Do you think the church can pay for things that pertain to the church building for things such as repairs or the lawn maintenance and work around the grounds to keep it looking presentable and then accommodations such as nursery items (baby bed, rocking chairs, books, maybe even toys,\u00a0etc…), things that are simply conveniences to members or visitors to the church, or even accommodations such as restrooms or water fountains. These are actually things that we could definitely do without, but these things do\u00a0make the building more presentable and comfortable at times.\u00a0In order to keep these things running, it takes money from somewhere.<\/p>\n\t
What you are seeking to do is find a possible exception to the rule. If one is found, then you will claim that anything else you can imagine also falls into that same exception and thus you excuse yourself from seeking a “thus says the Lord” for what you wish to do.<\/p>\n
When either an individual or group owns a building, along with the ownership it accepts responsibilities. The government requires that buildings, where people gather, have certain minimum requirements, such as escape exits (in case of a fire), restrooms, and water. The government even states how many stalls in restrooms must be available for the expected number of people that will be in the building. It also sets the limit on the number of people who can be in the building at one time. You might look at restrooms and water fountains as conveniences, but they are still mandated by your government.<\/p>\n
The government also tells property owners that they must keep their property up to certain standards. Not long ago, a gas station in my community was closed down because the owner kept his property looking like a dump. In towns, people have to mow their grass and keep their buildings looking presentable. It is a part of being good neighbors and most local governments enforce rules to that effect.<\/p>\n
Maintenance of a building is also required if people expect to continue using the building. The reason people pay rent on a building, in part, is so the owner will keep the building in working order. When a person or group owns a building, a part of the cost of ownership is the continued maintenance of the facility. Some congregations choose to rent their location. Some find it more cost-effective to own the building and pay for the upkeep.<\/p>\n
Many congregations have a “cry room” where mothers can bring their small children when they are fussy. The room allows the mother the ability to hear what is going on while the rest of the congregation doesn’t hear the fussing of the children so loudly. That aids in keeping worship in an orderly fashion. In regards to what is in the cry room, in every congregation I’ve been a part of, it is filled with donated items. There is no need for a congregation to expend funds in this area.<\/p>\n\t
Thanks for your response and your time! Your web site is always very helpful in Bible study!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: Do you think the church can pay for things that pertain to the church building for things such as repairs or the lawn maintenance and work around the grounds to keep it looking presentable and then accommodations such as nursery items (baby bed, rocking chairs, books, maybe even toys,\u00a0etc…), things that are simply conveniences…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[78,154,192],"class_list":["post-19084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-authority","tag-church-funds","tag-liberalism"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":19698,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/you-shouldnt-write-against-having-kitchens-and-fellowship-halls-since-these-arent-important-to-salvation\/","url_meta":{"origin":19084,"position":0},"title":"You shouldn’t write against having kitchens and fellowship halls since these aren’t important to salvation","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 31, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I stumbled across your web site and found some very valuable information that may help me in the future. I disagree, however, with one of your beliefs. Having a kitchen or a potluck at the church building is not wrong. The church building is just that -- a building.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":25391,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/since-the-church-isnt-the-building-you-cant-make-rules-about-how-the-building-is-used\/","url_meta":{"origin":19084,"position":1},"title":"Since the church isn’t the building, you can’t make rules about how the building is used","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 1, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: You are right in that you say the church is not to be an entertainment organization. But the picture you put on that site is not the church! You started out by saying that the church (Did you mean that building in the picture? That isn't the church!) had\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":58938,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/question-and-answer-about-church-socials\/","url_meta":{"origin":19084,"position":2},"title":"Question and Answer About Church Socials","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 11, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"by Leslie Diestelkamp Two questions have been asked: (1) Why doesn't the church have more socials? and (2) Why can't we have parties in the basement of the church building? The New Testament authorizes every act and activity of the church. It provides us with all that pertains to life\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":24204,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-you-sell-everything-you-have-why-do-you-have-an-air-conditioned-building\/","url_meta":{"origin":19084,"position":3},"title":"Do you sell everything you have? Why do you have an air-conditioned building?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 8, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: \"Quite simply, we are a church that follows after the pattern of the New Testament.\" ---from\u00a0the church website. \"All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":78477,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-right-to-be-paid-to-clean-a-church-building\/","url_meta":{"origin":19084,"position":4},"title":"Is it right to be paid to clean a church building?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 15, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello! I have a question regarding the church treasury and its use. I've been going to an institutional church of Christ with my family, as I don't have a driver's license to attend the non-institutional church the next town over. I clean for the church. Is it proper for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":68242,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/are-fellowship-halls-optional\/","url_meta":{"origin":19084,"position":5},"title":"Are fellowship halls optional?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 3, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Good morning, brother Jeffrey: I have had several discussions with an elder of a church of Christ. First, the issue of fellowship halls. I sent him the article entitled \"Kitchens and Fellowship Halls, What Was the Issue?\" His response was because the early church met in homes for worship\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19084","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19084"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19084\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}