Is it the place?

Man, am I blessed...

I work in a building that is less than 3 years old. For the most part, it still looks very new. It smells nice, the carpet is pretty clean, there are nice chairs and tables, and I get to watch others appreciate the building's "new/niceness" every day.

It's no secret, I work in a NEW church. And I know the truth is that there are some people who (at very least) visited and started worshiping with us on Sundays BECAUSE it is a new church.

Is it the place? Do people really come to/stay away from church because of a building? The simple answer is YES. Whether we like it or not, the CONSUMER in us has been trained to look for value, to look for quality, and to avoid what might appear to be 'off-looking', or poorly maintained facilities. We do the same thing with malls/restaurants/parks/schools/etc.

If you haven't stopped reading yet, I want to share something with you. In a few more months/years, the building I work in won't be new anymore. If we're not careful, the holes in the walls will grow, more of the grass will die, the bricks on the outside of the building will begin to crumble, the parking lot will break-apart, the gym floor will rip, etc...

WHERE AM I GOING WITH THIS?? I love that I work in a new building, but sometimes I wish I didn't. Right now, there are people who know me as the guy who works at the NEW church. I'm WORKING HARD to lose that label. I want to be known as the guy who works at the church that feeds the poor and walks with the lost.

Is it the place?? ... I think so, but only because we've let it become so. Scripture reminds me that the fruits of my life (my actions) will ultimately be what I am judged upon. What else does our community know us by if they don't see our FRUITS (God's love displayed in our actions) on display. They just know us by our buildings. The church with the big stained glass... the church with the gym... the church by the school... the old church... the new church... the church that is falling apart.

I work for a church, and I don't feel compelled to attend or worship at ANY of the places I just mentioned. But the church who LOOKS to serve, whose members are SEEN in service helping the world around them? I'd volunteer to FIX or REBUILD the old/broken/stained/smelly building which houses God's church... the church that brings glory to God by serving others.

If it is all about the place for you, if you see the community around you asking things like "why should we attend that church... its so outdated", maybe its because we haven't given them anything else to know us by...

I'm praying tonight to be a better follower of Christ. I'm pretty sure that means I have a LOT of work to do, and won't have much time to keep the church feeling SUPER new. If the church I work at falls apart in the interim, maybe you'll feel compelled to help me fix it when you see Jesus in me loving the community you live in.

(my grammar and language skills are AWFUL...)

I'll be praying for you... Please pray for each other.