In the early years of the church, Christians were oftentimes considered atheists by their neighbors. That’s because Christians didn’t travel to a dedicated temple to worship their deity. Instead, they referred to themselves as the temple (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19). They knew without a doubt that the church wasn’t a building, but a group of people on mission together. 

Today churches are finding creative ways to utilize their buildings for the sake of their mission. For instance, Passion for Planting’s home church, New Life Christian Church in Chantilly, VA, never owned a building of their own until they bought a former Budweiser distribution center and turned it into a community sports complex called the nZone. Seven days a week community members flock to the building to exercise, socialize, and rub shoulders with church members dedicated to helping them discover God. 

The idea for the nZone resulted from church’s leaders asking how the church could best steward its resources with a building. It didn’t make much sense to them that they would build a facility that would be utilized primarily by church members. It didn’t make sense to them to invest in a space that would only be used a few days a week. To them it made much more sense to build something that would be used seven days a week primarily by the people they were trying to reach.

Running a sports complex and leading a church isn’t for the faint in heart. It’s a lot of work, but the opportunity the nZone provides the church to serve its community and share the gospel makes it with it. 

Another church that’s leading the way in utilizing its facilities to serve its community and proclaim the gospel is National Community Church. NCC has been focused on positioning itself in the middle of the marketplace since it began meeting in Washington, D.C.’s Union Station. Today they continue to think of innovative ways to redeem their community’s real estate for Kingdom purposes. 

A core conviction of NCC is their belief that the church belongs in the middle of the marketplace. That’s why they bought an abandoned crack house on Capitol Hill and turned it into Ebenezer’s Coffee Shop. It’s why they opened the Miracle Theater in a historic movie theater. It’s why they bought an entire city block and are transforming it into a place where the church and community can cross paths. 

The Well Coffee House was started by The Church at The Well in Boston as a way to reach their neighbors with the gospel. As of today they have three locations serving various neighborhoods in the city. Their mission is to create high quality coffee house environments that produce opportunities to build relationships, serve the community, demonstrate love, present the Gospel, and bring glory to Jesus. Six days a week (they are closed on Sunday) these coffee shops provide the church opportunities to interact with members of their community and share the gospel with them.

Churches like New Life, National Community, and The Church at The Well remind us that light of Christ was never meant to be hidden under a bushel. It’s meant to infiltrate into every nook and cranny of the community. Jesus commanded his followers to let our light shine in the darkness (Matt. 5:16). As easy as it may be, we can’t hide in our buildings or homes, but must go into public places and shine for him. 

Perhaps your church doesn’t have its own space. If that’s true, don’t be content to allow your people to meet for small groups in homes. See your lack of a building as an opportunity to be the church in your community. Encourage your people to utilize public spaces for small group gatherings. Meet with leaders in local coffee shops or even your local McDonald’s. Yes, McDonald’s is a great meeting spot. Don’t believe us? Read Trevin Wax’s On Mission at McDonald’s. It may just help you solve the problem of where that small group with all the kids can meet. 

If your church does own a building, consider how you can use it to serve the community. Some churches allow outside groups use their building for free, while other churches rent out space to small businesses, creating a symbiotic relationship that helps the church pay its bills. If you’re looking for inspiration on how you can use its facility for ministry seven days a week, read Ways to Facilitate Weeklong Ministry in Your Church Building. While you’re at it, check out Sacred Spaces: How Your Church Building Can Bless Your Community 7 Days a Week. It’s another short but inspiration read.

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In Acts 19:9-10 we’re told that Paul spent two years ministering in Ephesus. Staying in one city for multiple years was rare for Paul. Why did Paul stay there for so long? It’s probably because of the fruit he saw God producing through his ministry there. Acts 19:10 tells us that every person in Asia heard the word of the Lord as the result of Paul’s ministry in Ephesus. 

What led to such a fruitful ministry there? One reason was the venue he found to house his ministry for those two years. When he arrived in Ephesus, he spent three months preaching in the local synagogue. Met with firm resistance there, he packed his bags and moved. He left the sacred space and moved his ministry to a public, secular space called the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 

Who was Tyrannus and what did he lecture about? We don’t know. What we do know is after moving to this new venue Paul’s ministry exploded. The gospel started spreading like wildfire all over the area. The lecture hall of Tyrannus provided Paul with a space to connect with non-believers, share the gospel with them and train believers to be sent out on mission for Jesus. 

In light of Paul’s ministry in Ephesus it’s fitting that we ask ourselves, where is our lecture hall of Tyrannus? Where do we go to connect with non-believers and train believers to evangelize? We can host Bible studies and discipleship groups in homes and other private places, but might those be more effective if they were held in public places where we’re surrounded by people who are hungry Jesus? 

Why not encourage the small groups of your church to meet in public places (at least every once in a while) and see what doors God opens up for evangelism? Here’s one story about a Bible study in McDonald’s that may inspire you to do so.

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