Starting Over

We have all heard the saying, “You never know what you have until it’s gone”.  Many people in our country understand that message today as severe storms have taken people possessions and scattered them across the landscape.  Many churches are in the same boat with their buildings destroyed.  Why these things happen I will never know, and I wouldn’t wish them on anyone.

I cannot tell you the number of church meetings I have been in that someone suggests that they would love to have their building taken from them by a fire or storm, just so they could start over.  It’s a poor joke at best, and it generally gets a chuckle out of the attendees of the meeting.  Although they may be fed up with an ineffective or deteriorating building, the pain that comes with losing a building to fire or natural disaster is something that should not be wished on anyone.

I have also been at many churches that have told me about a fire that happened in the fifties or sixties and they built the building back just the way it had been before the fire.  One of the worst things you could do after a disaster is to build back exactly what you had. Many churches do not take the opportunity to improve for the modern or future ministry after a great loss.

If your church has lost its building unexpectedly then please look to the future of ministry.  This is a painful loss for sure — but it’s also an opportunity to reshape your ministry to impact your community today and tomorrow.

— David McKnight
President | The McKnight Group