Don’t get me wrong: I love Pinterest.
Even though I don’t pin things regularly, it has definitely been a valuable social network. Besides providing inspiration for our family dinners or home decorations, several boards have really inspired me and made me rethink the way I do ministry.
One of the most interesting Pinterest boards is D. J. Chuang’s“Ex-Church” board.
Here, D. J. has shared images of church buildings that have been converted for other uses. From a Methodist Church in Ohio that is now a gym to an Anglican Church in England that is now occupied by an electric company, the board is filled with church buildings that are no longer used to share the Gospel.
I find D. J.’s board fascinating and incredibly sad.
While I agree the Church is not a building, I can only assume these churches gave up their buildings because they could no longer fill them or afford them.
These churches were once filled with hundreds of people learning about God’s love and singing praises. Somewhere along the way, they lost their vision or passion. Now clothing racks have taken the place of pews.
What saddens me most isn’t that the churches lost their buildings; it’s that they lost their legacies. The church a group of people worked so hard to build up is now nonexistent.
My hope is D. J.’s board would be a reminder to you. It’s important for your church to not only get the vision but also to be passionate about the future of your church and community.
If we don’t want to end up on Pinterest one day, we need to push the vision ahead.
How can churches take the proper steps in writing a legacy for the future?