magnificence

My church is discussing an addition. We’re kind of tapped on space for a lot of things, and we’re evaluating the right thing to do. Other churches in town have built wonderful facilities, beautiful buildings with lovely fellowship and worship spaces. It’s hard sometimes not to be envious.

Something I read this morning seems pertinent to that conversation. Here’s what it says in Mark 13:1-2: “As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!’

“‘Do you see all these great buildings?’ replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.’"

In the context of thinking about budgets and buildings and how they can best translate into ministry, this seemed to me a reminder not to focus so much on architectural magnificence. The wonderful temple of Jesus’ day is a ruin now, but the church of Jesus is still vibrant and growing. All of the action of Acts launched the spread of the Gospel around the world, so that today there is a church in Orange City that nurtures me.

People now meet in thatch-roofed pole structures, in concrete-floored tin-roofed spaces, in house churches, in store fronts. God’s name is glorified and the good news goes forward in Communist China and Taliban-held Afghanistan and post-Christian Europe. The most beautiful churches in the world are often primarily tourist attractions, while the Spirit does mighty work in some of the shabbiest neighborhoods.

There’s nothing wrong with honoring God with our best, and that includes the building we worship in. And it’s always good to make our spaces as conducive to praise and worship as we can. So I’m still hopeful for some beauty and congeniality in our new church addition.

But it’s also good to remind myself of all the wonderful worship I had sitting on my helmet under a tree with a handful of God-fearing fellow soldiers. It’s good to remember the Azerbaijani Christians I prayed with in a small lunchroom in Baku. God’s kingdom marches on with only the slightest regard to conventional wisdom about what appropriate construction code and décor would be.

It might be good to put a little less passion into my opinions on the church building and a little more into the ministries I’m part of. Anything God does is going to be wonderful no matter where we happen to be. But unless the Lord builds, the builders labor in vain.