Bridges or Walls – A Week on Our Country’s Political Crazy Train
It was the British political giant Sir Winston Churchill who once famously said, “We shape our buildings; thereafter, our buildings shape us.”
This past week on the wild ride of our country’s political rollercoaster, a church leader and political leader sparred over shaping our countries future as one built on the foundation of “walls or bridges”. And that’s as far as I will venture into that political minefield, but it’s true isn’t it? The structures that we build, intentionally or unintentionally speak to our base line values.
So fellow church leaders and friends, here’s my question. What do our church buildings say about us? What’s the message we send, intentionally or unintentionally to the world of onlookers making snap judgements. Would the average non-church attender (by the way which is the fastest growing segment of our US population) judge us to be bridge builders or wall builders?
Now I know what our mission statements and core values and etc… say. I’ve written plenty of them. But when it comes right down to our budgets and priorities, the preverbal “putting our money where our mouth is”, what’s it say?
You getting my drift? Here is a simple diagnostic question you might ponder this week. As you look at your church’s budget, compare two numbers, one the monthly mortgage payment, the other, ongoing missions engagement in the community. What’s it say?
Yes, bridges are structures that cost money as well. They connect two otherwise disconnected locations and people. Walls are not unimportant. They too cost money. Their best uses can be to provide protection and shelter. Their less noble uses can be to wall out and off that which we want to remain outside.
For my money, I want to build bridges by investing more in the ongoing mission engagement in our community. And when we gather as a church (which I think is important) what if we did so in the existing structures of our communities, like our homes, and community centers, and schools? And in doing so could this speak to our values of being good neighbors and engaging our community at their places of gathering?
Give it some thought this week! Praying God will help us to continue to build bridges to our neighborhoods!
