Is it appropriate to use secular venues for church services or seminars?

Is it appropriate to use secular venues for church services or seminars?

To answer this, it’s important to first understand what the Church is.

The Church is not a building or a specific location; it is the people those called by God, saved by grace, and gathered together with one purpose: to worship and serve Him.

These believers can meet in formal settings, but they can also gather in informal places for worship activities, provided they meet the necessary spiritual criteria.

The early Church gathered in the Temple (a formal place designated for worship), but they also met in homes, along riverbanks, and in classrooms.

Acts 2:46 (NKJV):

“So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart.”

Acts 5:42 (NKJV):

“And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”

As we know, homes were places where many activities occurred. After worship, there might be celebrations or social gatherings, but that did not prevent them from fulfilling God’s intended purposes.

Therefore, it can be acceptable that, if there is no official place yet, worship can take place in school buildings, halls, open fields, or even under trees—as long as unity exists and the intention is Christ. However, there are large churches that have succeeded but still do not have official gathering places… yet the church has been established.

Things to consider include your discretion, the decorum, and the peaceful spiritual environment at that time. If these are present when you gather, then God is with you… it is not a sin.

However, it is wise and better for a church to seek an official place for gathering, one that will be used solely for their worship activities.

Shalom.


 

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Doreen Kajulu editor

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