KirbyAndersen.com

It’s been an exciting season for our church since the first of the year. One of the more obvious things to celebrate is the new facade we’ve put on the front of our building. It’s been a long time coming. Several years ago our small church made a huge step in acquiring and renovating an old grocery store for our outreach to the teenagers of our church and community. It exceeded all our expectations (check out some of the photos). We loved it so much we moved all church services into it and sold our old church building.

But the outside still looked like an old grocery store. We put our limited funds into the inside where ministry took place. Slowly the congregation grew. Lately it’s been growing more than we’ve ever experienced. Only now does the exterior match the look and quality of the interior.

I’ve invested in real estate and understand well the value of curb appeal. It’s important for a church also. But when resources are limited, you’re better off to build from the inside. You can have an attractive exterior and draw a lot of people quickly, yet if you don’t offer quality content inside, they won’t come back. It’s amazing how many people will overlook the superficial if the content and care is extraordinary.

Granted, I want both - and I’m excited that the exterior is finally reflecting who we really are. But I’m glad we built with quality from the inside out. If we’re enjoying such growth with an ugly exterior…well, let’s just say I’m looking forward to the near future.