I was browsing flickr and came across an interesting caption.
The caption said:
This is Elevation Church in North Carolina, the second fastest growing church in the US. I was there for Grand Opening shooting photos for my brother’s company Visioneering Studios, who did the architecture.
This was in a strip mall (I belive an old K-mart). The idea is that the church should be more approachable and accessible in the community.
It got me thinking and questioning. What makes a church approachable? and what does that even mean?
Michael Josh on Flickr says:
In this day and age its better that churches feel more down to earth. Not to get all spiritual but true there is a gap between man and God but churches are there to tell of the Bridge. If there is a gap between people and churches then there is something really wrong.
Does your church “attract” certain people? and are there ways that your church can be more approachable/accessible?
Christina says
I think it would be cool if the church building was accessible amongst other readily accessible establishments…like you could just come in and reflect whenever you wanted, talk to someone, look around, browse the web, grab a coffee. Kinda like the public library but not as quiet and food is allowed. Just a chill spot. Maybe also almost as inviting as spontaneously visiting a friend and grabbing a snack, watching a movie.
(this is all coming from a single person’s mindset) 😉
Brian Alexander says
Like a modern day coffee shop? A nice spot to hang out when you want to be away from home? That’s kinda the picture I got in my head when I was reading your comment.
Paul Sanduleac says
I think the main and most important thing in the church is the teaching & preaching of the Gospel. Just like Paul says in 2nd Timothy, there should always be a sound doctrine, a true doctrine.
Also, I believe a church needs to be simple, sincere and open.
Brian Alexander says
I totally agree Paul. Thanks for your comments.
Chase Livingston says
Great post Brian. It would be great to have some of the leaders in older, less progressive churches think about this…
Brian Alexander says
Definitely. If you know of anyone in those progressive churches Chase, you could pass along this to them 😉
Eric says
The church is supposed to be people….I think we’ve gotten too wrapped up in the places we meet, we’ve given them status and priority over the actually people who ARE the church. Instead of worrying about the facility we meet in (which we prove is a priority by the fact that we spend thousands of dollars a week to have a building that’s used for 1-2 hours of that week) we should be more worrying about being the actual body of Christ to this world. Then, the question of approachability wouldn’t come down to brick and mortar, it would come down to us as human beings, as Christians. Are WE approachable. Do WE attract people by the way we live. Do the things WE live for inspire others to desire the same. It’s sad that church budgets (I’ve been employed at a few) usually are 85% payroll and facility costs, and then 15% mission. How amazing would it be if we could figure out a way to flip that number around? How amazing would it be if we cared more about living out the life Christ saved us for instead of the building we met in once a week? (sorry to sound harsh….but I honestly see Christians caring more about buildings than people. No matter how approachable the exterior of a building is, if it’s filled with hypocritical, apathetic, theological elitists it’s still not going to attract anyone.)
Brian Alexander says
The thing that I like about what some churches are doing is that they are renting out their building to different groups during the week. I think it’s a great idea and it’s a way the “church” can give back to the community, instead of just using it those 1-2 hours a week on Sundays.
Graham says
Wow what a great point to think about. I like to think that my church is approachable. Our second campus is actually called “Celebration Community Life Center” and we hold many community groups and events there. We also happen to have a Sunday morning worship service there. It’s our way of being more approachable within our community. We have many people who come through the doors there during the week that would never think about stepping foot in a church. Sure they are coming for something not “church-related”… but they are in our building none-the-less and we are always trying to get them more connected if they are open to it.
Meg says
You know I’ve actually thought about this a lot lately. My church recently moved into a new church building, on that was constructed almost 100 years ago, and I’ve sometimes wondered if the structure (and some of the relics within) frighten some people. If I were to place myself in the shoes of someone on the outside, I could see how a large cross hanging on the wall behind the pulpit might seem a little intimidating, if not a little domineering. This is a slippery slope though. While I can see the validity in modernizing our church buildings, I don’t like to see people completely stripping churches of crosses and other emblems that are associated with Christ. Like I said, slippery.
Blane Young says
Before seeing the writeup about Elevation Church in “Worship Facilities” and visiting there recently, I never realized how creativity and excellence could be expressed through the building itself.
I think anything we can do to make the church feel accessible and approachable, the more likely people will truly listen to the message.
Brian Alexander says
So true Blane. Thanks for the comment.