The Courageous Church is planning on a location move very soon. (Stay tuned here on my blog for updates.)
I have learned that at least three types of locations exist. A very real part of me prefers option #1, but I see the benefits of all three. What do you think?
Option #1: FREE or NEARLY FREE LOCATION -A few locations we have discovered are free or very, very inexpensive. They lack bells & whistles, the locations isn't the best, and for some of these spots the time we could use the location may or may not be ideal, but the cost is nearly nothing.
On a limited budget, I love this type of location because it allows us to pour most of our resources into people and projects that we are passionate about in a major way.
Option #2: Mid-Range Cost Location -We have found a few event facilities and church buildings that are pretty nice, have a good location, and are moderately priced. Not cheap. Not expensive. Middle of the road. This seems to make the most sense because it doesn't take up all of the resources and still offers some location perks. It doesn't allow us the total freedom that option #1 does though.
Option #3: Expensive Location -Many really nice locations (much like CenterStage) are available throughout downtown Atlanta. Many have all of the bells & whistles, are easy to find, and look awesome. If we choose this type of facility, it will take nearly every dollar we have. This option, at least right now, is not viable. It can be a goal down the road though.
Here's my basic question then…why would you choose option #1 or option #2?
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
Shawn,
My initial comment would be to look at the location. You may find the cheapest or the most expensive place that is not in the right location and it will not be a good fit.
On the other hand, I do agree with the lesser expensive option, allowing you to pour more resources into outreach. You must first know who and what you are trying to accomplish. If you are only in your place once a week, then the building is not the most important feature. Make sure you have a great place for the kids. That is really important.
Other than that, my breakdown would be: Location, Location, Location, Children’s area, and then price.
Thanks
Option #1 would be my choice. Back to the roots. Forget the bells and whistles and use that money where it’s needed most.
Option #1. Its not about where you are, but what you do with what you have. Grassroots. Maybe you will have the ability to reach more people who need more.
I would go with option 1 right now – you can use your remaining resources to lean into more of your vision. You won’t feel the weekly squeeze of money going to a location rather you can put that money towards people, leader development, etc. You will also build a core group of people that you will clearly know are “with” you regardless of location. Praying for you Shaun.
Jeanne Stevens
#1 – and you know that’s the accountant in me speaking… but here’s why:
When you lack bells whistles lighting huge speakers etc people have no choice but to focus on who they are supposed to be there to see, God.
If you don’t give people too much to nitpick at they will either a) come and experience a powerful move of God or b) not come back because it wasn’t up to “their” standards… if that’s the case we didn’t need them anyway. Harsh but true.
I would go with #1 for exactly the reason you give “I love this type of location because it allows us to pour most of our resources into people and projects that we are passionate about in a major way.”
Option 1, dude. God’s gifted us with extraordinary creativity. You know as well as I do that there are people among us who can turn a piece of paper into an origami swan. as long as there’s art in them (which there surely is), and you let them express it for the benefit of the church (which you surely will), then you don’t need to pay a venue for bells and whistles.
Much Love. Grace and Peace. -j
I gotta say option #2….we were faced with the same situation in having to choose a free place or a less expensive, better location kinda place. See, in the south, time is everything. It’s hard to do church other than Sunday mornings in the south. We tried Sunday nights and it didn’t work very well for us. People in the south equate church on Sunday mornings. Now once you establish, a Sunday night service is not outta the question, just look at Newspring in Anderson. But to start out, I’d pick the location that can get you as close to Sunday mornings.
Option #1…people who understand what is really important won’t worry about any conspicuous consumption. You’re always saying that the people are what make the church. Maybe in this case, it’s the people, not the location, that make the church. The time for bells and whistles will come soon enough.
#1—with a concern
people need to connect that God is doing this for them.
remedy
is there a way to have the low cost breakfast at the current church location? my thought is that it would help people to get the fact the God’s house is providing this with the added benefit of having everything in the same location, centralizing the volunteer efforts
Dude – go with #1 all the way – use the money on people not structures. I encourage you to read (if you haven’t already) George Barna and Frank Viola’s book, “Pagan Christianity.” You may not agree with everything they have to say, but they certainly have a number of points that relate to your church and deserve serious consideration.
I think #1 is the better option. It allows us to fulfill our vision as the COURAGEOUS church. We would be able to be more generous in our giving to causes and organizations that we desire to partner with locally and internationally. I agree that we need to make sure there is a quality space for children’s ministry.
#1 and in the Nice weather days maybe in a Park or on the Streets. Someone will stop to see what is going on and say “This is Real”
Hey Shaun I attend a church in Knoxville, TN called Faith Promise Church. It started out meeting in a hotel, then moved to the mall, then to a vacant church building. To make a long story short, it is one of the top 100 growing churches in America. We are busting out at the seams and have five services each weekend.
The fact is simple, you need buildings, and you need PARKING to have church. Nobody wants to spend money on buildings or half a million dollars on a parking lot, but you must have them!
You can check out Pastor Chris’ blog at http://www.drchrisstephens.com/blog/ and the one you really want to look at is the associate pastor Josh http://www.joshuawhitehead.net/ because he posts all kinds of stuff about conferences tools etc our church uses.
Surround yourself by successful people, and ministries if you want to be successful! And most importantly have faith!
Mike Biddle
Shaun,
Ultimately, this isn’t something I can answer. Only God knows who He wants to reach through Courageous Church. That is what I think would determine the best option for you.
My personal opinion is this: the Dave Ramsey in me says to for cheap or free. However, one of the most important aspects of a mobile church is the childrens area. The children are our next generation and if they end up disliking church, that’s a big problem. None of the churches we’ve been to recently have done this really well. Granted, we have a different situation(our daughter is deaf and uses cochlear implants). That said, I think all kids struggle with distractions. I think if you skimp on that area,
your children will struggle to connect with God the way you want them to.
KISS (Keep it Simple Stupid) .. thats a great philosophy and so was Jesus’s.. Forget the bells and whistles.. be the organic dynamic church that you are!
My gut says go with option number 1 and grow from there. Even if it means making a move every 3 or 4 months as the congregation and money grows. Who knows what else may come available over time??
OPTION 2!
Sometimes bells & whistles can be the very resources needed to reach out to the people you are trying to connect with.
Originally from California, it was difficult to find a church I felt comfortable with when I moved to New Orleans for college. My church [in CA] recently starting putting my pastor’s sermons on iTunes in the form of podcasts, next I blv will be video. This for me is a great way to stay connected to the word, especially since I cannot always get to church (due to work) on Sunday morning.
I also believe you pay for what you get. For these reasons and a couple others, including location I would have to say OPTION #2!
Hope this helps!
Peace & Blessings,
KAMMs
Do #1 — nearly free. This economy is only going to get worse. Be lean and pour resources into people. People will come, they will find, and they will stay with you. At least a core group will. Get strong, be hopeful, plan for the future, don’t box yourself in now. -Chuck
The FREE option always looks good. And yes, it does seem to focus folk really on Christ and free up more funds to be a blessing to the community, but the mid range option may be best. That is because the church culture now does not sacrifice that way too muc anymore where they don’t care about some bells and whistles. However, Courageous Church does seem to have people who are focused in that way and that is a blessing. So, CC could very well use the free option and blow it up… :-)
option number 1 would be good. I say that because if we don’t spend any money on rent we could always do the free breakfast thing. We could fix up the place. We would have more money in the bank to pay for the stuff we need and the stuff we want. We also would have no DEBT!
I still support option 1. One of the things I love so much about CC is that it’s such a hands on church and community oriented. I would love to see you spend that money that you would spend on a building and pour it into events and resources that will help people.
If you stay true to your name, I believe people will find the place and people will come even without all the bells and whistles. I think in this day in age God is starting to raise up people who are not interested in bells and whistles but rather, authentic community.
Shaun,
After attending your service last Sunday with my family (I was the guy from Canada, driving to Florida to visit family), it wasn’t the building that made the service. It was our brothers and sisters in Christ that made the service. You could have been outside on Peachtree and it would have still been a great service (albeit harder to see the pictures of Earth and the Galaxy with all the sunlight ;-)
I would say to go with option 1, as long as it allows CC to grow/move to another location.
You’re in my prayers! Thanks again for a great experience!
I would love to know why the location is not ideal…
If it was hard to find or in a part of town where many people would feel unsafe I would be against it.
But if I had to sacrifice being in "the location" or in other words the hot spot of the moment to have more funds to reach people I would