Designing Church

I’ll admit – I’m a sucker for good design. I love great “album” art, love staying at a W hotel, love a slick website. Design is great. But design is never the point. Want proof? Look at the homepages of Google and Craigslist. Google and Craigslist sit as the crowned King and Prince of the Internet. And yet…they lack any sense of aesthetic. There is absolutely nothing beautiful or inspiring about how they look. Their beauty is in their platform. Their wisdom is in their simplicity, functionality, and usability.

They win because they work.

This is a profound truth that I need to be reminded of often. As we are in the process of building Soul City Church, the temptation is strong to focus on the aesthetic. To look cool. To sound cool. To be cool. To have a hip, eye-catching web site, to have creative names for ordinary things, to (for lack of a better word) – impress. These things may be important and they may attract people. But they will never, in and of themselves, keep people or transform people.

This is not to say that design doesn’t matter. Creation is a living breathing example of perfectly balanced form and function. God created trees and flowers that are unnecessarily beautiful. He created clouds that are regularly painting themselves anew across their great blue canvas sky. There are ocean waves that echo the ancient metronome of creation. These are all part of the absolutely beautiful design that is Creation. But what makes them divinely inspired is their function. They give fruit, shade, rain, wood, water, nourishment. They work…beautifully.

In laying the foundations of Soul City Church we don’t ever want our form to become more important than our function. We don’t ever want this church to look better than it works. Design is great and has it’s place, but I have yet to meet someone who’s life was radically transformed by Photoshop. Design is great and has its place, but that place is after, not before. That place is on the top, not at the bottom.

Design is great and does matter, but it must never matter more than people.

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Some Similar Thoughts...

Jim

I try to keep in mind that the Church is God's Church…it's not yours, mine, and ours.

Aug 05, 2009 @ 4:15 am

Adam S.

SCC,

My name is Adam S. from http://www.EvenEyesSpeak.com I left a comment on one of your videos on youtube a few weeks ago. I was led to write about your church on today's blog. After posting it, I came here and seen that your post today was almost identical in nature. I hope it's ok that I've done that.

I think what you guys are doing and the way you're doing it, is more than awesome. My wife and I are ministers of the gospel. I'm an officer in the US Army and currently finishing my third combat tour. In that, I've been all over the world and sat under thousands of different ministry's. What you guys have done by incorporating a heart for people and a love for Jesus, along with 21st century resources is nothing less than admirable. I believe this ministry will take Chicago to another level and God will get all the Glory!

Have a great day and keep up the good work!

God Bless you all,
Adam

Aug 05, 2009 @ 6:55 am

Andrew

Thanks for the good perspective. Substance is far more important than appearances. Nice appearances are a good thing, provided they are secondary in emphasis to substance. Thanks for being real.

Aug 05, 2009 @ 6:27 pm

JessePhillips

Yes! Great point! agreed. keep it up!

Aug 07, 2009 @ 5:16 pm

Jarrett Stevens

Agreed. Why is that so easy to forget.

Aug 07, 2009 @ 6:18 pm

Adam,
Your words mean the world to us. Thank you for your support.
And thank you for how you've put others first, even in front of your own life, to serve our country.
blessings.
Jarrett and Jeanne

Aug 07, 2009 @ 6:19 pm

Couldn't have said it better ourselves.
Thanks Andrew.

Aug 07, 2009 @ 6:21 pm

Thanks Jesse. Thanks for the shout out on Twitter too.

RogerGriffith

Well said! Your remarks remind me of 3 John 2 where the apostle John wished that Gaius' would have physical health similar to how his soul prospered. The physical appearance of the church should not be the primary focus and should not exceed the church's spiritual condition, but we should desire for the church's physical condition to come up to the level of the spiritual condition.

Aug 08, 2009 @ 1:52 am