In the era of megachurches, it may come as a surprise that most churches in the United States are small. In fact, A Field Guide to U.S. Congregations, a study by Presbyterian Church (USA) published last year, shows the average size of a congregation with adults who actively participate in worship activities is 80.
Building a place of worship -- with the high costs of land, materials and labor -- can be a daunting task for a church with limited resources.
That's where a number of denominational volunteer
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What's Important: Small congregations can get help in building a church from larger churches and denominations. |
On Thursday, April 3, the members of San Benito Pentecostal Church had no house of worship.
All that changed between 7 a.m. Friday and 7 a.m. Saturday, once the Rev. James Jackson and his teams of volunteers rolled into town, hammers in hand, to build their brothers and sisters in Christ a church.
In a building blitz reminiscent of an Amish barn raising, Jackson and about 200 volunteers raised a 2,800-square-foot church for the Rev. J.C. Milligan and his flock.
Milligan said he waited 13 years for a place of worship.
"Words cannot describe what it feels to have one's own church building," he said. "It was a modern-day miracle. To watch those guys work in harmony was a very humbling experience, not only for myself, but for the entire congregation."
There were 82 people at Easter service, including 16 first-time visitors, and Milligan believes more new members will come.
"I feel like it is going to be a catalyst for our growth," he said
Jackson, home mission director for the South Texas District of the United Pentecostal Church International, was directing an effort of the denomination's Church-In-A-Day program, which donates time and expertise to help small Pentecostal congregations by supplying labor to build churches.
To qualify for the program, a United Pentecostal church must own at least one acre of land and must have funds or secure financing for $35,000 to $40,000 in building materials.
Milligan's congregation purchased 1.9 acres three years ago for $56,000, he said.
As the name suggests, the outfit wastes little time, working in choreographed shifts to complete the project in a 24-hour window. (The project actually took about 34 hours, counting some preparatory work that took place prior to the Friday start.)
Early Bird Special
Though framers arrive on Thursday to set up the trusses and lay the framework, the actual construction begins the next day.
"Come Friday morning at 7 o'clock, after we pray, we go to it," Jackson said. "We have everything scheduled for the different times -- the painters, the plumbers (and) the people who
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"It really helps the pastor who can't afford to go out and purchase a building." The Rev. James Jackson, |
He said the pastor of the qualified church is responsible for having a concrete slab poured before the building crews arrive.
Jackson said volunteers from the North Texas district joined his crews. The two districts combine to do four church projects a year, two in the south, two up north. A group of about 200 skilled laborers build the projects as they are approved.
The financial benefit to small congregations, he said, is huge.
"It really helps out the pastor who can't afford to go out and purchase a building," he said.
"The stipulation is they have to have at least an acre of land that is paid for. The material cost is anywhere between $35,000 and $40,000. That's the only cost that is involved. All the labor is free." Jackson estimated the value of donated labor is at least $100,000.
Freedom from Debt
The United Pentecostal Church is not the only denomination that has programs to help its member congregations build when the time is right.
Randy Creamer is construction associate with adult volunteer mobilization at the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.
He heads a program called Baptist Builders, which builds churches for congregations within Baptist state conventions.
The mission board receives hundreds of requests for church construction assistance each year and matches adult volunteer groups and individuals with projects.
"We use volunteers all over America in building churches," said Creamer.
While such programs can trim the cost of construction considerably, the real value comes from the financial freedom churches can enjoy, Creamer said.
"It keeps them from getting into the financial bondage that requires them to service debt rather than service ministry," he said. "We're just trying to help the congregations, bottom line, get the kind of facilities they need now and for the future, looking with a vision to reach the community, but enable them to do it without that debt bondage they would have otherwise."
Like the United Pentecostal church's program, Baptist Builders requires churches to secure bank financing to pay for materials. Typically, using volunteer labor can trim the cost of building a 6,000- to 8,000-square-foot church by 40 percent or more, Creamer said.
"That depends on the project. It depends on how detailed it is and the construction style of the structure," he said.
"It's a lot of fun. It's fun to see volunteers get excited about it. We conservatively estimate that somewhere around 100,000 Southern Baptists are involved in construction projects annually," he said. "And that's a very conservative figure. We've got more volunteers involved in construction-related projects than anything else they're involved in."
Sharing Through Deed
Christy Brown, director of development for United Methodist Volunteers in Missions (VIM) in Atlanta, said her organization donated about 700,000 labor hours last year on construction projects that ranged from building hospitals to orphanages, churches and residential homes.
"We have over 2,000 projects in 62 different countries, all over the world," she said. "We have volunteers that go year round."
She said VIM frequently works outside the denominational boundaries of the United Methodist Church, provided the request meet standards set by the denomination.
"It doesn't have to be a Methodist project," Brown said. "It doesn't have to be a Methodist church, but we use the structure of the United Methodist denomination for accountability and credibility," she said.
Brown said when VIM receives a request to help build a church, it is careful to evaluate the church's need and the project's impact on a community.
"We don't want to just build something and then leave it. We also don't want to just (provide a) handout. We work with the community," she said.
The projects give people a chance to use their faith and skills together, she said.
Volunteers raise funds or spend their own money to get to projects and to pay living expenses while there.
"They also contribute a lot of money to the project," she said. "Paying for concrete, bricks or whatnot."
Brown said the personal and financial sacrifices volunteers make are a testimony to their faith.
"It's walking the walk," she said. "Christ calls us to share His love through word and through deed. It's scary for the average American to share through word. I think sharing it in deed makes it easier to physically show the love of Christ in your life. We do it because we are so grateful for Christ in our lives."
By helping the smaller congregations, denominational organizations are able to put collective strengths to good use. And, according to United Pentecostal's Jackson, everyone comes out a winner.
"It gives everyone, everyone that works on a church a sense of accomplishment," he said. "We really feel like we're giving them something they probably couldn't afford on their own. God is just taking the talent and skill available to be a blessing to one another. Oh, it makes them feel real good."
