When Galileo made public his discovery that the earth revolved around the sun, he was excommunicated. People thought in those times that such a thing couldn’t be. The Psalmist clearly wrote that the sun “rises” and “sets!” Therefore, it had to be the sun that moved and anyone who said otherwise was a heretic.
Of course we now know that was folly. Galileo’s discovery never threatened God, but reaction to it made the church look rather ridiculous. Those Biblical statements aren’t meant as scientific treatise, but rather poetic verse. And we can see that Galileo, by seeking out truth in real time, learned more about God’s universe than most.
There’s an important lesson in this story: God sets the course of his Kingdom, not us. We don’t always know everything, and we’re not in charge.
We are cogs in a grand story-wheel, revolving around God. And the minute we get dogmatic—the minute we limit Him to what we already thinkwe understand—that is the minute we risk losing sight of Him.
This lesson applies to life in general, but particularly to church expansion projects.
These projects go up and down, roller coaster rides from obstacle identification to obstacle resolution. This is necessary and normal.
But often these highs and lows can be frustrating. They cause delays; they call into question things we thought we knew about our direction; they can be costly and humbling; they may feed conflict; they can make us wonder if God is really with us, after all.
This ebb and flow pace may challenge patience and emotional wherewithal, but it can also allow us to discern God’s will for the project—if we let it.
The church naturally experiences seasons—just like the individual people who compose it. At any given time there are best practices and relevant wisdom floating around that we hold on to, for good reason. Some things seem to work; other things don’t. But still we don’t know everything.
A church project requires allowing enough time to test the latest vision assumptions. It requires recognizing that there’s a bigger story than the details of any one project, or even any one church—however vibrant and growing it may be!
In short, it requires moving at a pace deliberately behind God. Church leaders must discern where God is moving and join Him at His place.
We can tell you from experience: the outcome of an expansion effort will not always be what people originally envisioned. But if you prayerfully consider each step and move at a God’s pace rather than yours, you can be assured that the outcome is what God intended for His glory.
There is another related benefit to this discipline. Until a church encounters obstacles, it will not be united in its purpose. Often when things are easy, routine is settled and all seems to be “falling into place,” we may sense God’s hand at work but fail to see our role in what He’s doing.
Struggle has a refining power to overcome that. It weeds out nonessentials and noise, and refocuses us on what counts. It teaches us bit by bit, like Galileo, who we are in the universe and where we’re going.
Development Advisors provides A to Z services for churches seeking to expand their facilities. If you would like more information about our church real estate and church development services, please contact Scott McLean at 303-534-3344 (x 103) or at scott@developco.com.