heard from other pastors was, “When are you going to build?” Dummitt and his team didn”t want
June 19, 2017
WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” Grace Place, Berthoud, CO
By Jennifer Johnson Sometimes it”s not about the church building, but how buildings can point to the grandeur of God. When Grace Place was able to get its current property fronting U.S. 287 in Berthoud, Colorado, the design team realized the buildings were less significant than the unhindered view of sunrises and sunsets over the front range of the Rocky Mountains. Today the highly-visible church property is not only the gateway to the town but also a community space with glass roll-up doors, indoor and outdoor fireplaces, and an upper deck that provides “bleacher seating” for the beauty of creation.
June 18, 2017
WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” New City Church, Phoenix, AZ
By Justin Horey Downtown Phoenix, Arizona, is home to a burgeoning art scene. In the center of it all””on Central Avenue, in fact””is New City Church. Lead pastor Brian Kruckenberg describes New City as “a church in the middle of the city, for the city.” In Phoenix, being “for the city” means reaching the local artists” community. New City”s first building was a house that doubled as an art gallery. New City Church worshipped in the house on Sundays, but it was also used by local artists who stored supplies on site and even taught classes in the building. Kruckenberg
June 17, 2017
WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” The Crossroads Church, Anthem, AZ
By Jennifer Johnson The developers behind Anthem, Arizona, envisioned a community that would be “heaven on earth” for its residents. Waterfalls surround the entrance and a huge park offers fishing, skating, walking trails, and train rides. In 2001, the National Association of Home Builders named this city in the rolling foothills of Gavilan Peak the “Best Master Planned Community” in the country. While Anthem”s 30,000 residents enjoy an abundance of schools, recreation centers, and greenbelts, The Crossroads Church invites its community to experience true abundant life at a “crossroads” where they can engage in a faith journey. The design concept
June 16, 2017
WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” Restore Church, Silver Spring, MD
By Justin Horey In the fall of 2016, Restore Church of Silver Spring, Maryland, opened “The Living Room,” a coworking space where individuals have access to open office space, a kitchen, Wi-Fi, printing, scanning, coffee, and tea for a small monthly membership fee. The Living Room is one of a growing number of shared office environments around the country tailored to freelancers and telecommuters who don”t need a full-time office but prefer not to work out of their home. “The Living Room gives us a space where we can connect in relationships,” said pastor and church planter Aaron Thomas. “By
June 15, 2017
WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” Crosspointe Church of Cary, Cary, NC
By Jennifer Johnson A hundred years ago, churches were commonly known for building hospitals, schools, universities, and community centers that served their surrounding neighbors instead of constructing buildings that served solely their own purposes. In that spirit, Crosspointe Church of Cary partnered with the YMCA to create a multipurpose facility that provides opportunities for work and recreation as well as worship. The church built the facility on its property and the Y leases space from the church and operates independently. The YMCA doesn”t offer programming on Sunday mornings or evenings, so Crosspointe uses portions of the extended campus as needed
June 14, 2017
WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” CrossWinds Church, Pleasanton, CA
By Jennifer Johnson The land surrounding CrossWinds Church in central California was once used to nurture cattle and provide dairy products to the surrounding area. When the church acquired the Friesman Brothers farm, the property included a house more than a century old, crumbling barns, and bridges originally used to cross the river that divides the property into three sections. Today, boards from the barn, metal roofs from the outbuildings, and other reclaimed material has been upcycled to preserve the character of this historic land while creating the new home of CrossWinds Church. The buildings are set back from busy
June 12, 2017
WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” Journey Church, Three Way, TN
By Justin Horey At Journey Church in Three Way, Tennessee (near Jackson), lead pastor and church planter Jeremy Brown likes to ask, “What would we do if we didn”t have to do anything?” That approach led to Journey meeting at the Fun Zone””West Tennessee”s premier indoor inflatable party center””in the early years of its existence. Every Sunday morning, a team of volunteers from the church would deflate and roll up 13 large jumpers before setting up for worship. Afterward, volunteers would unroll and reinflate the jumpers. Brown liked the message the Fun Zone location conveyed to outsiders. “No one who
June 11, 2017
WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” Bayside Church, Roseville, CA
By Jennifer Johnson Lots of churches want to save money on their facilities, but Bayside Church is finding new ways to strategically finance its buildings without sacrificing form or function. At its original campus in Granite Bay, the church has developed a 10-year plan to anchor an area of retail, entertainment, and hotels. The church occupies one parcel of the development and recently sold another section to Top Golf, a multilevel entertainment area and driving range. Their director of real estate development manages the plan, ensuring that funds for property improvement and parking lots come from new businesses and not
June 10, 2017
From House Churches to Church Houses
Where early Christians worshipped and why By Pat Magness and Lee Magness How have believers through the centuries used church buildings to express and extend the gospel? A simple survey can lend insight to those making church building decisions today. Where have believers worshipped God over the centuries? The Psalms picture ancient Israelites giving praise to God as individuals in a variety of settings. But the construction of the tabernacle, the building of the temple, and the development and spread of synagogues demonstrate that the use of buildings for corporate worship was also a high priority among God”s chosen people.
June 9, 2017
Church Building the New Testament Way
By Doug Lucas Suppose the Restoration Movement churches (Christian churches and churches of Christ) want to restore the New Testament practice of constructing or buying church buildings. What would it look like? Easy answer. To my knowledge, throughout all the New Testament, there”s not a single example of constructing or buying a building. The book of Acts records exponential church growth without buildings. And, according to Matthew 28:19, 20, our core mandate is to make disciples who will make disciples””not build buildings. Making disciples always needs to be at the center of everything we do, whether it be going, baptizing,
June 7, 2017
The REAL Cost of Facility Ownership
By Tim Cool I come from a background of planning and building ministry facilities. I have been blessed to invest 30 years of my life into developing new and renovating existing ministry facilities. That phase of my life brought me great joy and fulfillment. But now I am very burdened by the millions . . . and billions . . . of dollars spent each year on religious construction without a clear understanding of the real cost of ownership. Most ministry leaders, I think, do not understand that the ongoing costs of a building eclipse the initial costs, and do
June 5, 2017
Urban Churches, Creative Solutions
By Brent Storms Where to meet presents special challenges for new congregations in expensive, congested cities. Urban churches are finding solutions that offer lessons for anyone”s church building decisions. One of the biggest challenges of starting a church in a city center or urban context is finding the right facility for Sunday gatherings. Space is limited. Landlords are skeptical. Prices are (often) outrageous. One example of the challenges: hotly contested lawsuits have bounced from court to court over whether churches should be allowed to rent New York City public schools for religious services. Some churches have been in public schools,
