Let me begin by saying I am sure we will all have different opinions about this, which is fine! You should do what is right for your church, your beliefs, your values, and what God is calling your church to do in each season. I do however think this is an interesting and important topic to explore.
In exploring this topic, the critical point I have landed on is the transition that took place when we entered the New Covenant, and the Spirit of God made us his dwelling place. Before I go any further, please don’t misunderstand me; I believe our buildings are immensely important. They are places where we encounter the living God and should be treated as such. Churches hold amazing memories for many people, from encountering Jesus, getting married or getting a little one baptised. Each of our different traditions will interact with their buildings in different ways. The church is still our place of worship, and we should be careful and discerning about what we host there, but the building isn’t his sacred home anymore – we are! This shift I believe, opens up our buildings to more uses as a vital resource to fund our work. Churches are where we gather to worship, but we aren’t under the Old Testament obligations to keep our buildings sanctified and holy in the same way. Jesus sanctifies us by his work on the cross, and (thankfully!) we no longer have to go through all those rituals. So be wise; maybe don’t host an event with questionable spiritual or moral attachments, but does hosting a high street brands conference make your space any more unholy than the local toddler group, which is equally non-religious?
The Spirit of God made us his dwelling place… This shift I believe, opens up our buildings to more uses as a vital resource to fund our work.
A passage people often raise with concern when the topic of venue hire is discussed is Matthew 21. To recap, this is the scene where Jesus overturns the tables and cleanses the temple. Yes, the church absolutely should primarily be a house of prayer but how about secondarily a place of fundraising for its mission? Personally, I do not see a conflict. Interestingly, part of the reason Jesus got so angry about the money changers and dove sellers in his temple was not because of the sales themselves but because those responsible were ripping off his people who had come to worship. It was not about the church making sales but protection of the poor.
This passage particularly references the dove sellers – the sacrifice for the poor who couldn’t afford lambs. The cost of doves in the temple was so dire at one point in the first century that you can find references in ancient Jewish writing to doves being as much as a golden denar, about 25 days’ wages! Jesus is so passionate about protecting the poor, and part of our desire is to help churches succeed with venue hire in their buildings so they can help those struggling in their communities. It was wonderful to see all the projects at St Mary’s, from homeless meals to the social supermarket to the toddler groups, which were supported by venue hire income.
Jesus is so passionate about protecting the poor, and part of our desire is to help churches succeed with venue hire in their buildings so they can help those struggling in their communities.
However not only were worshippers being heavily ripped off, but non-Jews also had no space to worship. The Gentile court for worship had been taken over. The interesting thing about venue hire is it creates a safe first step for many people to come inside the church. With all the marketing messages we receive daily, we are used to treating the idea of being sold to with suspicion and I think a similar thing can happen with invitations to church activities – a question is asked internally, what is the agenda? People don’t want to be sold to or indoctrinated, they experience it every day. Yet with relationship people become more open. When people come to your building for an event they begin to form a relationship with it, they know who you are and that builds trust which makes the next step that much easier and more likely to receive a positive response. A carol service at a building I have been to before and enjoyed? Why not?
With relationship people become more open. When people come to your building for an event they begin to form a relationship with it, they know who you are and that builds trust which makes the next step that much easier and more likely to receive a positive response.
I am sure some of you reading this will be thinking, yes, this is all very well and good, but what about worship? How does venue hire not get in the way like the dove and money-changing stalls? It’s an important question and why we know diary management is essential when setting up venue hire in a church, as it is important hires don’t conflict with your worship pattern. Most churches I have encountered have stretches of empty space in their week, and the key is knowing how to use this time well. After all, if we can’t afford to keep our churches open, if we can’t offer mission at an increasing level, are we partnering with him to allow people into the place of his presence? Are our buildings genuinely open and accessible to those who wouldn’t consider themselves Christian?
Most churches I have encountered have stretches of empty space in their week, and the key is knowing how to use this time well.
Lastly, I think there is an important lesson to be learned from Ezra on how God may want to fund the church. Just like in the times of Ezra, so much of the church needs to rebuild and take ground, but for many, resources are scarce. When God decided to rebuild his temple in Jerusalem, who did he get to pay? Babylon! For many of us, this might feel almost scandalous, but I would like to suggest that God wants to do it again, and instead of moving the hearts of kings to pay to rebuild his church, he will use businesses and those who ‘have’ in our society.
There is a line in Ezra that reads, ‘Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, male lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine and olive oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem—must be given them daily without fail, so that they may offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven and pray for the well-being of the king and his sons.’ Do we recognise the power of our prayer and presence in a community? When a church operates in all that God is calling it to be, it benefits not just the church but the whole community, and it appears the king recognised this. When businesses use our spaces, they are not just getting the benefit of using our venues but also investing in a group of people who care for the poor and the well-being of the society they belong to. It’s a beautiful cycle.
Venue hire has always been a form of mission for me and the possibilities that open up when we begin to view it this way are truly transformational.
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