Recently an architect won an award for an addition to a church building in Warrnambool. One of the comments he made is, "When you think about churches they're traditionally closed in without many windows. They are not exactly welcoming. We wanted to have more connection to the community." see below....
Now what about your church building is it welcoming....does it connect to the community???
But lets go a bit further does your congregation connect to the community...is it welcoming???
And what are some steps we can do to connect with the community.....
Anyone who has spent time talking about the church.....
would have heard that the church is not the building....
it is God's people gathering together to hear the Word, talk about the Word and participate in God's sacraments....
And people need effective places to gather...
which is where the role of church buildings come in.
Whether you have a permenant structure, multi purpose building or one you use casually; How effective is your gathering space for ministry and mission?
Is it out of date???...(this is a touchy one for some, but here is the reality what was appropriate and acceptable 50 years ago is often far from acceptable either safety wise, technology wise, comfort wise or accessibility wise for many people especially younger people).
Is your building helping people hear and participate in the Gospel?
Does it hinder or enhance relationships before and after worship services or even during worship services?
