The Power (sic) of Babel. AKA The Top 10 Myths of Church Building Projects.

And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves…” -- Genesis 11

Myth #1. This new facility will be used to reach the next generation of young people, the young and the unchurched in our neighborhood.

Buildings do not reach the next generation, or even our neighborhood. People reach other people. Ask around; find out how many trips have been made into the vicinity surrounding St. Luke. What do these non-actions mean? That we are ashamed to invite people into the building we have now? That we have nothing to offer them if we don’t have a basketball court? And then, ask around and find out how many people in the neighborhood actually attend SLUMC, even on an irregular basis. If they aren’t attending the church that is essentially right next door to them now, why do we expect they will in a cool new pile of bricks?

Myth #2. Once we build this facility, more people will come.

I know it has become part of our cultural vocabulary, but too often I think we get fooled by the old cliché that says, “If you build it, they will come”. As if it’s a magnet or something? This isn’t “Field of Dreams”.

Remember when Elijah met God in the mountains? There was a fire, an earthquake, and mighty wind, but God was not found in the spectacular display. He was subtle, and non-abrasive. God does not need a banner. What do we think? Don’t you think that the creation of heaven and earth is a good enough banner to advertise God?

A church needs to prove it can bring people in, first.

Myth #3. This will help us reach our city.

Unless the building picks itself up and starts rolling around the city by itself, the building will still not help us reach this city. Let’s face it: most churches grow membership these days by unsatisfied folks transferring membership from other churches. Essentially all we are doing is shifting people around buildings. Someone tell me why this is a productive Christian enterprise?

Myth #4. This is God’s Storehouse.

The storehouse in the Old Testament was the place where the Levites had stored what they had collected in tithes and offerings from the nation of Israel. Somehow in the New Testament, we’ve come up with a transferable analogy that the storehouse in the Old Testament is a picture of the church building in the New Testament.

I have no clue where this idea stems from, because clearly the verse, straight out of the red-letter section, talks about our eternal storehouse. “…lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven”, is the proper view of what our storehouse is today, “…not…treasures here on earth, where metal rusts, moths corrupt, and thieves break in and steal.”

We need to stop dignifying the perishable church building as a religious idol. The world doesn’t need another idol. It only needs Jesus.

Myth #5. God wants us to build his kingdom.

This is from those who think that God meant building His infrastructure on earth. Donald Trump, not God, needs to take advantage of the real estate bubble and low rates to build an empire.

Let’s pretend for a minute God really meant buildings and not souls. Now we have a biblical prescription for obtaining buildings to grow the kingdom. If we’re going to be all about biblical prescriptions in the one case, let me ask the question: What about the biblical prescription for tithing?! We could do this whole thing on a cash basis, if we were following that one!

Myth #6. Our renovated and upgraded sanctuary reveals the glory of God.

We act like we are recreating the holy of holies or the temple of Solomon!

New buildings are nice, but once you walk out the doors on Sunday, what is it to you then? What is it to God then? God doesn’t sit up in heaven and just stare down at all the beautiful churches, as if he were walking through a gallery admiring all the works of art. (Contrary to what the building team leader said last night!)

People renovate churches for many reasons: real needs; keeping up with the Southlands; ego-trips; being able to put a building project on a resume for bishop; imagined needs. I imagine the savior needed a bigger birth place than that cave 2,000 years ago, but that cave seemed to have sufficed. (BTW—there are no intentions in the new plans, to upgrade the SLUMC sanctuary!)

Myth #7. We need to invest in more room to fit our congregation.

Well, I really don’t know what to say about this one. So I’ll just repeat what the SLUMC choir director said last night: “At the 8:30 and 9:45 services we still have room for hundreds of people in worship!”

Some time ago, plans were dropped for a balcony in the sanctuary of SLUMC, because attendance at the church was down. Current attendance has still not reached those historic levels. Yet we need this room? Is it because Americans are becoming more obese? Because we just don’t want to sit next to each other? BO? Or, because there isn’t enough room in the back row?

Myth #8. The debt will be worth it.

There can be much said on this subject alone. The current math going around adds up to about $13,333 dollars, per person, for building plans at SLUMC. There has been conversation about idols recently. Allow me to shift our attention to another topic: slavery. We are slaves to whatever captures our time and energy. The borrower is slave to the lender.

I’m no economic genius, but here are a couple things I know: companies with a lot of debt are not as attractive an investment as those without; and, credit agencies consider you a bad risk if you have too much debt. Why, if God’s biblical prescription is to avoid debt, and the world’s money gurus even recognize piles of debt are bad in principle, do churches begin to think it is a good thing?

Myth #9. Our growth will allow us to birth more programs and functions.

In other words, “If only we had more, then we could do more for those who don’t have what we’re going to have.”

Let’s not forget about what will be neglected because we have to pour so much of our money into paying off this debt now. Who will go hungry? What ministries and missionaries will be sacrificed? Are we neglecting the one good to do different good? What will you have to sacrifice from your family so that your church family will have? Are you leaving an investment for your children or are you considering this church building your investment for them?

Myth #10. This is the will of God.

I get no joy in questioning peoples’ motives, their prayer lives, or the word they say they hear from God; so I’m not going to do that here. But what if it isn’t? Some have claimed that if God isn’t behind it then it will not come to pass. Can we be so certain? Others claim God gives us free will, and I suppose that means the freedom to make mistakes right?

What if that is what is going on here and now? What if we get all pumped up, we pledge a lot of money…then all of a sudden the bills start to hit. Now the pastor is preaching the tenth sermon this year on giving, and people aren’t so on board with it all. Maybe they didn’t come when we built it; maybe they came but didn’t bring their money with them like we counted on. Who knows? What happens to that church then?

Your Friendly, Neighborhood Apatheist,

~Bill