Church = people not buildings

Our Church is buying a church building in the Wirral. It’s in the news (see below).

Jubilee Church Wirral Building Plans hit the Local Press

Evangelical group poised to take over Wallasey’s historic All Saints CofE Church – Liverpool Local News – News – Liverpool Echo.

Whilst preserving a building is good…..esp to keep it for church use…..it’s not the be all and end all. Buildings by themselves are inanimate objects as far as God is concerned. They may look nice, they may preserve some local history ( and history is important ), they may even have been designed by a “Sir”, but in and of themselves they accomplish nothing. Without people to meet in them, to finance them, to serve in them and to reach out from them, they are simply large, cold, empty places that slowly decay. Of themselves they have no true spiritual merit.

Whilst in the Old Testament, God chose to dwell in the Tent of Meeting, the Tabernacle and then the Temple (I.e specific places, buildings served by specific people..priests etc..), in the New Testament, God chooses to dwell in men, women and children by his Holy Spirit.

People, not buildings have now become the carriers of His presence and the focus of His love and attention.

Paul was very clear about this.

The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. (Acts 17:24, 25 ESV)

The Bible makes it very clear that Church refers to the community of people who gather together in Jesus name, with very little reference to buildings, although it was clear that many churches started meeting in houses.

Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia. (Romans 16:5 ESV)

As the church grows however, houses become too small, as do community centres and school halls. As ministries multiply and home groups increase, buildings to serve the church become necessary. The building becomes a base from which the church can operate, reach out and serve its local community.

The vision of our church is;

“to be a growing church which reaches out into the Wirral and beyond and sees lives changed”.

For us to increasingly see this vision outworked we need a building, a community hub for our church, for His church.

With God’s help we will be in there soon…there will be a flurry of activity…repairs, refits and refurbishments. Jobs, work-parties, challenges, difficulties, set-backs and trials will be in abundance as we seek to get to grips with this building, to make it serve our (His) purposes. There will be excitement and anticipation regarding the next phase of our history as a church. There will be growth. God will once again be worshipped there and by His Spirit, He will be there, in response to the hearts gathered there who have set their affections not on the building, not on this world, but on Him.

In all the business of 2012 and beyond we mustn’t loose sight of the fact that this building is merely a tool given to us by God to serve His church……..and that the church is not the building…..it’s the community of people who gather there.

Chris Butterworth