When thinking of a church, most people conjure images of a building with chairs or pews, carpet on the floor, maybe some stained glass.

The loudspeakers hang in a cluster near the front and there’s a sound booth in the back. Down the hallway are the nursery and the church office.

While that describes the majority of churches, a growing number of churches are forming that don’t fit that description at all.

Churches that do not own a building are becoming more common.

They just rent a building for Sunday mornings and maybe for Wednesday nights.

The church office may be rented professional space or, if the church is small, it may be in the pastor’s home.

A Church with Vision
Bruce Sanders has been the pastor of Capital Vision Christian Church in Olympia, Washington since he started the church seven years ago.

On Sundays at 9 am, he arrives at Olympia High School’s Performing Arts Auditorium an hour and a half before the service is scheduled to begin.

Jason Inman and his crew of three volunteers arrive around 8:30 to load in sound equipment, band instruments and Sunday School supplies. They set out several sandwich-board signs on the streets nearby, announcing the service.

Portable churches, sometimes called “churches in a box,” are becoming more common.

Once strictly the domain of churches just getting started (called “church plants”), more established churches are choosing not to be burdened with the upkeep and expense of a large public facility.

On Sunday mornings in Olympia, more than a dozen churches gather in various rented spaces. Many of these churches meet in schools, gymnasiums, cafeterias, classrooms, performance halls, community centers or hotel banquet rooms.

Churches that meet on Sundays often rent space from churches that meet on Saturdays. Where climate permits, churches even hold their services outdoors in parks or natural amphitheaters.

Page 1 of 3
1 2 3 >  Next