Wrong motives for church? 4 million dollar building?

Question

I understand in churches sometimes they need to build a bigger building and stuff to fit more people....but it talks about in Matthew 5, when Jesus preaches the sermon on the mount He talks about the Poor in Spirit, and things that would make it very obvious Jesus doesn't care about 4 million dollar buildings, but our heart and attitudes!

We can have all the fancy buildings, glass chandelors, glass podium, fancy pews and everything, but God does not live within the building itself.

The Bible constantly talks in the new testament how the Believers are the Body of Christ, NOT the building!

Then that church sends out newletters, communications telling people to give money so they can 'build their new building' when I don't think they asked God for His opinion on things.

basically it was people within the "staff" or whatever that decided to build it, and not God's decision.

I'm sure someone will disagree with me and stuff, I'm not gonna point out any names.

I'm just simply stating what other people think about these kind of things.

I mean that same 4 million dollars could be feeding homeless people, helping low-income families, helping families that are financially strapped and so on.

There are many of those in the state I live in (Utah) so I don't understand why the 'new building' needs to be built.

Answer 1

God(s) aren't found within mansions of wood and stone...but can be found within you and within everything else that is

churches are beautiful structures (except those big corporate-office-warehouse-looking megachurches), but they are fundamentally unnecessary

Answer 2

Churches are about money, power, and image. When people build big churches they feel powerful. It is boastful.

Answer 3

That 4 million dollar church will most probably improve turnover immeasurably and thus increase profits by a massive amount.

The religion can then re-invest some of that extra profit in 2 or 3 more 4 million dollar churches and so on, until they have taken the largest market share and stripped the customer base away from the old fashioned `corner` church.

Of course it was not God`s decision, there is no God. Who on Earth told you that God was anything to do with it ?

All that God stuff is just the advertising to get the customers in through that overly ornate front door, to get them hooked on the post death salvation myth and deplete their bank accounts by the regulation 10%.

Good business is the God business, no taxes and a big influence over the government which is useful for getting your own way and diverging some of those funds into the military/industrial side of things.

Answer 4

Getting out of bed is a wrong move for religious weirdos.

Answer 5

Hi - My church is in the process of buying a building that's new to us. (I think it's about 30 years old). It costs 5 Million. But it's the only building big enough to house us and all the programs that we do for the community.

Buildings cost a lot of money. I work for the construction division of a hospital. 4 Million is a drop in the bucket - particularly if you live in a city.

I find it interesting that many people say churches are rip offs. We have mortgaged to pay, staff to pay, programs for the hungry and the homeless that we support. I could go on and on. Repairs alone cost a small fortune.

While it would be great if we could all just meet in a field somewhere and not have to pay for a building, we would also have no place to organize our efforts to support others. There are two sides to every church - the spiritual side and the business side. No one is giving us our space for free.

How would anyone expect us to help others without rooms, desks, phones, computers, etc. I'm not saying that all churches spend wisely and I'm not for mega-churches that constantly ask for cash while the Elders ride around in limos. But all churches are just not like that.  

Answer 6

You got that right! The love of money is the root to all evil, the spirit does not dwell in buildings, it dwells in the people, that is where the money is to be spent, in bringing comfort to those in need, our brothers and sisters, the children, everywhere, not just here! If they were anointed, then they would do these things, why is it people can not see this?

Answer 7

Well, duh.  99% of religion has nothing to do with faith or God.

Answer 8

Organized religion is a big ripoff ! It's nice to watch all the sheep giving their money to bad-haired televangelists and silver-tongued preachers. Just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside !!

Answer 9

Your point is well taken.  Buildings are nice, but there are more important things in life than a building.  Loving each other by helping the needy should be a much higher goal.

Answer 10

Maybe God is calling you to have a ministry to the poor and helpless.  If your church can support a 4 million dollar building, it could support a ministry.

Answer 11

If you're interested in that, speak with the elders of the church.  I'm sure they could discuss that with you.