Circuit Thoughts

As many of you may be aware, our church was destroyed by fire in April of this year. We hope to be in a new building in the not-too-distant future. Each day I drive by the ruins that are now down to just the concrete slabs and some debris in the yard. I remember the beauty of the craftmanship that was in that 136-year-old building. But, I am also reminded that what we lost was a building not the Church.

1 Peter 2:5, “You are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple”. God builds churches and temples; humanity can only build a structure for the churches to meet in. So, while we lost a structure that became very near and dear to our hearts, we did not lose a church. The Doniphan UMC is still going and growing strong.

I don’t write this to brag, but to help followers of Christ keep things in perspective. The original followers did not have dedicated buildings. The disciples and congregations met in private houses, or outside the city walls. They met where they could share, pray, break bread and worship together. The Bible tells us of the many house churches that were open to the teachings of the Disciples. Not all of them were grand. Some were apartments on upper floors. Regardless of affluence or size of the room, people met. It would not be until Constantine and after that pagan temples would be turned over to Christians for worship.

We must be careful in any church building program to not be so concerned with the physical building that we neglect the Kingdom building. Many a congregation has been broken and hurt by a building project. Sometimes we get so focused on what we want, that we forget the needs of the ministry. Often, we even forget to consult God in prayer on how and what we are supposed to build. This is also true when it comes to maintenance and building improvements.

The one thing most important in any building project, at least in my humble opinion, is whether the building will help build God’s Kingdom. Peter says we are the stones that build God’s spiritual temple. Is the upcoming project going to allow us to be those stones or is it going to turn us into slaves of ego and pride?

The building does not make a church. The circuit riders of the past often met in barns, bars, and tents. Sometimes there was no place to meet, so they just found a clearing in the woods. Many a church building has been built because of a brush arbor down by the river. Ripley County has a few of those churches.

It is nice to be in a building that allows one to focus on Christ and not our discomfort. There are many modern amenities that enhance the experience of worship. But we must remember, the building is not the Church, we are.

Just a thought.

Shalom my friends. See you in church.