“A Building Not Made With Hands”

Thursday, November 30, 2017

Can a church or congregation be decorated with statues of goblins and gargoyles?

Sincerely,
Architectural Interest

Dear Architectural Interest,

Your question brings up a common misconception in today’s society.  When we look at how the Bible uses the word ‘church’, it never refers to a building – it always refers to a group of believers.  In fact, the word ‘church’ comes from a Greek word which literally translated means ‘the called out’.  The church is the group of people that have heeded Jesus’ call to repent and be baptized (Matt 28:19-20).

It is the misidentification of the church as a building that has led to increasingly ornate and filigreed places of worship.  Goblins, gargoyles, stained glasses, crystal, mahogany woodwork, and a thousand other extravagances have been placed within buildings because people have been taught that the structure is what is important… it isn’t.  The people are what matter – christians are the house of God (1 Tim 3:15).  The church, assembled christians, can meet anywhere they want.  They can meet in a park, a warehouse, a home, a rented building, or a purchased church building.  It doesn’t matter what the location is; wherever two or more christians are gathered together, God is there (Matt 18:20).

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