I was in Canada last Summer speaking at an event and had an interesting conversation that changed the way I saw the economics of the American church model. One of the leaders there made an observation that to plant a church in a major city in Canada would cost an astronomical amount not only in real estate costs but also in salary. That was followed up with the idea that few churches would be able to pull that off based on the current situation of the traditional church.
Could it be that the church in the West is being forced to look at things in new ways or cease to exist?
Very few churches have a vision for starting new churches and that lack of having “church babies” is going to severely diminish the number of traditional churches in the near future. And that isn’t a bad thing. But it does mean we need to be thinking spiritually, biblically and strategically about what is next.
How do churches plant churches when existing churches are barely hanging on?
The answer is – they don’t.
At least, not in the traditional sense.
But what if there was another way to start new churches that didn’t have the overhead, didn’t have the start up costs and was virtually free to begin?
You already know what I am talking about – Home church.
The home is already being paid for. The electric bill is built in. You don’t have to pay for lawn care. The overhead has already been taken care of.
And this allows several advantages:
- Funds go to mission and benevolence
- Skills get used rather than relying on paid staff
- The building isn’t the focus of time, money and decision making
- The parking lot non longer needs to get repaved, consuming precious time and money – and all of that effort can go to the spread of the gospel, taking care of needs in the community and so much more
- Hospitality is real because you are in someone’s home, not in a dedicated gathering space where no one lives.
Will Traditional Church Plant Home Churches?
My hope is that traditional churches would have the vision to start home churches and not see this as a threat to the existing congregation but as a blessing to the community. But to do so requires change and we typically have an aversion to change. I think that is partly because we feel judged by change – that it means something was off and had to be corrected. But that isn’t really what change is all about. Change is necessary for survival.
I don’t think many will go this route the way things are today but I do hope that as things change that more will have eyes to see and ears to hear what God is calling His people back to and that is back to an early form of meeting that is truly transformative more than it is performative.
A Few Things for Traditional Churches to Consider
First, consider how your current congregation is positioned and how you might be missing an opportunity by the “come to us” approach. There are people who will come to a building before a living room and a living room before a building. It is advantageous to provide both.
Second, remember that your congregation won’t last forever. They all close eventually. If you want your congregation to have a lasting heritage then your congregation needs to “have kids.” And that is overwhelming if you are trying to start a brick and mortar but less so if you set out to start a home church(es).
Third, training is available to help your people get started. That is what we provide here in this ministry. Find out more here – Home Church Training.
Fourth, if you need a hand or have questions, please reach out – mattdabbs@gmail.com and I will get back with you asap!
