Why church buildings?

Indian Evangelical Team is committed to reach the unreached. God has called IET to fulfill this by planting and establishing churches among the unreached. Every year, IET plants pioneer churches in far flung villages and unreached tribes. All of us rejoice and praise God when a new church is birthed in an unreached area.

Meanwhile, the growth of believers also makes it necessary for them to move the gathering of the believers beyond the small, cramped huts of individual believers. Villages rarely have a large and public facility available for rent.

Meeting in the open or under the shade of the tree is not possible for more than half of the year, particularly during the prolonged monsoon (rainy) season, extreme winter months, and the cruel scorching summer. Moreover, any such gathering creates an impression of Christianity belonging to those ‘outcastes’ instead of remaining as a viable option for ordinary citizens, as part of regular community life. This creates a negative impact on the image and, obviously, for the growth of Christianity in that village and those surrounding it.

We have also found that a church building creates a feeling of stability for the new believers. Such a four walled ordinary building also becomes critical to hold Christian events, granting a sense of respectability to Christians. A common place of worship also allows people from different caste to come and hear the Gospel, some who will not go into the house of some other caste.

Fully Built Permanent Church Building

However, there are some strategic centers that require a more permanent four walled brick chapel or church building. A strategic center is one that influences several other villages. Such a simple, permanent church building provides stability, respectability, and opportunity for growth in the entire region under the influence of this center. It also provides opportunity for the growing churches in surrounding villages to hold special events, like weddings and Christmas celebrations. Almost always, such buildings also enable IET to conduct continuing pastors and leadership training for that region. Such a building ends up being a combination of a worship place for the local church and a training center for pastors in that entire region. In addition it provides critical influence for the stability and growth of Christianity in the entire sphere of influence. The effect of such an investment lasts for several generations and becomes a critical tool to plant churches and train pastors every year. It takes about Rs.4 lakhs to build one simple four walled brick church building that will accommodate about 150 people (approx. size 40 feet x 20 feet).