If you are like me, you probably say things like “let’s go to church” or “where is your church located?” on a regular basis. What we are really commenting on is the physical location of the “church” – the building or property. But this thinking is not correct. In fact, the New Testament writers would have been very confused by our understanding and use of the word “church”.
In the New Testament, the word “church” translates to mean “assembly of people”. In the Bible, the idea of a church has nothing to do with a building. It is all about the people that God has redeemed who gather together for worship, instruction, fellowship, and evangelism.
The meeting place is inconsequential.
We are planting churches that focus resources on people, not on buildings. We are using our energy to reach souls, not maintain properties. We call our strategy non-facility dependent church.
There’s nothing wrong with a church having a building – as long as that is not the focus of her ministry. It’s time that we remember that the assembly, and not the assembly hall, is what’s important.