Paradigm Shift for a White Elephant Building Project

Paul Wong

A “White Elephant Building Project” is one in which an enormous sum of money is spent on a building or facility that is unnecessary because it cannot be fully used. We have to be accountable for every dollar we spend on every square foot of space, and not waste God's money (Lk. 16:1-2). God's church cannot build a White Elephant Building Project.

Go to: Professional Integrity and the White Elephant Building Project

How does a Church get a White Elephant Building Project?

No church wants a White Elephant Building Project but certain circumstances may force it to have one. As mentioned in my previous article (see above paragraph) “City B” has building codes that make it extremely difficult for a church to have an addition or extension. “City B” imposes rules and regulations that increase the number of car parking spaces that far exceed the number actually needed.

Another difficulty is that “City B” requires fire-sprinklers for both the new and the existing buildings or a retention pond, which are not only expensive and complicated, but will also force the church to move temporarily to another location during the period of renovation.

Large parking lots are not only costly but also accompanied with drainage issues that may lead to having retention ponds that have to be fenced for the safety of children. Besides, retention ponds are not friendly to the neighbors. The car parking lot and retention pond would take away much valuable spaces from the children's playground and landscaped gardens. “City B” may require an underground drainage system under the huge parking lots to be connected to the city storm drains which is very expensive. Can a church justify spending extra thousands upon thousands of dollars of God's money for this White Elephant Building Project?

How a Messianic Jewish Synagogue in Stafford, Texas solved a Similar Problem.

In 2002 I was hired by Congregation Beth Messiah as an architectural consultant to do a Feasibility Study for their Synagogue in Stafford, Texas.

Please see: http://www.geocities.ws/arkpw/cbmsynaguguestafford.html

I told the Congregation Beth Messiah (CBM) Building Committee that I would research on the Jewish synagogue buildings of the First Century during the time of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the biblical pattern of the Apostolic Christian Church's form of worship, and also incorporate the way that CBM worships. My research revealed some interesting facts.
1	The Lord Jesus Christ regularly kept the Seventh Day Sabbath in the synagogues (Lk. 4:15-16). The synagogues in Jesus' time had a simple floor plan. There was one large hall where all the activities that included reading the Torah, worship, prayer, fellowship and dining, resting and sleeping, etc. There were no separate rooms for different indoor activities. On one side of the large hall is a Courtyard for outdoor open-air activities. The archaeological remains of this synagogue in Capanaum of Jesus' time still stands today. I have visited this archaeological site twice. It can help us to plan the synagogue of today.
2	The Early Apostolic Christian Church have four main activities and all of them took place in the same large hall. “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (Acts 2:42).

 

Archaeological Remains of an Actual First Century Synagogue Building

The Building Committee of Congregation Beth Messiah was very impressed by the simplicity of the archaeological site of the synagogue in Capanaum. They liked the design concept of having one large hall for multi-purpose activities. Using the synagogue concept they were able to save hundreds of thousands of dollars on their building.  Since today's Messianic Judaism is the revival of the First Century Apostolic Christian Church they would like to have it in their synagogue in Stafford, Texas. I have also shown them that Jews in exiled would always face Jerusalem when they prayed (Dan. 6:10). The Messianic Jewish synagogue in Stafford will have the worshipers facing Jerusalem when they pray.

 

 Paradigm Shift

A paradigm is a typical example that serves as a pattern which forms the basis of a methodology or theory. A paradigm shift is a radical change in the basic assumptions about a certain concept.

In a church building it is generally thought that the Dining Hall has to be separated from the Worship Hall. This paradigm has no biblical basis whatsoever. It is only a tradition passed down by the Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches. Any religious organization or church that has the same problem as the one described above in “City B” can come out of it by having a paradigm shift. Just accept the synagogue concept of a multi-purpose hall, and there will be no need of an addition or extension for the church. There will be no additional monstrous car parking lots, no fenced retention ponds, no fire-sprinklers in the existing ceilings, no need to move to another location for worship services during the time of renovation. There is also no need to reduce the number of seats in the chapel in order to reduce the number of car parking spaces.

How to Add at least thirty (30) seats for Dining by doing a Flexible Furniture Arrangement

Assuming the chapel arrangement has a center aisle with nine rows of fixed seats (pews) on both sides. Each pew is about 15 feet 7 inches long and can sit 9 persons. The occupancy of the chapel will be 160 that includes 2 wheelchair spaces for the physically handicapped persons. All the pews will stay as they are except Row # 8 (counting from pulpit). Each of the two pews from Row # 8 will be converted into three 5 feet 2 inches long movable benches. These movable benches that can sit three persons, will be placed in their original locations on row number 8 during the worship services.

During the Fellowship Lunch period, six folding tables (6 feet x 2 feet 6 inches) will be placed next to the existing long seat on the ninth row which is at the back of the chapel. Two persons can carry the 5 feet long movable benches and place them next to the folding tables. If we have six tables with six seats each we can have 36 persons dining in the Multi-purpose Hall. If we want to have more freedom of movement we can just have five tables, and that will also give us at least 30 seats in the Dining area. The six tables and benches can remain for the afternoon activities or they can move back to their original locations on row # 8.  They are flexible.   The best thing about this plan for the flexible furniture arrangement is that we can save hundreds of thousands of dollars because we do not need to have a White Elephant Building Project.

In the End Time spend wisely the Money that has been saved.

The Lord Jesus Christ had given two important tasks to His people in the End Time. The first task is to preach “the Gospel of the Kingdom in all the world” (Mt. 24:14). The second task is to pastor God's children to go through the Great Tribulation (Mt. 24:21-22). The Lord had warned us that in the End Time there will be wars, famines, pestilences and earthquakes in various places (Mt. 24:6-7). There will also be tsunamis - “the sea and the waves roaring” (Lk. 21:25-26). He also prophesied that Christians will be greatly persecuted (Mt. 24:9). Satan targets the Remnant Christians “who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (Rev. 12:17). But our Lord promised true believers that through watchfulness and consistent prayer they “may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass.” (Lk. 21:35-36) The Early Apostolic Christians were instructed to “flee to the mountains” during the Great Tribulation (Mt. 24:15-22) In the End Time true believers will be taken to God's Chosen Place of Refuge (Rev. 12:12-14). One of the ways to spend the money wisely is to acquire and prepare ahead of time this Place of Refuge for the period of the Great Tribulation, until the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. HalleluYah, Praise our Lord Jesus Christ.

This Article is a presentation of Paul Wong
to the ARK Forum on January 25, 2013.

For comments please write to:
[email protected]

Paul Wong is a Christian minister and the President of ARK International.
His ministry also serves as an architectural service company in Houston.
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