What? No Building?!!

Rolling Hills Baptist Church in Georgia sold its building. Article and interview here. No, it's not moving into a bigger one (or even a smaller one.) Rolling Hills is going without a building, instead, using the money for acts of Godly charity. It was a stewardship decision. They will move to a movie theater. This not only frees the money from the proceeds from the sale. This also includes all the money the church uses each year to "feed the beast."

 

This interesting concept is like "church planting" in reverse. In church planting, we start in a theater (or school) and aim towards a building. I was part of a church plant when I lived in Colorado. We worshiped in a school, setting up and tearing down each week and saving for a building. Our first building was an old auto (read "stinky") repair shop. St. Matthew's in Parker now has a pretty church.

 

I wonder how many people would be Christian if we had no buildings and all the trappings that go with them? Church is people, right? Mars Hill Church (Rob Bell's church outside Grand Rapids, MI) started by not even telling (or knowing) people where there were going to worship. Yes, they now have a building, but it is an old anchor store. Is the mission of the church to have a building or to be like Christ? Maybe it can have it both ways? Maybe not? Hmm.

 

I wonder if our identity would be more like Christ if our identity were not tied up in a building. What do you think? Would we be more Christ-like? Would it make no difference?