The Man of Peace
Senior Vice President, Ministry Development
There doesn’t seem to be anything peaceful about starting a new church. There are months, maybe years, of planning. There is fundraising to be done. In many cases church planters go into an area where they don’t know a soul and have to, somehow, find a core group of people to help launch the church. Church planters have to care for their families through this transition as well, finding a place to live, go to school, etc. While all of this is going on, there is the big question—once this church gets started, where do they meet?
When Jesus sent out 70 missionaries (I guess you could call them church planters) two by two in Luke 10, He had some very specific instructions for them: “carry no money, no bag, no shoes and greet no one on the way.” When they arrived at their destination, they were to look for a “man of peace” and stay in his house and not move from place to place. When they found the man of peace and he took care of them, they knew they were in the right place to tell people, “the kingdom of God has come near to you.”
Ideal Location
A friend of mine had a passion for a major city in the U.S.—particularly for the downtown area where indigents and the wealthy cross paths every day. It’s a place where people with black, brown, and white skin pass each other on the street, in coffee shops, in businesses, and other places of interaction. It’s a place where the word of the gospel is rarely spoken but sorely needed. As my friend was drawn to the city, he was looking for the “man of peace” who would provide a place for the new church to meet.
When his church started meeting several years ago, they dropped into the only place they could find, a local nightclub. It was cheap, just $200 per week. It obviously didn’t do business on Sunday mornings, so the space was available. It was in the perfect location as a crossroads of encounters. It had its problems, however.
First of all, where do you have a ministry for children when you’re meeting in a bar? In this case there was a basement that the church lovingly referred to as “the dungeon.” And then, what about the people you’re ministering to who have troubles with addictions (pretty much everyone they were trying to reach)? As they sat there in “church” they could see three bars surrounding them, maybe even encroaching on them. My friend prayed for that man of peace who would take them in, take them in to a place of joy.
The demographics in the neighborhood where this church is located range from homeless and people living in shelters to loft dwellers who are moving back into restored buildings that provide community for young, and often wealthy, people who have been drawn to live in the city. As this church planter says, their location has to be walkable, since about half the people who attend their church live in a community of 55,000 people within a half mile of where they meet.
About six months after the church had launched, my friend was prayer-walking the neighborhood and he ambled into an event center located across the street from the church’s office. The event center has a beautiful, spacious atrium that would be perfect for community fellowship before and after services. There were several auditoriums, one of which had 500 seats and would be perfect for their new church. He contacted the theater manager and was told it would be available for $10,000 per week, a far cry from the $200 per week they were paying at the bar.
Disappointed, my friend continued to pray for a man of peace who could help them secure this perfect location. A few weeks later he prayed his way into the event center again and started talking to a security guard. The security guard said that the old marketing manager was gone and that the pastor should talk to the general manager. It turns out this was the man of peace.
The general manager had heard about the launch of the church since they had been advertising in the neighborhood. He was looking for tenants to use the event center space during unused hours; when my friend described the needs of the church, the general manager was open to them. He offered the space for what my friend referred to as a “ridiculously low price,” and the deal was struck.
The church continues to meet in that space that offers a perfect venue for worship services, children’s space, and community gathering space on Sunday mornings. Their office space across the street has a meeting room that can accommodate up to 100 people for mid-week meetings.
Lessons Learned
In addition to Jesus’ teaching about the man of peace, my friend learned some things about seeking out space for a new church:
- You must be persistent in prayer. Planting a new church is a deep spiritual venture that requires a personal connection with the Holy Spirit in providing direction. Actively seeking God’s direction for the church supersedes the aspirations of church planters.
- You must continue to look for that perfect space. Scour the neighborhood, even if you’ve found a temporary place to meet. Their initial meeting space worked for my friend’s church, but it wasn’t ideal. One of the advantages of being a young church in rented facilities is that you can be mobile, ready to move to a more strategic location, often at a moment’s notice.
- There is no “cookie cutter” approach. Every church has different needs based on the demographics and archetype of the neighborhood they serve. Every neighborhood is going to have its own ambiance, whether it’s an urban setting, the suburbs, or rural settings throughout America.
- You must be ready to move at any time. Even though my friend’s church has had the blessing of the event center for several years, they understand that there could be a change in management or vision that could have the church looking for a new space at a moment’s notice. As he said, “We live at the mercy of the operators of the building.”
- There are upsides to being in a rented space. There are the financial savings of not being in a location 24/7. It also helps people understand that the church is not a building; the place where they meet is not sacred. While my friend’s church sought out a safe, comfortable place for people to meet on Sunday, the people have come to understand that the church is the people, not the place.
- On the other hand, being in a rented space offers little community presence. While the church does have office space across the street from the event center, they still have to put out signage on Sunday mornings to point people to their meeting location. Having an identified geographical community presence is a real advantage to a church.
- Use of the internet and social media is a must. This church has more of an internet presence than a geographical presence.
For this church, community groups have become their life blood. That is where real ministry happens. The gathering place on Sunday morning is an important facet of how the church comes together, but the real ministry takes place throughout the week as people are interacting with the community and one another.
Jesus had a knack for knowing how to get the word out, wouldn’t you agree? Seeking out the man of peace was not only a tool for those biblical missionaries to have a place to stay, but it was a spiritual lesson that when we rely on God, He will provide. My friend’s church is an example of that. Please pray with them that peace will be on the house of their man of peace.
* The name of the church and specific details remain vague in order to protect the identity of this wonderful man of peace.
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