Is this the right time to build?

I didn't intend to follow up on the last two posts, but several questions from churches since last Friday caused me to add a few final (at least for now!) thoughts.

I had several phone conversations Friday, and a church visit Sunday, and essentially the same question was asked: Given all the economic uncertainty, is this the right time to build? Based on my conversations with churches since last fall and the beginning of the economic meltdown, the answer is: It depends.

I have had some churches move forward with their plans to build. The process is a little slower, but they are convinced that God is leading them forward at this time. One client even enlarged the scope of their project because they exceeded their capital stewardship program goal. For churches that are clear on their direction, moving forward is the right thing to do.

I have had a few churches that were anticipating moving forward with preliminary planning in 2009 shelf that idea, at least for now. They have prayed, discussed, and believe its the right thing to do. For those churches, stopping is the right thing to do.

There are a host of other churches in that vast middle ground: they were thinking about expansion plans, but are not sure to go ahead, or wait. For those churches who have uncertainty, seeking the right "next step" is the right thing to do.

Like I said, it depends.

There is no cookie cutter, pat answer I can give churches that ask me, because each church situation and church are unique. The only thing I can say for sure is that God wants His church to grow - maybe not in terms of buildings, but certainly in terms of individual relationships with God, sharing Christ with others, and serving others in Christ's name.

There is no option on that count.

When Not to Build, Part 2

Ray Bowman, author of When Not to Build, has posed an interesting set of 15 questions to help your church understand the true motives for building. I'll let you read the questions on your own, but here is a summary of the principles behind them.

There are three general situations in which it is a mistake to build - when a church's reason for building is wrong, when there is a better way to meet space needs, and when building would risk financial bondage. Together, these three areas suggest the following positive principles:

1. The Principle of Focus - A church should build only when it can do so without shifting its focus from ministering to people to building a building.


2. The Principle of Use - A church needs more space only when it is fully using the space it already has.


3. The Principle of Provision - A church should build only when it can do so within the income God had provided and without using funds needed for the church's present and future ministries to people.

Generally speaking, these are three principles that JH Batten follows in our conversations with churches. We've gathered them all together in an internal phrase that we use in our meetings: We won't let churches walk off the end of the pier. It's a guiding framework that helps us to look at the total scope of the church's ministries first, and then work with the church to determine if a building will be a help - or a hindrance - to the continued health of the church.

If you are interested in engaging me in a conversation about your ministry, give me a shout. If you want to dive deeper into Bowman's work, I have two extra copies of his book that I will send to the first two persons who request it.

Remember, buildings are tools for the use of your ministry. Properly utilized, this tool will help you create a ministry work of art. Incorrectly used, they have the potential to be hazardous to the health!

When NOT to Build a Church

In a recent conversation with a potential client, the following comment was made:

We've been discussing for over year the opportunity we have to relocate to another site. There are pros and cons both either way, so we decided to take a vote to see what to do next. About 60% of the congregation voting said we should consider moving, so I'm calling you to see what to do next.

We finished the conversation, and I will be talking with the leadership team in the near future. What path do you think that conversation is going to take? Remember, now - I work for a church building company. So do you think I will roll in there, whip out the latest and greatest plan for their church, and move forward?

Don't think so.

I may work for a church builder, but my boss makes one thing very clear: we are Kingdom Builders first and foremost. We focus on the "real" church - the people of God - not the structure that they meet in. Buildings are only a tool for the ministries of the church. They are not an end unto themselves.

Consequently, there are questions that buildings won't answer, and shouldn't be asked to. A resource we refer churches to quite frequently is the book When Not to Build, by Ray Bowman. Bowman is a church architect who for years designed churches for what the congregation wanted, instead of working with them to understand what they really needed for ministry growth and expansion. There is a big difference in the two, and Bowman realized what a disservice he was doing. His book outlines a solid process churches should consider when thinking about building. I will explore it a little more tomorrow.

In the meantime, I'm off for a day of consultations with churches in Georgia - and will be listening close to hear what their real needs are.

I'm all about helping you build your church -

sometimes I even use bricks and steel!

My Office View

Snow came overnight - here's the view out my office window. It's not a lot, but there was ice underneath and it's only 20 degrees with a stiff wind, so it's cold!

No school, travel plans altered slightly, so it will be a home office day for at least part of the day.

Communication is Powerful

The lack of communication is very powerful, too.

I'm in the midst of day-long meetings at my company where decisions are being made, prior decisions being made public, and future decisions are coming. Part of the day has included a very frank discussion with a business partner in which the current relationship has been strained, and future work was very much in doubt. I'm heading into a meeting where significant decisions for me personally and our company are under consideration.

The common denominator in all of these is communication.

Some things should have been said, and weren't. Other things were said, and shouldn't have been. Still more things need to be said, and how they are said is just as important as what is said.

How we communicate is powerful - and we can never stop learning about communicating. I've gotten a refresher course today, and there is still much more to come.

What's Your "Groundhog Day"?

On this day in 1887, Groundhog Day, featuring a rodent meteorologist, is celebrated for the first time at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. According to tradition, if a groundhog comes out of its hole on this day and sees its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather; no shadow means an early spring.

Historical background of Groundhog Day includes:

• Rooted in the ancient Christian tradition of Candlemas Day, where clergy blessed and distributed candles for winter; the candles represented how long and could winter would be


• Germans expanded on the idea by selecting the hedgehog as a means of predicting weather


• German settlers to America in Pennsylvania continued the tradition, switching to the groundhogs as hedgehogs weren't available


• Groundhogs do emerge from hibernation in February, but only to look for a mate before going underground again


• They come out of hibernation for good in March


• In 1887 an enterprising newspaper editor declared that Phil, the Punxsutawaney groundhog, was America's only true weather-forecasting groundhog


• Phil and his descendants might be the most famous, but many towns across North America now have their own meteorology Marmota monax


• The 1993 movie "Groundhog Day" popularized the usage of "groundhog day" to mean something that is repeated over and over

Unfortunately, there are a lot of scary parallels in the church world:

• Do you have ongoing traditions from the past that had original meaning but have now lost that meaning?


• Have you adapted your traditions to fit the culture of your community?


• Are your traditions based on something that no longer is relevant?


• Do you market your traditions on their own merits, or are you exploiting them?


• Are your traditions the same as a half-dozen other churches in your town?


• Do your traditions have a life of their own, long-ago outliving their original useful purpose?

While you may view this post as "anti-tradition", neither it nor I am! I love history and tradition - I have minors in history at the graduate and post-graduate levels, study history all the time, and know that it can be a powerful teacher.

Our history should be a bridge to the future, not an anchor to the past.

Churches should be students of their past - but also their present, in order to help write their future. Can you as a church leader understand and appreciate the history of your church and its traditions? At the same time, are you a cultural anthropologist of your community, understanding what's going on today? Combining the two will give you and your leadership team a solid foundation for future opportunities!

One Size Fits All...

... only works for trash cans.

I wish I'd thought of this, but I read it somewhere - just can't remember it where!

This is really true of churches - how often have churches tried to open their arms wide and try to do all different types of ministries - and in the process not doing well at any of them? Or, as author Will Mancini calls it, the unoriginal sin of vision cloning: adapting the latest ministry fad from some church conference, trying to duplicate the process that church is using in their own setting.

Won't work.

Don't try it.

Instead, be original. Strive to identify what God is uniquely doing in your church, in your community, in your people - and then you are on to something. Churches aren't one size fits all - they should be uniquely different!