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 think
we 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.
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