Stay focused on church’s purpose while building

Keeping a congregation’s attention focused on evangelism, outreach, ministry and mission can be difficult during construction projects that require large amounts of attention, time, resources and concern, professionals say.
   
Yet, building experts agree that church buildings should be viewed as tools used to help win souls for Jesus Christ and prepare Christ-followers to apply Christian teachings in their everyday lives.
   
In “Planning and Building Church Facilities” Gwenn McCormick wrote, “As important as the new building is, it is not the most urgent concern for the church. Reaching people, developing disciples, ministering in the spirit of Christ — these are at the heart of the church’s purpose.”
   
Gary Swafford agreed. As director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM) church planting and building services, he reminds churches statewide that their facilities should be resources for Christians to use in building the kingdom of God, not monuments to themselves.
   
“If the building is built by us and for us it becomes a monument to us, but if it is built for the Lord and through the strength of the Lord then it becomes a tool or a resource to help build the Kingdom,” he stated.
   
“Planning for people will help church leaders avoid building a monument. It brings honor to God, not to man,” Swafford said.
   
Using Acts 1:8, Isaiah 66:1, Haggai 1:8 and Nehemiah 10:39, Swafford advises churches to keep their perspective on God’s work when expanding or renovating facilities. “It is our attitude about the building that determines if it is a tool or a monument,” he noted. “If the goal of a Christian is to be used in service of the Lord, to build a kingdom, it (the building) honors God.”
   
While leading their churches to build, many Alabama Baptists are using innovative activities and dedication services to emphasize the true purpose of construction.
   
When Mountain View Baptist Church, Phil Campbell, began constructing a new 450-seat sanctuary in 1995, Pastor Sammy Taylor placed a Bible turned to 2 Tim. 3:15–16 in the church’s foundation directly beneath where his feet would be as he preached in the pulpit. This symbolized the church standing on the Word of God.
   
“I had the construction superintendent show me on the blueprint where our pulpit would be,” he said. “I gathered all the workers around, and I asked them to let me have a moment and I read (the passage) to them. After I finished reading it I told them that if anyone preached (in this church) using any word other than God’s inspired Word they would have to do it standing on His Word.”
   
Taylor highlighted the Scripture passage, slipped it in a Zip-loc bag and watched as the workers poured the concrete on the Bible.
   
Later, he showed a video of the event to the entire church during a worship service where he preached a sermon on the inspired Word of God. “We don’t need to forget the Word,” he said. “We need to obey it and keep it in focus.”
   
Another way some church leaders encourage members to maintain focus during building projects is by allowing them to write Scriptures and prayers on studs and unfinished flooring throughout the church.
   
Before Valleydale Baptist Church, Birmingham, relocated to its new multipurpose facility this year, members were allowed to write on the unfinished worship and recreation area floors to direct attention to future ministries of the church.
   
“At our ‘Make Your Mark’ 30th anniversary celebration, we honored the past heroes of the church and began to cast vision for the future by writing prayers, Scripture verses and names of people we prayed God would impact through our relocation,” said Pastor Calvin Kelly. “We sought to view the relocation and new building as a defining moment for Valleydale and direction-setting opportunity for ministry. The prayers, verses and names helped to take the focus off the building and onto ministry, seeing the relocation as simply a tool through which God would impact lives for eternity.”
   
Kelly advises other churches to focus on the people that God wants to impact for eternity during construction.
   
“Generally, we’re way too building-centered,” he said. “We want to build the church (people) before building the facility (building).”
   
Steve Cloues, an associate in the office of associational and cooperative missions for the SBOM, also recommends that churches dedicate their building to God. For the past eight years, he has worked with Carpenters for Christ at Eastern Hills Baptist Church, Montgomery. Each time the group builds a church, they write Bible verses and other messages on the floor.
   
“They really bathe their church in prayer and Scripture,” he said. “They want to do everything they can to recognize the source and function of the church. It’s not just for us — it is for evangelism and ministry. It is a form of praise and thanksgiving to God for making the church possible.”