I just finished reading a book today called When Not to Build: An Architect’s Unconventional Wisdom for the Growing Church by Ray Bowman & Eddy Hall. Here are the three main principles the entire book is based on:
- The Principle of Focus. A church should build only when it can do so without shifting its focus from ministering to people to building a building.
- The Principle of Use. A church needs more space only when it is fully using the space it already has.
- The Principle of Provision. A church should build only when it can do so within the income God has provided and without using funds needed for the church’s present and future ministries to people.
If you believe that a building is part of your church’s future (as I do for New Day) or you’re currently making plans to build, I think this is an excellent resource to prepare you for building or change your mind about building. This book also gives lots of helpful ideas in regards to how to keep growing without building, which I also found very helpful.