I have been going to church buildings all my life. Growing up in the Church of Christ, I was taught at an early age that the "church" was the Christians not the building. We ourselves are the Lord's temple. I understand this on all levels of thought. As I have grown and watched various religions, faiths, and groups (including my own), I have seen a direct correlation between those that have buildings of substance and the substance of the beliefs of the group the building represents.
Because of my creative nature, I have searched the Bible to understand the creative nature of the LORD God and in the process found a few things never taught to me about God the Creator.
1. The Bible begins with the Creation and after God creates man, HE creates a special space for them to live (Eden) and gives them one of a kind things (Special trees, etc.)
2. The Bible concludes with the promise of Heaven. A special space that HE designed for you and I with one of a kind things. It even gives the dimensions, materials and says that the special tree from Eden will be there as well. Even Jesus stated that he left to prepare a mansion for us with many rooms. David said, "And I will dwell in the HOUSE OF THE LORD forever.
3. In between the beginning and the end there are 34 Complete Chapters of very specific instructions on how to build altars, tabernacles, and temples to honor the LORD. These instructions include dimensions, materials, types of wood, and colors of fabric. There is more specific information on how to build one of these than there is on baptism and the Lord's Supper (Holy Communion). There is more information on them than the format for worship.
4. The sense of Dwelling place is a central Bible theme whether in a place or in our hearts.
5. If the LORD's nature is unchanging, He wants to be honored and remembered in many ways including special places.
In the small book of Haggai at the end of the Old Testament, God speaks and says, "These people say, the time has not yet come for the LORD's house to be built. Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin? Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much but harvested little. You eat , but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it."
As I mentioned in the beginning the experiences of traveling these roads has shown that those who honor the LORD God do it in every way. They tend to build church buildings that tell their community that God is important to their lives and at the same time carry on the mission of their calling in the same way.
Many church clients contact me and tell me they just want a basic building for their classes and worship, nothing extravagant ("We don't want to waste the LORD's money!"). Some churches contact me only after the Fire Marshall or other agency has told them that they must follow the building codes and life safety. They tell me that exit lights and emergency lights and handicapped toilets are a waste of the LORD's money. Each time I meet with such groups, I get their church bulletins or hand outs and see that their local or global mission is small and their involvement with their city is small. But when the meeting is over they go out to their giant SUVs, Lincolns and F250s and head home to their paneled walls.
You don't need to try to correct my thinking. I know that Church building projects have been the death of many a group. I have witnessed it first hand. I also know the validity of "house churches" and church groups that meet in rented places. I do not see an absolute but an observation.
In early times the Church building, cathedral, tent, temple or altar was at the center of the community. It defined the town and the inhabitants. They people may have lived in shacks, but the Church building was the focus. It's like driving I70 across Kansas, each town is defined by a large church steeple and a grain elevator. Our communities today are defined by the size of our shopping centers or whether we have a Walmart Supercenter.
I have noticed that the way Christians consider the House of God reflects the way they consider their neighbors.
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