Where to Office: Church or Home?
By Jonathan Dodson | September 3rd, 2008 | Category: Missional Church | 14 commentsThe question of where to office is front and center for church planters. In the early stages, there is no office. The coffeeshop or library is converted into a temporary office. As the church grows, office space becomes a financial possibility. We then rent a space or buy a building. But the question of where to office does not go away. Is it better to study at home, away from office distractions or to study at the office away from home distractions? Where should we office? Home or Church?
In striving to cultivate community, I have shifted the way I think about office and counseling time. I used to think that it was best to “get out of the house” to get admin work done. I scheduled most appointments around coffee and lunch, which meant that I was meeting “outside the house.” The home office was partially perceived as an “obstacle” to ministry, due to the distractions of kids and home life. I’ve even been considering renting some shared office space by diving into the coworking concept at places like Launchpad or Conjunctured (HT: JV). I’ve also reasoned that these are missional locations for meetings, but my thinking has changed, some.
What would it look like to apply the biblical concepts of “being the church” vs. “doing church” to our decision making on office space? What if we officed out of our homes more than “the office”? What if in choosing to office out of the home, we practiced a larger ecclesiology that is community-centered, not building-centered?
Over the past three weeks I have intentionally scheduled meetings at our home. Why? As a pastor, many of my meetings are people-focused, not task-focused. Many of them are interested in discipleship. At various levels, they want to share life and truth with me, and I certainly want to share it with them. If that’s the case, then why isolate them from my life, my family, and my home, only to be invited in when it is convenient, when we can roll out a meal and impress them with a clean house? Why relegate counseling to the sterile confines of a church office, when the grittiness of life can be shared within the warm, earthiness of a home? Here are some benefits I have experienced so far:
- Double the Wisdom. My wife can weigh in, doubling and diversifying the shared wisdom.
- Increased Community. After counseling we can easily invite people to stay for lunch or dinner.
- Increased Laughter. At home we feel the freedom to laugh more. No public spaces to intrude upon.
- Increased Discipleship. People get to see our family up close, with all our imperfections and graces on display.
- Resources at Hand. Books are at fingertips for recommended reading.
- Relaxed Atmosphere. People seem more at ease dropping by the house than out in public.
Should pastors really “go to the office”? Have we unnecessarily drawn the boundary lines between “church” and “home”? Would Paul “go to the office” if he were pastoring in America? Perhaps the whole question of “home” or “office” betrays a deficient view of the church, a failure to believe and practice home—family—as a subset of the church. Could it be that the church office actually offsets true church?
Great post. While we do have a church building I almost never use the office. I have some meetings in “third places,” but most are in our home for many of the reasons you give.
[...] Where to office? Check it. [...]
I shift and change on this issue again and again. I have a study in the church building, I use that quite a bit sometimes. I use caffes to meet people, I don’t like inviting them into a building to meet me when I’m the only one there. I work at home when it suits me and I work in cafes.
My main problem is that I get bored easily, especially when I work in the same place. I get more work done when I vary the places I work at.
Hey brother, I love, love, love what you are thinking through here. It definitely helps us in repenting of the professional pastor. A critical issue I have is the desire to sit with, weep with and pray with people that I am meeting. On Monday I met a pastor friend at a coffee shop and wanted to just stop, lay hands on him and pray for him and his family. We left each awkwardly, both feeling a need for prayer. I realize that many will pray openly and loudly in a coffee shop, but it seems like to much of a performance opportunity for my soul.
I would LOVE to have the space for a home office, but in south central Austin, that likely isn’t happening. I think I would like to study at home, meet others at home or a coffee shop depending on the relationship, and have a coworking option that allowed me to work on planning and community efforts. Some of the coworking options are by the hour and you can use for 10 hours a week or less, or more. One thing that this would help me do possibly is to contextualize my activities. I get to select the appropriate environment that advances my goals keeps me focused when in that context.
Anyway, I need to think more on this. Thanks brother.
[...] Planting Novice gives us some great thoughts on combining home and office for church planters (and anyone else involved in ministry of any sort [...]
Good point. Home officing can be easier for prayer, though sidewalks work well too! A combination office is probably good, with home as a very real base.
[...] was a great post over at Church Planting Novice that was really interesting. He mentions a similar struggle to what [...]
Thank you for the post.
Question: How old are your kids? Do you head to the basement? Hang in the living room?
Thanks.
My kids are 3 and 1.5 years old. My office is just off our living room, so it is accessible to kids or anyone else. Sometimes the kids pull on the door handle or come into visit me, which I welcome about half the time. The other half of the time my wife comes to get them. Fortunately, they are pretty good about knocking on the door and honoring my need for some space. However, if I am doing sermon prep, I go to a library or a quiet coffee shop. Home isn’t quiet enough for that!
[...] Where to Office: Church or Home? Why Evangelism Methods Must Change Church Planting Manuals Reviewed Tools For Missional Church And today’s post: Church Planting Landmines [...]
do you have a regular church service over the internet weekly. if so please let me know
We don’t have web TV, if taht is what you are asking. We do have podcasts/audio of our sermons, however: http://www.austincitylife.org/podcasts.htm
My office is actually in my living room…which I like for all the reasons you listed Jonathan…but I wish I had a door. I have a 2 year old son who can get loud and all over me really quick. I am looking at getting some noise reducing headphones to see if I can quiet it down a little…
[...] Not a usual question for a pastor, but one that I had the opportunity to have. I referenced a great post by Church Planting Novice, which I still [...]