Do Church Buildings Matter?
Rev Charlie (December 2025)
The Church, and the Catholic Church in particular, often faces fierce criticism for its opulent buildings. Are such places of worship truly necessary, or should the Church focus its resources elsewhere?
With so much poverty in the world, it is easy to accuse the Church of wasting money on expensive buildings rather than caring for the poor. At first glance, this seems reasonable, yet the reality is more complex.
Extravagance in worship (including places of worship), is not frowned upon in the Bible. In the Old Testament, God gave precise instructions for the building of the tabernacle and later for the temple in Jerusalem, which was very lavish indeed. In the Gospel of Matthew, when a woman poured a jar of expensive perfume over Jesus’ head, the disciples were indignant. “The perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor,” they exclaimed. Whereupon Jesus said, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.” (Matt. 26: 6-13) It would seem that extravagance is not necessarily a bad thing when the purpose is to honour and glorify Jesus.
Of course, it would be a travesty if the Church neglected the needy in favour of buildings, but that is rarely the case. For example, the Catholic Church is the number one charitable organisation in the world, and in Australia it remains the largest non-governmental provider of education and medical care.
I suspect that most Christians today would agree that there is no imperative to build in the opulent styles of the past, however, there is still something to be said for beauty and craftmanship. Every church must prayerfully discern how to balance its resources, just as individual Christians weigh how much to spend on their homes and how much to give away. Finding that balance is, in a sense, subjective though it should always be prayerful and Spirit-led.
A common misconception is to conflate the Church with its buildings. The Church is the sum of all Christians who have ever lived and will ever live, as well as those who were saved by Jesus, even before he came into the world. The Church’s existence is not dependent on its buildings; indeed, it thrived for at least two hundred years without them. However, church buildings facilitate worship and ministry, providing many benefits not only to congregations but also to the wider community.
St. Andrew’s Springfield, where I serve, currently meets at The Springfield Anglican College. After much prayer and consideration, the Parish Council has begun exploring the possibility of building our own church. Such an endeavour could be viewed as extravagant, since we already have a meeting place, but there are compelling reasons:
· We are rapidly outgrowing our current space.
· School facilities are only available outside school hours, limiting ministry.
· A dedicated building fosters belonging, ownership, and deeper commitment.
· A permanent presence signals long-term ministry to the community and strengthens our legacy.
Church buildings are not ends in themselves. What matters is gathering God’s people for worship and serving the community. Do church buildings matter? Yes, because they enable ministry and help expand God’s kingdom. Must they be beautiful? Not necessarily, but something done well for the glory of God is never a waste of resources.
