What Would Jesus Build?

This week I have been in class in Montgomery, Alabama. The title of this class is "Mobilizing the Laity." We heard two rousing presentations this morning from Jim Garlow, pastor of Skyline Wesleyan Church in San Diego, formerly pastored by leadership guru John Maxwell.

In his presentation, Garlow referred to the many obstacles the church has faced in building on the land they own. Most of the problems were caused when environmentalists sued because there was a certain rare type of bird that made its home on the property. The long and short of it is that the church has paid about $37 million dollars worth of legal fees and such trying to build.

While I admire their perseverance, I wonder--would Jesus spend $37 million dollars just for the privilege of having a church building in San Diego? While the church there has interpreted these obstacles as a call to persevere, one might consider if perhaps God was not calling the church to go in a different direction. It can be a difficult proposition indeed to determine when to persevere and when God might have something else in mind.

Pricey California real estate aside, $37 million is a lot of money for a church to spend for the mere opportunity to have their own place.