March 12, 2013

What’s in a building?

Could that which we call church at any other place still be as spiritual.

What’s in an hour?

Would that which we deem Sunday School at any other time still teach God’s Word?

My sad Shakespearean impersonation and poor literary title reference stems from a question that was posed to me as a church member a couple years back.

What would we do with our church building, our time, and our God-given resources if we took the lid off the box we traditionally called “church”?

Our pastor took us through a study called Vision Quest. He encouraged us to open our minds and allow God to share His dream for what our church could be. The thoughts God placed on individual hearts were amazing. Things such as putting in a laundry mat, coffee shop, pizza place, afterschool hangout, substance abuse counseling center, daycare, used clothing shop, even an actual children’s home were being thrown into the mix. The excitement was palpable and for the first time, in perhaps ever…I began to see that God is BIG and our idea of church was very small

Looks like a captive audience to me.:)

I’m thankful the pastor had the courage to ask us to dream big with God. I’ve always been a bit of a restless soul. Wanting more…seeking more…but unsure of how to proceed. After dreaming with God during Vision Quest, I was beyond restless. God had shown me the more and revealed the how. Sitting on my third row pew every Sunday morning, greeting the same folks, week in and week out, was no longer going to be my definition of church. My heart ached for those outside our pretty brick walls. My soul was burdened by the sadness that walked under the shadow of our gleaming steeple while we sat singing of the joy and peace of Christ.

It was then our family decided we had no choice, but to step outside the walls and follow God into the great unknown and unbricked. Since then many have asked where we attend church. Our reply has been honed over the past few months, but the one I am most fond of now is this: “We enjoy the flexibility and share the vision of LifeChurch. It’s where we worship with other believers and get spiritual encouragement, but what we are quickly learning is that church is beginning to happen wherever we are. Once the confines of our church “box” were removed…God started showing up everywhere and increasing our circle of influence beyond anything we could imagine.”

Take a look around your church facilities. Open your mind to God’s leading. Let Him place a dream in your heart about how those chairs, halls, rooms, gymnasiums, kitchen facilities, and such could not only serve to comfort and teach believers, but meet the needs of those who pass by everyday. Our journey has led us outside the walls, but maybe yours will lead you to transform them.

Anyone else feeling restless for God? I pray I never stop.