These are interesting times to live in. Last week at The Leadership Summit hosted by Willow Creek, Bill Hybels entitled his opening address “Leading in a New Reality”. He likened the economic turmoil to a rogue wave that has turned businesses and churches upside. To me, this “rogue wave” also seems like a tsunami that has crashed on the shore, permanently altering lives and landscapes. Few believe it will ever return to “the way it was”. However, I am not alone in believing that the same forces that have destroyed wealth and work and confidence have also provided a significant opportunities for the church. When the things that people have built their lives on and trusted in (especially in America) prove unreliable, it is an opportunity for them to find true wealth and security in Jesus. Many churches have experienced significant gains in attendance since last fall. Despite lost jobs and income, the drop in giving at these churches has been relatively small. At the same time, they are seeing the need to reallocate funds to help people that have lost jobs and houses. This is a new reality for all of us who lead – whether in church or business or in our families.
For our ministry-business, reality has certainly changed significantly. For years, we have attempted to keep the churches we work with from building more than they can afford. When all seemed well with the economy, it was often a challenge for us to do this. “Faith” was the word for many churches, proceeding forward with big plans and proclaiming “where God guides, He provides”. Our reply (to those who would listen) was “yes, and He has provided our expertise as wisdom to help you implement your faith in a fiscally sound manner”. Now this “faith” has been turned upside down and it seems to be all “wisdom” on the part of many churches. This “wisdom” says, essentially, “the economy is bad so we won’t be able to raise funds to meet building needs; let’s wait until the economy improves”. It seems to me that this pendulum swing in both instances is really following the world’s lead. When the economy was good and not as much faith was truly required it was “faith”. Now that the economy is down and funds are truly tight it’s “wisdom”? I tend to think that both apply at all times. It requires faith to build today that it didn’t require a year or two ago. If more and more people are coming to your church and you’re out of room, the responsible thing to do is not to hang a “no vacancy” sign out, but to make more room. This does not need to be building more room, but providing more room in one of several ways, such as adding another service or setting-up a video venue or going multi-site or renting a local high school with a larger capacity for Sunday mornings. Yes, we like to design and build new facilities, but the new reality is that other options may be the right ones financially. The important thing is to discern how God is leading you to provide more room and then to apply your faith to move in that direction while looking for wisdom to guide your steps. One of the churches that we have been working with for a number of years now is a great example of blending faith and wisdom to provide more room is Calvary Baptist Church of Bethlehem, PA. This past Sunday, 400 or so members gather on their new (fully paid-for) 27 acre parcel to break ground for their new building. Later this week, I’ll share some of their faith and wisdom-filled story, and hope it will inspire other churches that need to make more room.
