By Rodney C. James
Building, expanding, buying, and renovating can be exciting. Let’s explore several facets of readiness.
Is Your Church Body Healthy?
What if I told you that you’re running a three-mile race tomorrow? If you’re in great shape, that probably wouldn’t scare you or seem like a big deal. But if you’re like most people, the prospect would probably put a knot in your stomach. If someone isn’t prepared for the strain, the chances of injury are pretty high, and recovery could take a long time.
A building project can have a similar impact on a church. If your church body isn’t healthy, the probability of injury and pain is high. But how can you know if you’re ready? Here are a few questions to consider.
• Are our operations smooth, sustainable, and strong?
• Do we have a stable, committed, and encouraging membership?
• Is our church body in conflict anywhere?
Now, answering those questions may not void the need, and it certainly doesn’t void God’s vision. It gives us an opportunity to meet the needs of our people and get healthy. After all, your church body will be the people who will partner with God to fund this great kingdom work.
Is There a Clear Need?
In Nehemiah chapter one, we see that the city walls and the gates were in shambles. The need to build was painfully clear. Sometimes, however, it’s not wise because there is no clear need or calling.
For example, Are you completely out of space for your adult or youth ministries to grow — and have you explored alternatives to building, which might not seem as exciting as a shiny, new structure?
Are your people missing out on relationship-building because your space doesn’t allow before and after service fellowship? What is the core need that’s driving you to consider renovating, expanding, or building new facilities to further the ministry that God has called you to?
Brutal honesty and wise counsel are indispensable here.
Is There a Clear Vision?
After Nehemiah was shown the clear need to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, God put the final vision in his heart as he walked and prayed.
I know how exciting building can be. But I want to encourage you to rest in silence — wait on God — until God answers the need with His vision. The vision that Nehemiah had was to see the walls rebuilt, and the city fortified again, so that the people could inhabit it — and so the temple could be a place of worship. A sanctuary. There would be safety and security within the walls. What vision has God given you in response to the clear needs?
Are Your Finances in Order?
Let’s be honest, this is the hardest and least fun thing to discuss. So, I’ll jump right in and say it. You need a partner who can assist you in doing a financial evaluation to determine if you are financially fit to build and what your funding capacity actually is. Perhaps you may even need a CPA to review your financials — several years’ worth. Why? If you plan on obtaining financing, you’ll need to prove to funding sources that you are financially stable and have the ability to finance the project.
There will also be costs that are part of the due diligence and design portions of the project that you will need to fund. That may require you to spend money before you raise money. The question is, are you ready?
I always encourage churches who are growing to make payments to themselves for future building projects. This discipline proves financial stability and stewardship — and helps you learn to stay focused on ministry throughout the building process.
Is Your Leadership On Board?
As we help our church partners build God’s kingdom, we want to know that your entire leadership team is unified around the vision and on the same page as far as the project plan is concerned.
In Nehemiah 2:18, Nehemiah says, “I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me, also about the king’s words which he had spoken to me. And they said, let us arise and build. So they put their hands to the good work.”
Your project will go so much smoother when your leaders say, “Let us arise and build!”
That’s a lot better than a leadership team who isn’t sure if the project is right, what the vision is, or even why you’re building. We have often seen leadership teams that are divided in vision, one leader has vision to build children’s space while others are focused on sanctuary seats or some other area of ministry. This division can cause not only challenges for your project but also create larger issues within the congregation.
So, Are You Ready?
Trust me, I know it’s tempting to zoom into a project, but take time to review these considerations above.
It is said that pressure doesn’t create problems, pressure reveals problems. Or as Jesus said, “For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.” (Luke 8:17 NKJV)
The time to make sure your house is in order is now.
Rodney C. James is the founder and president of Master’s Plan Church Design & Construction. With more than 20 years of pastoral experience — and with hundreds of successful construction projects delivered on vision and on budget — James and his team help pastors and churches across the nation design, renovate, expand and build ministry facilities.
This article is adapted from James’ new book, The Master’s Plan for Church Design & Construction.
