Rudyard Kipling is credited with the following lines:
"I had six honest serving men—
They taught me all I knew:
Their names were
Where and What and When—
And Why and How and Who."
Perhaps these six men should be called into conference before construction of any edifice is undertaken, but especially before a church building is constructed.
Consulting first of all the "What," we might properly ask, What purpose will a new church serve that the existing one cannot adequately serve?
A deeper question might be to determine the raison d'être, or the justification for the existence of the church in the place.
What program does the church have, either now or envisioned when the new structure is up, that will justify its existence in the community? Has your church a mission that only it can fulfill, or is it just another church in a middle-class suburb, catering to the group whom Christ said He came not to call_________ "the righteous"?
"Why" will a new physical structure transmit the message of your church more adequately than the present one can to the community it is built to serve? Will the structure invite people, inspire confidence that here is a congregation that knows its message? Or will it simply excite curiosity because of its bizarre angles and its rakish roof structure?
To answer the "When" question, careful study should be given by pastor and people to the uses to which the church is to be put. Will it be opened only on Sabbaths or will it be used throughout the week? Seventh-day Adventist churches are notably hard to get into, and here I speak of gaining entrance into the physical structure. I am acquainted with one church that is kept locked "religiously" all during the week. No admittance at any time through the main doors. One of the side doors has a knocker, and, believe it or not, a one-way mirror so that those inside can scan the one seeking admission before unlocking for him.
Were the church and its auxiliary facilities employed to the full it would be a busy place every day of the week. The pastor would have his study or church office in an accessible part of the church and would be available when needed.
So the "When" question must be answered before building plans move far along.
"Where?" Should meetings be held in the church for different groups or should it be for Sabbath services for adults and for prayer meetings—also for adults—usually too dull and prosaic for any but the elderly? I have a definite conviction that there should be numerous services so structured that whole families can attend as units and everyone be edified. It is inconceivable that children and youth meet always somewhere else rather than in the sanctuary itself, and then suddenly becoming adults, be expected to feel at home in the church.
How will space be used? For single services or multiple uses? Will the space be solely for religious uses or will there be facilities for worth-while meetings, fellowship gatherings, community projects, et cetera?
"Who" will be welcome in your church? A friend of mine in preaching a centennial sermon for a little church in Maine, not a Seventh-day Adventist church (incidentally, we have only a few that qualify), said: "Remember, the church should be a refuge for sinners, not a club for saints." Let us never forget that the prodigal son had no time to bathe, shave, get into clean clothes in anticipation of his return to the father's house. The father supplied all the necessary facilities. All the prodigal did was turn toward the father's house.
Having found answers to the "where" and "what" and "when" and "why" and "how" and "who," you'll be ready to begin preliminary planning for the new church building.
