It seems that most churches, at least in the United States, have a building in which to meet that has been bought or built by the church. Many other churches, particularly those outside of the United States, would like to build or otherwise acquire a place to meet but lack the financial means to do so. What should be done in such cases? How might churches raise money to build or purchase a meeting place that is in harmony with Biblical principles and instructions? Let us consider a few points.*
Does a Church NEED a Building in Which to Meet?
In other words, is owning a building necessary for a congregation to carry out the work the Lord has given it to do? Since it has become so common for churches to have a building in which to meet, this has perhaps led many Christians to view this as a necessity. Therefore, if their congregation does not have a building, they think they cannot properly carry out the work that the Lord has given the church to do.
In contrast, other brethren are quick to argue that the early church did not have “church buildings”; instead, they met in homes. While we do know that many congregations met in homes in the first century, that does not mean that some of them did not or could not have had what might be called a “church building.” Recent archeological evidence suggests that some early congregations did have buildings that were dedicated to the assembly of the church.** In other words, they met in buildings that were not homes.
In the New Testament, churches met in various places. At the beginning, the church in Jerusalem met in the temple at Solomon’s portico (Acts 5:12). Paul and the disciples in Ephesus met for two years in the school of Tyrannus (Acts 19:9-10). In Troas, the church met in an upper room (Acts 20:7-8). And, of course, many churches met in homes (1 Corinthians 16:19; et al.).
Today, churches can meet in various places (homes, schools, libraries, hotels, etc.) to worship God and carry out the work of the church. Even if a congregation does not have a “church building,” it can still do everything that the Lord expects.
Is a Church AUTHORIZED to Build or Purchase a Building in Which to Meet?
As we already noted, some brethren are quick to point out the examples in the New Testament of churches meeting in homes. This is often done to argue that there is no authority for a congregation to purchase or build a meeting place. However, as we have already seen, there is Biblical and historical evidence that early churches did not meet exclusively in homes. Can we say that a congregation is authorized to build or purchase a building in which to meet? Yes!*** Consider a couple of reasons:
- We know that each local church is to assemble. The Hebrew writer admonished his brethren to “not [forsake] our own assembling together” (Hebrews 10:25). When Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, he said they would “come together as a church” (1 Corinthians 11:18). This necessitates a place to assemble.
- We know that churches in the New Testament met in various places. We have already noticed some of these. Notably, there is no uniform pattern. Without a specific type of place given, autonomous churches are free to determine the most expedient way to assemble. This does not necessarily mean buying or building a place to meet, but it could include that.
How Are Churches to Raise Money?
Building or buying a place to meet requires money. If we understand that a church is authorized to provide a place to assemble, how are they authorized to raise money to pay for it?
When we read through the New Testament, we find one method used by local churches to raise money. This was done through a collection on the first day of the week:
“Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come” (1 Corinthians 16:1-2).
Occasionally, someone will quibble and say that the collection Paul spoke of was for a specific purpose (helping needy saints). That was certainly the pressing need at the time. However, the fact remains that the New Testament describes no other method than the collection on the first day of the week for churches to collect money.
Therefore, if a congregation is to raise money to build, buy, or rent a facility in which to meet, the funds should come from the same place where all of its money is collected – through the collection that is taken up on the first day of the week. If brethren in that congregation want to give more a particular week or for a certain period of time because the congregation is trying to raise money to build a meeting place, they can decide to do that. However, as far as we can know from the Scriptures about how a church is authorized to collect money for its work, the collection on the first day of the week is the only way we find in the New Testament.
May Churches Send Money to Other Churches?
Many churches cannot raise enough money from the funds that are collected on the first day of the week to acquire a meeting place, especially if the congregation is made up of Christians who are poorer or who live in an area where property values and building expenses are higher. Could they send out a request for other churches – either in their area or around the world – to contribute money to them in order to fund the construction of a building?
The book of Acts contains the example of the church in Antioch sending money to various churches in Judea. Notice what Luke recorded:
“And in the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the relief of the brethren living in Judea. And this they did, sending it in charge of Barnabas and Saul to the elders” (Acts 11:29-30).
Here, we see churches receiving money from another church in order to address a severe benevolent need. This was also the reason for the funds being collected by the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians 16:1-2; cf. 2 Corinthians 8:14). Some brethren needed help, and churches in “Macedonia and Achaia” made “a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem” (Romans 15:26).
However, building a meeting place is not a “benevolent need.” The New Testament shows us examples of churches sending money to help brethren in other places afflicted with poverty or experiencing a famine. In other words, they needed help to survive. Worshipping in a building that has been built or bought by a congregation is not necessary for survival. It is not an emergency situation. We have the authority for churches to send money to other churches to help with an extraordinary benevolent need among their members. However, there is no authority in the New Testament for a congregation to send money to another congregation for anything else, including building a meeting place.
Remember what we noticed at the beginning of this article – a church does not need a building in order to function as the Lord wants it to. Is a church authorized to build a building in which to meet? Yes. Is it expedient for a church to do so? That depends. We know that there can be things that are authorized but not expedient (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:12; 10:23). If a congregation does not have the funds to construct a building, then it is not expedient for them to do so.
May Individuals Send Money to Other Churches?
If churches are not authorized to send or receive funds from other churches to build a meeting place, could donations be made by individuals? In other words, can a congregation receive money from Christians who are members of other churches and use that to fund their building project?
On one hand, we know that individual Christians have more liberty regarding how they use their money than churches do. When Paul instructed Timothy regarding the care of certain widows (1 Timothy 5:3-16), he described some that should be cared for, but not by the church. In fact, he said “the church must not be burdened” in such cases (1 Timothy 5:16). It was good for individuals (particularly family members) to care for these widows, but not the church. When Ananias sold a piece of property and lied about how much he and his wife contributed to assist needy brethren, Peter said, “While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God” (Acts 5:4). They were free to decide how to use their money. They could choose to donate all of it or just a portion of it. They could have used it for other purposes, too, provided their activities were consistent with the life of a disciple. Both churches and individual Christians need to be careful to do what the Lord has authorized (Colossians 3:17), but local churches are much more limited in what they have been authorized to do than the individual members.
That being said, can churches solicit money from people who are not members? There is no example of this in the New Testament nor implication from which we can infer it was ever done. The passages that speak of a church taking up a collection imply that the members of that congregation were making these contributions (Acts 4:32-37; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2; 2 Corinthians 8:1-5).
However, as we have already noticed, individual Christians have more liberty regarding how they use their money than churches do. Because of this, a Christian who is visiting another congregation on the first day of the week may choose to give when the church takes up the collection, even though he is not a member of that congregation (and even though the congregation did not solicit a contribution from him). Yet an individual Christian having the liberty to give to another congregation does not mean that a congregation is authorized to solicit funds from others, whether in person in the assembly or through letters written to brethren in other places.
Conclusion
A church building can be a valuable resource to help the local church carry out its work. If a congregation has a building, it needs to be used for the work the Lord has given it, not for just anything the members of the church might imagine. At the same time, we do not need to become so focused on obtaining a building – as if we “need” it – that we ignore certain Biblical principles in order to raise money for it.
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* Many of these points were discussed in a recent episode of the Plain Bible Teaching Podcast: Building the Church Building
** Christians didn’t worship in houses? New study drops bombshell on religious archaeology (Study Finds)
*** For more on this point, see the article, Do We Have Authority for a Church Building?
