By Teri Ong
I admit it; I am a fan of several of the series on HGTV. On rare occasions when I have access to cable TV, I sometimes binge on Fixer Uppers and Love It or List It. What always amazes me is that the list of “must haves” from family to family is pretty much the same. Everyone has to have “open concept,” or “clear line of sight,” some kind of stone counter tops, “on trend” paint colors, hardwood flooring, and whatever type of “bling” is being advertised this month in lighting, accessories, hardware, etc. Everyone needs more storage, more bathrooms, and some type of play room (whether it’s one for the kids or one for the parents, is up for grabs).
Houses that people would have thought beautiful and desirable just 10 years ago, now are too “dated” to be considered for habitation without the benefit of renovations that cost as much as the value of the house. How needy and how fickle we are!
I have lived in the same house for 35 years. That is almost unheard of nowadays, but it has suited my personality and my style to do so. Thank you, Lord! My husband told me early in our marriage never to ask him to remodel (i.e. tear down walls and reconfigure the foot print). We have made many cosmetic “decor” changes over the years, but I think my family would say they were all in keeping with the original farmhouse style of our circa 1906 home. Our family of 9 not only survived, but actually thrived in 1180 square feet of space with one bathroom and not much open concept.
The kitchen is less than 100 square feet with about 12 square feet of counter space, which for 25 years or so was covered in Formica. It never held me back in preparing and serving meals for twenty people, who were all crammed shoulder to shoulder in the tiny dining room. There is not now, and never will be a grand island with a waterfall edge. We have never had a brand new refrigerator or stove. We did “pop” for a new microwave a couple years ago when Steve needed more wattage for his Reddenbachers. When I consider how much we thought we “needed” over the years, the answer was always “not much,” though even a single car garage would have been very handy.
Steve and I often wish that the Christian church could drive the culture, but we realize that usually the culture drives the church. And right now what is “on trend” in evangelicalism is “revitalization.” In HGTV terms, churches supposedly need to be “reno-ed” or they’re going to be “demo-ed.” Consultants come in and assess what is “tired” or “dated” in your church practices and in your church building. They tell you what needs to go and what you need to upgrade in order to appeal to the average church customer (oops! I mean “member”).
They tell you what kind of website and media presence you “must have.” They tell you how wide your chairs must be and how they should be optimally spaced. One church we were in had lounge-style theater seats complete with cup holders. Can your church top that?! Oh, too bad! Don’t forget to have a few tall tables with stools at the back or in the coffee bar. God will never do anything with your ministry if you still have wooden pews!
Consultants tell you everything– how to stage your platform, what kind of band to have for your neighborhood, how to set up on-line giving for “convenience” (just like pre-calculated tips in restaurants for your convenience), right down to the best shade for the travertine tile (or is it hand-painted ceramic this month?) in the bathrooms. Now, all those upgrades should really “Bring Them In”! If you don’t do exactly what they say, your ministry may be unsuccessfully on the market for a very long time.
I have also learned from HGTV, however, that what is “on trend” this month will be “dated” by next month. Homeowners might be very disappointed if they put 10’s of thousands into renovations, then live in the house and enjoy them for a while. If they are stupid enough to do that, they might not recoup their investment of time and money because their once fashionable reno-s are old-fashioned and “tired” by the time they want to sell. Our culture seems addicted to chasing perpetual “new-ness.”
Change for change’s sake isn’t always a good thing. Renovating a home can’t restore family relations that have been torn apart by some trouble or even which have been eroded by everyone going their own way. Fixing a “house” is a material, physical task. Fixing a “home” is a non-material, spiritual task. Some families have even found that focusing on a material fix has done more harm than good to the family relationships in the long run.
I think it is the same for churches. Revitalization campaigns put too much emphasis on monetary and material things. But the church is supposed to be a spiritual home, a spiritual family that can’t really be fixed in material ways. Material “upgrades” may even detract from spiritual business that needs to be done with God to restore spiritual relationships and progress.
If someone ever tells you that you need to “change things up,” ask them why. The quest for something new isn’t necessarily spiritual. Ask Paul about the Athenians. (Acts 17:21) God’s mercies, like manna, are new every morning. (Lam. 3:22-23) But the manna was the same manna every day, and God’s mercies, though fresh each day, are as unchanging as He is. Maybe the always moving, always changing world needs to see a picture of our Rock of Ages, framed by our contentment and spiritual stability.
Maybe we should be thinking about renovating and revitalizing the church with “fresh daily” repentance, “ clear line of sight” genuine love and concern for each other, “open concept” witnessing, all enhanced by letting in more supernatural “Light.” Then we wouldn’t have so much time to worry about the tile in the church bathroom or the width of our chairs, and people coming into the cozy circle of our fellowship with Jesus wouldn’t be bothered about those things either
