Worship Space Everywhere (Part 3 of 3)

The Lutheran understanding of God’s work in the world proclaims that God’s Word, the Gospel, gathers the church, and not a building, as I argued in Part 2 of this series. In Part 1, I drew a similar conclusion from several scripture passages. In Part 3, I will delineate several practical reasons compelling congregations to consider moving forward without bricks and mortar.

First, a congregation without a building must meet to worship, preach, and teach in public spaces. This counteracts the habit of Christians to make their faith a private affair. Their worship and education will burst out of the confines of a sanctuary into the public square where anyone passing by may see and hear. We need not be ashamed of the Gospel but should proudly offer open witness to it in parks, schools, meeting halls, libraries, and other public forums. Congregations would go to where the people are.

Second, proclaiming God’s Word in preaching and the sacrament outside a church building concretely states that God’s Word and God’s people live out their Christian lives and vocations in the world. Whenever and wherever they share God’s Word, that time and place becomes holy; it becomes a time and place for the Holy Spirit to work. By holding worship and education outside of a church building one proclaims that the Christian life is lived outside a church building. Christian education would become increasingly germane because it would occur at the locations of people’s work and play.

Third, the absence of a church building allows a congregation to spend more of its money on ministry of and for people. Some may argue that a church building is a ministry by providing a place for people to gather. In many places that may be so, and a church building would be necessary. I counter, however, with two observations: one, in most of our communities, the need for meeting places is sufficiently met by other establishments; two, church buildings in themselves do not proclaim the Gospel, only people can do that. What, then, is more important, building up a people or constructing a building? For the ministry of the Gospel, only people are necessary and sufficient.

Fourth, communication limitations that may have necessitated a central location have largely been overcome by mobile phones, email, and the internet. Bulletin boards today do not require a wall on which to hang. They are online. The absence of a building along with these communication technologies allows congregations to respond quickly to community needs and happenings. Congregations cannot say, “That’s the way we’ve always done it here,” when there is no “here.” There is only the Word of God and the people God’s Word has gathered.

The Bible and Lutheran confessions clearly state that congregations do not require church buildings. An honest look at the closeted nature of many Christian faith lives should cause one to question whether a congregation ought to shut themselves up in a church building. The Good News requires that we share it. Moving a congregation forward without a building might be the radical step needed to live out that mandate.