There is a theology floating around out there, well-meaning, earnest, occasionally a little smug, that goes something like this: “Real church is people, not buildings. Real faith doesn’t need four walls and a mortgage. Buildings are a distraction, maybe even a spiritual liability, evidence that a congregation has gone soft on mission and started loving its own comfort a little too much.”
I see people nod along to this, the way you nod along to things that sound humble and therefore must be true. I understand the point, and I know they mean well, but you need to know I have never once nodded my agreement to any of those opening statements.
I hope to explain myself.
For early access to this work-in-process, I invite you to subscribe to my Substack called “Middle Kindling”. Link is in the blog post.
I have just opened a new free mini class, and I would love to invite you in.
It is called:
Learn Lectio Divina: Paint Isaiah 60
This class is for anyone who wants to come close to Scripture in a slower, more creative, more embodied way.
It is for the spiritually curious.
It is for the artistically curious.
It is for the lifelong believer who wants Scripture to feel fresh again.
It is for the reconstructing believer - because “deconstruction” is so 2020.
It is for the person who has always wanted to make art but felt a little shy about beginning.
It is for the person who suspects that beauty may be one of the ways God is getting their attention.