Part 2 - Thinking afresh about church planting

We firmly believe at Gateway in expressing what is clearly taught by God's Word.  That is paramount. 

However, the challenge for many churches, especially new churches, is getting the balance right about issues that are not essential to the Gospel of Jesus.  If a new church starts out to be 'free' in both essentials and non-essentials - therefore compromising on what is core and foundational to Christian belief and doctrine, then it is doomed.  Just look at the demise of the liberal church in the UK.   On the other-hand, if a new church starts out and is strict in both what is non-negotiable and negotiable then it's likely to end up at best irrelevant to its surrounding culture - worshipping tradition, and at worst 'extremist'.

The balance is to be strong with what the Bible plainly reveals about e.g. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and also Creation, Human Nature, Sin, Salvation, the Church, and the Eternal Life to come.  But also to be flexible on secondary issues.  Here are two more examples, in addition to the previous post, about matters concerning the life of a new church that you can be free about, because there is no specific Biblical mandate.

Gateway Church, which is a 'Registered Charity' and a 'Company Limited', is currently independent.  We do not belong to a denomination, with the Core Team members originating from a diverse church background, but with previous strong connections with the Methodist Church.  As a new church, do we need to join a denomination or network?  We could and various options have been carefully considered.  But there is no biblical mandate for Gateway to join a denomination or an official organisation of churches.  Instead, we sense God is guiding us to form natural partnerships with other like-minded local churches.  One issue with denominations or networks, it doesn't guarantee that you have a natural affinity with any of those churches, although you may express the same convictions and views.  Also, there's a strong likelihood that those churches may not be geographically near, so it's even more challenging to relate. 

There is a place for denominations, which did not begin in New Testament days but in subsequent church history, and there is a place for organised networks of churches.  But for Gateway, at least for the moment, we are content to develop informal partnerships with other local churches, which we are finding very fruitful.  Having said all that, Gateway is very involved with 'Christians Together in Barnsley' and will become a member of the Evangelical Alliance once our church has been in existence for two years.  But our independence remains, which gives a certain freedom to function as a local church.

Secondly, as an example of that freedom, we do not have a church membership.  We have the original Core Team who launched Gateway, and there is a Leadership Team led by the Pastor, serving on behalf of the Core Team.  But Gateway is now at the stage, where we need to give new people the opportunity to commit to Gateway Church and to express that commitment.  So we are developing something similar to church membership, called 'Gateway Partner'.  Gateway believes in active participation, not static membership.  Membership, whether it's at a local church or a local history group or swimming club can imply something which is passive - there's no active involvement or at least it's just sporadic.  The Bible talks about 'partnership in the gospel' (Philippians 1.5).  Gateway understands this to mean believers united together in Jesus within a local church.  In other words, partners who are engaging together, side by side, for the faith of the good news of Jesus (Philippians 1.27).  We aim to set the bar high.  The goal of a Gateway Partner is about active participation in *Sharing faith in Jesus, *Living out a Jesus-centred life, *Sunday meeting, *Growth Group, *Bible, *Prayer, *Giving, *Serving.  We expects this to be a delight for a Christian filled with God's Spirit, but also recognising our sinfulness in constant need of God's forgiveness.

As a church, we continue to pray for God's guidance by His Holy Spirit (not magically, but by thinking, discussing and reading etc) that we will get the balance right between old and new, between biblical essentials that are binding upon us and we rejoice in, yet also biblical freedom in order to be relevant to our context and culture of Barnsley, UK.

"Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion" (Philippians 1.6).

Part 1 - What do you put on the blank sheet of paper when launching a new church???

When Gateway Church was being formed, before we launched (we went public on Easter Sunday 2011), we had a blank sheet of paper about how we might function as a local church. Of course, the blank sheet of paper soon began to fill up, as we considered what is binding upon us by God's Word. In other words, what must we include - no matter how new a church we are? But then we still had some blank space to fill in where Scripture is silent or at least where it's negotiable. Yes, ultimately, as a local Christian church, there are areas of belief and practise which are essential, which without, our constitution as a Christian church would be in doubt. Instead, we would be labelled as some cult or sect and rightly so. On the other-hand there are areas of belief and practise which are non-essential.

So for example, at one Gateway pre-launch meeting we examined 2 Timothy chapter 3.10-4.5. We discovered that some things are better ‘caught’ than ‘taught’ (verses 10-13). The Apostle Paul said to Timothy, without spelling it out, ‘Watch me’ (v10). We need to say (at least in our minds) to unbelievers or young Christians – you want to see the difference Jesus makes to life then ‘watch me’. Who is going to teach others to clean up their foul language or treat their family with respect (e.g. wives/girlfriends) or to pray or how to handle pressure? YOU ARE! These things can and should be taught, but often are better caught, by others watching you. So holy living, becoming more like Jesus, is an essential and is mandated throughout the Bible. As a Christian, empowered by the Holy Spirit, it should be a delight!

In chapter 3.14-17 we recognised the privilege of those who have been nurtured in a Christian home which is awesome and puts children in good stead for later years (v14-15).  Biological growth is just as important as Conversion growth. We are not into Transfer growth, better known as sheep-stealing from other local churches, unless it's absolutely obvious it's the right thing!

Then in verse 16, we saw the purpose of Scripture. It’s God-breathed – everything is there because God intended it to be there. We need Scripture to guide us in starting a new church – teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. We are bound by Scripture, especially where is it clear and plain, e.g. *Jesus is the Son of God, *Jesus is the exclusive way to God, heaven and eternal life - there is no other alternative, *the Bible is the supreme authority over all other authorities, because it is the Word of God, *marriage is between one man and one woman for life - not same-sex as being advocated by the present UK Government. These and many other beliefs are foundational, that we cannot budge from because the Bible is so clear about it. Therefore, a faithful church and individual Christians should put these truths into practise.

But also we are free to change our thinking on ‘church’ not mandated by God’s Word – otherwise we would end up worshipping tradition and not Jesus Christ. Examples of tradition not commanded by Scripture is the type of venue/building, the style of music, the structure of the church, collection of money. This where the remaining blank sheet is completed, but looked at through the lens of context and culture, as well as theology.

Gateway, which has now been in the public sphere, for just over a year has the following features:

We still meet on a Sunday, which most people still have as a day off from work, but at 4.00pm. Why 4.00pm? Our thinking is, if we are trying to reach new people in Barnsley, then Sunday morning is either a ‘sleep-in’, or ‘the kids are playing football’, or ‘it’s a trip to Meadowhall’. Sunday evenings are no good, especially if you are seeking to reach families with children. So 4.00pm is as convenient time as possible. The Bible does not stipulate what time your new church must meet, so be as strategically relevant as possible.

We meet in a football stadium. Why? At the time, we needed to find a culturally relevant building. We met once in the Civic buildings, then moved to the upstairs room of the Chambers Pub in Barnsley town. Essentially we needed two rooms, one big enough for everyone, then a second room allocated for the kids work, as part of the Gateway Sunday meeting. The opportunity arose to meet at Barnsley Football Club which meets these requirements and we also have a reception area for the welcome upon arrival and buffet food. All in all, we are pleased with what we get for the rent fee, although our long-term vision is to be right in the town centre, but that's another post for another time. As you can imagine there are advantages to meeting at the town's stadium. Whilst the New Testament term for 'church' always means the gathering of the people, the building and the venue is important for your main gathering place. The Bible does not stipulate where you should meet, so be as strategically relevant as possible.

At our Gateway Sunday meeting, we do not have any hymn or song books. For starters, which books would we choose? Plus it costs money. We simply select some contemporary songs on Power Point and play them through the PA system and sing along if we can. We ensure that those who don't know the songs, which sometimes can be most of us, feel comfortable just listening and hopefully pick it up as we go along. The lyrics are more important than the tune, because we are singing God's truths to each other, but the tune does help to lodge the words in our hearts. Most of the songs are 'band style' which especially appeals to the younger generations. Yes, it is deliberate we don't sing to an organ, holding a hymn book, although that might be strategically relevant elsewhere. Who knows, we might be blessed in the course of time, to have our own band of musicians. We have one musician - which is a start! The Bible does not stipulate what style of music you should adopt, so be as strategically relevant as possible as you sing to God and to each other.

Another example is money. Whilst is essential is that people do financially support the mission, but the Bible does not mandate the precise way to give. So far, we have never taken up a collection at the Sunday meeting! Rather people give discreetly with cash (discreetly is what Jesus taught) via the treasurer or appropriate alternative, or people give by standing order (the majority). Our message, as we think of newcomers at Gateway, is we're not after your money to replace the broken stained-glass window! But we do emphasise, at the right moments, generous giving in proportion to ones income.

So whilst there are many examples of biblical mandates that all Christians/local churches are to put into action including: evangelism, prayer, sacraments (Baptism and Lord’s Supper), holy living, unity amongst church members, there is still some blank space on the paper which moves us on to think more contextually and culturally about starting a new church. The Apostle Paul was very strategic when planting new churches. He headed straight for the big cities, which makes sense - to launch Christianity where the most people are gathered!

So we are to be faithful to the biblical mandate in the essentials, the non-negotiable, and we are to learn from church history (don’t make the same mistakes). But we are to be relevant to our generation. The Apostle Paul said, ‘I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some’ (1 Corinthians 9.22).

Some more examples will follow in the next post, and the biggie: what do you decide about the policy on baptism, when there are strong views either way about the inclusion of infant baptism amongst the core team of a new church! Is this a recipe to a church spilt or is there an alternative?

Finally, returning to 2 Timothy, chapter 4.1-5, ‘Preach the Word, be prepared in season and out of season’ (v2). We proclaim Jesus not only from the ‘pulpit’ but also over the garden fence when chatting to the neighbour. We are to speak what God has spoken, sometimes when it’s inconvenient! Now that really is essential!

How does a local church reach new people?

YOU INVITE THEM!
A brief reflection on the crowd at Gateway on Easter Sunday 08/04/12:
1) We had a 50% increase in attendance compared to the average number - with a concentrated effort on publicity.
2) The publicity included the usual insert in the weekly town paper - 'Barnsley Chronicle' (which is always free - so a big thank you to the Chronicle), texting (also no extra charge due to 'unlimited texts' deal) , and a 400 leaflet drop in nearby streets to venue (basic design and printed off on a home printer).
3)  About a quarter of the adult congregation on Easter Sunday are not YET committed Christians, either searching for answers or just simply enjoying the company (which is great), or were 'gently cajoled'  into attending because it was Easter Sunday (why not!).  As an aside - it's brill to have about 25%  unchurched or dechurched (plus extra Christians from other local churches who came to support the Gateway Easter Sunday meeting).  Isn't that one reason why the local church exists  - for those who don't yet belong?
4)  None of the 25% came 'out of the blue' because of the printed publicity or texting.
5)  Here's the big conclusion:
The 25%  were there on Sunday, either for the first time or as a regular, because someone INVITED them (and no doubt prayed for them too).  But why on Easter Sunday?  Partly because of the day, but also because of the concentrated publicity.  Whilst the publicity did not appear to bring anyone in from 'cold', it raised the profile for the Gateway guys to INVITE others along.
6)  It's the classic - Andrew invites Simon (see Gospel of John 1.41-42).  It's not rocket science!  But it does depend on a trusting relationship, that the newcomer has an element of faith in the 'inviter' that Gateway church is ok - at least it's a safe and welcoming place.  In all of this we believe God is at work by the Holy Spirit through the local church whom Jesus Christ is the head (or senior Pastor).

Gateway Easter Message

Message at Gateway Church 8^th April 2012

Easter Sunday

Bible verse:

‘If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins...But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead’. 1 Corinthians 15.17, 20.

Notable deaths in history:

There have been some notable deaths in history.  The media in the last few weeks have reminded us of at least three events where death made history.  100 years ago (end of March 1912) Captain Scott and his team, tragically died, buried in the snow, on the way back from their famous expedition to the south pole.  It was one of Scott’s colleagues who left the tent and famously said, “I am going out and may be some time”.  He never returned.  One by one they fell victim to the freezing cold and starvation.  100 years ago the Titanic, the ship that was claimed to be unsinkable on the 14^th April 1912 (Easter Sunday evening) hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage and sank the following day.  1,514 people drowned, buried in the deep Atlantic ocean.  30 years ago, on the 2^nd April 1982 the Falklands war began which claimed the lives of 907 people inc. 255 British servicemen.  Most likely your death will not go down in history, except with the local council registry office, except to say that death is the winner on each of these occasions or is it???

Jesus’ death was distinctly different:

What is distinctively different about Jesus death, is not only why he died and the manner in which he died, but also what happened next.  Yes he too was buried, but on the third day he was ‘raised from the dead’.  The angel at the tomb of Jesus said to the women, “He is not here; he has risen” (Matthew 28.6).  Now that’s different!

Is this the real thing?  If so, it makes all the difference!:

If Jesus was resurrected to live forever more, it means that he can help you in your life and at the end of your life, so that death is not the winner.  If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then surely he is just another good but dead person.  What good is he to us today?  If Jesus is still dead, then Christianity is dead.  As the opening Bible verse says, ‘your faith is futile; you are still in your sins’.  This means that you are still stuck with the problems of this world like disappointments, meaninglessness, sickness, evil and ultimately death even in the prime of life.  Furthermore, if Jesus is still dead this means the 100’s of millions of people around the world, from all walks of life, who worship Jesus as God, have got it spectacularly wrong, trusting a dead man to give them hope.  What good is a dead man?  But if Jesus is alive, ‘indeed been raised from the dead’ then Christianity is alive, we have everything to live for and death is not the end. 

What is resurrection?:

Resurrection is not resuscitation.  Plenty of people have died and returned to life after being resuscitated and revived.  Fabrice Muamba is the obvious example, the professional footballer who during a game for Bolton, dropped dead, his heart stopped for 78 minutes, but wonderfully, even miraculously was revived.  The problem though with resuscitation is that one day you will still die, e.g. Muamba still has to face death.  Whereas, resurrection is death’s reversal, that when someone dies and returns to physical life - it is forever.  The Bible calls it eternal life.  Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (John 5.24).

‘Christ has indeed been raised’:

Painstaking research has been done by notable historians, e.g. Tom Wright (former Bishop of Durham) about resurrection belief in the ancient pagan world (before and up to the time of Jesus).  They concluded that resurrection was a non-starter in every religious or spiritual belief.  The idea of resurrection was completely denied.  Nobody believed it, apart from Judaism, and even then Judaism, (which of course was the cradle for Christianity), only believed in resurrection as an entire nation at the end of history.  Nobody entertained the notion of an individual being resurrected at any point in history. 

We all know that for a major belief or opinion to become a mindset in a society, it takes decades for the shift to happen.  For example the campaign that smoking is harmful to your health has taken many years to make an impact, to the point that in recent years it’s actually banned in pubs.  That would have been unthinkable 30 years ago. 

So how is it, that overnight, when nobody believed in resurrection, that it became the major belief amongst many people, that suddenly this turn-around took place and people were prepared to be martyred for their belief that Christ was indeed raised from the dead?  There is only one conclusion, it’s because he did rise from the dead, resurrected to live forever more, that the resurrection radically transformed the community of Jesus’ followers and the church was launched.  The church never launched the resurrection, the resurrection launched the church!  Anyone who denies that Jesus did not rise from the dead are rationally obligated to find a more plausible alternative that explains the birth and rapid rise of the Christian church.

However, the Bible teaches that there will be a resurrection at the end of time of all God’s people, based on the resurrection of one solitary individual in the middle of history, none other than Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  The apostle Paul wrote ‘For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.  For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.  But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him’ (1 Corinthians 15.21-23).  So the resurrection of Jesus in the middle of history is the launch of the resurrection of the entire church of God at the end of history.

Some evidence for the resurrection:

The evidence for the resurrection is so compelling.  Here’s just three... 1) Jesus predicted his resurrection on several occasions e.g. we read in Matthew 16.21, ‘Jesus began to explain to his disciples...that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life’.  The disciples just didn’t get it until it actually happened, until it came true.  2) It was women who discovered the empty tomb first and the first to meet the risen Jesus.  Check out Matthew 28.1-10.  In that culture, a woman’s testimony was regarded as second-class.  So if the gospel accounts were fabricated, there’s no way the writers would say the women were first unless it was true.  3) The tomb of Jesus was not enshrined.  The tombs of the founders of other religions are enshrined, or at least regarded as a holy site, and still visited by millions today.  Why wasn’t Jesus’ tomb enshrined?  It was empty.  There were no remains, so the tomb does kind of lose its significance!  Plus nobody ever produced the corpse to quash the rising proclamation that Jesus was alive, who indeed made numerous appearances to people.  ‘Christ has indeed been raised from the dead’.

Here’s the big picture...here’s the meaning of Easter Sunday for you:

The resurrection of Jesus is proof that you can trust Jesus with your life and with your death, and with your eternity.  The resurrection of Jesus is proof that you can trust his teachings and that his teaching is truth.  When Jesus said a few weeks just before his death, “I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will live, even though he dies” (John 11.25), it was true when he spoke it and he subsequently proved it to be true by rising from the dead.  The resurrection is also proof that if you truly repent of your sins, turn from the life that is anti-God and put your faith in Jesus, you are forgiven and you are put right with God.  A penalty has to be paid for your sin, but you don’t have to pay for it, for Jesus has paid it with his own death and separation from God instead of you.  God’s holiness is kept intact, he hasn’t brushed sin ‘under the carpet’, because justice has been done at the cross.  If Jesus never rose from the dead, what does that say about the penalty of sin that Jesus bore?  He is still paying the price.  But that the fact that he rose from the dead, means sin, death, hell and satan has been conquered.  Jesus ‘was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification’ (Rom.4.25).  So you don’t have to remain in your sins and therefore under God’s judgement.  You can cross over from darkness to light, death to life, and hell to heaven.

Here’s something else, Jesus’ body was raised in complete, perfect and everlasting health (1 Corinthians 15.42, 1 John 3.2) and so on the day Jesus returns to this world, so you too shall rise and never to experience injury, pain, sickness or death ever again.  Jesus has put death to death.  That’s why we read in Revelation 21.4, ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away’.

So trust Jesus and his teachings, know God’s forgiveness and be assured of this future hope even after death, to live happily ever after – and that’s no fairy tale!

In the meantime:

In between Jesus resurrection and the resurrection of all who belong to him, and we are between those two points - there’s a life to be lived.  It won’t be an easy life, because we are still part of this sinful world including own weaknesses.  But you cannot remain neutral about Jesus, you cannot sit on the fence.  You must believe in him or reject him.  To remain indifferent or undecided means to reject him, until you accept him!  But there’s a warning, Jesus resurrection means there’s no second chance after death.  It is what you believe and decide in this life that matters.  Hebrews 9.27, ‘Everyone is destined to die once and after that to face judgement’.  So resurrection is not reincarnation.  Acts 17.30-31, the apostle Paul who used to murder Christians out of sheer hatred until he met the risen Jesus declared in the city of Athens, “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.  For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed.  He has given proof of this to all people by raising him from the dead”.  When the Titanic sank a 100 years ago, the passengers on board were having a great time, but unaware of the reality.  Likewise, don't be oblivious of the reality of life, death and resurrection.

Conclusion:

If you can’t believe in resurrection, surely you want it to be true?  Is there a better alternative?  Do you have a better plan or a better solution?  There’s a life to be lived, and the best way to live it is in Jesus.  That means you must turn from all sinful ways, you must accept Jesus as your Lord and your Saviour, he’s the gateway, and as 1 Corinthians 15 concludes, to ‘give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord’.  Live your life for Jesus, he has a purpose for you and plans for you, in this life and the next.

Let me conclude with a story about a boy who ran away from home.  It was the kind of thing you do when you are nine.  And the boy left a note saying he couldn’t stand them, hated them all, and was never coming back – the usual rhetoric – and off he went with a packet of biscuits and the contents of his piggy bank.  That was in the morning.  In the evening, mum and dad got a phone call.  Could he come home?  “Yes!”  Pause.  Would they do anything to him if he did?  “No!  Just come home!”.  Just to make sure, could they arrange a signal?  If they really wanted him back, could they tie one of his white hankerchiefs in his bedroom.  He walked down the street half an hour later and there was a white sheet flying from every window of the house.

That’s the message of Jesus.  He once said, ‘Whoever comes to me I will never drive away’ (John 6.37).

James Hudson Taylor - a Barnsley hero

James who...?

James Hudson Taylor (JHT) was born 21st May 1832 at 21 Cheapside, Barnsley, Yorkshire, UK, son of a Pharmacist who was also a local Methodist preacher and leader.

JHT was converted at 17 to Jesus Christ, and quickly developed a compelling spirit to take the good news of Jesus Christ to China,, where Christianity was virtually unheard of.  He began to prepare for China e.g. studying a Chinese language, practising medicine and learning to trust God for his every need.  Age 21yrs old JHT sailed to China in a ship called Dumfries.  They encountered the perfect storm in the Irish sea, and only just survived.

1^st March 1854 JHT set foot on Chinese soil, Shanghai, where an ongoing civil war was taking place with European military.  Until then European missionaries were based only along coast at main seaports.  JHT went inland to the masses.

Pioneer: He adopted Chinese customs e.g. dressed as a China man including growing a long pigtail (called a queue), fixing a fake one until the hair was long enough.  JHT learnt the local language and ate their food - at least what was constitutionally possible for an Englishman.  This was a revolutionary change for missionaries to embrace all thing Chinese (which was not sinful).

Surgeon: JHT became a qualified surgeon – performing countless operations.  So he not only improved the spiritual health but also the physical health of the Chinese people.

Linguist: JHT translated the New Testament Bible into a local Chinese dialect.

Strategist: In 1865 JHT formed the China Inland Mission (CIM), recruiting over a 1000 missionaries in his lifetime from UK, USA, Canada, Australia and elsewhere.  This included other men and women from Barnsley and also CT Studd, the former international cricketer.  These missionaries, some of them never to return, were strategically placed in every province in China – which had a population of 250 million people.  Today, the population is 1.3 billion with experts estimating 105 million are Christian (8%) which at current growth rates could change the course of history.  There are more Christians in China alone, than the whole of the UK population. 

Evangelist: JHT had a love for the Chinese people and a love in sharing Jesus with them.  The Church in China today goes back historically, in large measure, to the phenomenal work of this man from Barnsley with his amazing vision and passion to spread Christianity and proclaim the saviour of the world, Jesus Christ.  There were other notable missions in China, but the CIM had the biggest impact.  The CIM was unique in the expansion of Christianity, because it had no denominational backing, nor the support of any strong ecclesiastical body, yet CIM’s work was phenomenal.  It is due to the outstanding commitment and dedication of JHT, one of Barnsley famous son’s, the fruit of Yorkshire Methodism.  Thus a new chapter was written in the history of China and south east Asia, which is still being assessed.

JHT had a total faith in God (Gospel of Mark 11.22, Bible) laying hold of all God’s promises, combined with a tremendous vision for China – to reach every person with the good news of Jesus Christ.  He had an absolute commitment to the Bible as the Word of God and his Saviour Jesus Christ.  He used to say, ‘Christ is either Lord of all, or he is not Lord at all”.

He served China for over 50 years, including several trips back to England.  He died (17th June 1905) and was buried in China, his coffin bought by local Chinese in respect of him with memorial services held in Shanghai, London and around the world.

He never made an appeal for money, yet the financial needs were always met, the equivalent today of millions of pounds.  In 1949 Chairman Mao came to power in China and expelled all westerners inc. missionaries.  But the missionaries of the CIM, instead of returning home, reached out to the Chinese people who had migrated to the other nations of south east Asia with the Overseas Missionary Fellowship succeeding the CIM.  Whilst back in China, the churches (or at least the Christian families, as churches were outlawed) belonging to the JHT movement survived the persecution of Chairman Mao’s regime and continue to thrive today.  So the influence of JHT continued long after he died in 1905.

Be inspired, how God can take hold of an ordinary Christian person from humble beginnings and use him in an extraordinary way to change the world.

Are there any disadvantages in NOT owning a church building?

Isn't rent money 'dead' money?  Isn't it more prudent to invest and buy your own building that's available 24/7 for ministries?


1) For a large church it's a fair point, it may be advantageous to own a building.  But Gateway's vision is to plant lots of small churches during the next 25 years across Barnsley.  Small churches grow much faster proportionally.
2) In the end, does it matter whether rent money is 'dead' money?  Those of us at Gateway can't take the money with us when we, in turn, go to be 'with the Lord Jesus', whichever way it's invested.  Nevertheless, we're are still to be prudent and wise stewards of the resources the Lord Jesus does give us.
3) Are we not blessing people in Barnsley by hiring/renting?  Plus, we're not leaving a burden ie PROPERTY to our spiritual descendants.
4) Gateway has a principle of never entering debt.  Having a church mortgage is a massive debt.
5) Don't we believe in a God who can touch people who may even offer us rent-free accommodation for Gateway activities.  Barnsley people can be generous people when they want to be.


Gateway's vision is to reach every person in Barnsley with the good news of Jesus, in partnership with other local churches.

Advantages of a new church NOT owning its own building?

1) You don't become obsessed with property.
2) You don't need a property committee.  Saves a lot of time!
3) There are no maintenance problems - that's someone elses problem.  It frees your church up even more for mission.
4)  It keeps your church flexible - can move to another location easily (especially if you are a small, but growing church).
5)  Church is always people - at least according to the New Testament.  The church without its own building keeps this doctrine alive!
6)  Most importantly it keeps you - church - going out into the world.  A couple of examples: Gateway church currently meets at Barnsley Football Club (Ronnie Glavin Suite), and has met in the Civic Hall.  Gateway has run 'Christianity Explored' courses in a pub and a nightclub.  These and other examples provide new opportunities to share Jesus.  Mission is essentially about 'going out' rather than expecting people to 'come in'.