Many of you may remember the 1989 movie “Field of Dreams.” The movie stars Kevin Costner as a farmer (Ray) who builds a baseball field on part of his cornfield. In doing so he attracts the ghosts of baseball legends from the past, most notably Shoeless Joe Jackson. The movie is based on a 1982 novel entitled “Shoeless Joe,” and by all accounts it was a well-received movie. Probably the most well-known quote from the movie is actually a misquote. We typically understand the quote to say, “Build it and they will come.” The actual quote is “If you build it, he will come.” Regardless of the misquote, there is an underlying message in the film that I find missing in our culture today. 

One of the themes that runs through the movie is the crazy idea that Ray, the farmer would be willing to sacrifice a large part of his field to build this baseball diamond. Money was tight and every acre of that field produced corn, which in turn brought in money for the family. For Ray to be willing to sacrifice the valuable land to build something that, for Ray at least, was even more valuable was worth the sacrifice. Of course, the idea of building something to attract ghosts is silly, but the underlying message of being willing to sacrifice and actually build something isn’t. This is a virtue that seems to be missing in our culture today. Where have all the Builders gone?

We in the church serve and worship the greatest builder of all time, and that is our Lord Jesus Christ. While it is easy to quote a line from a movie, “If you build it, he will come,” how many of us remember what Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” As a pastor, I have always found great comfort in that passage because I know that it is Christ who is the builder and not me. It is Christ who has promised to accomplish this monumental work, and I don’t need to try and manipulate or jazz up the process. Jesus is the architect and the builder, but that doesn’t mean we as Christians do not have a part to play. What am I to offer to this building process? Nothing short of my entire life! What am I to sacrifice to this building process? Whatever is required! In this consumer-driven world we live in, it is becoming harder and harder to find those who are willing to be builders. 

Being the pastor of a church plant was not something on my ministry to-do list. However, it must have been on God’s list for me, because here I am trying to navigate these very unfamiliar waters. Being a church plant pastor has shown me the reality of what I have been discussing above. I remind our folks all the time of the difference between what I call “Builder Christians,” and “Plug-In and Play Christians.” In a church plant these distinctions are very pronounced and easy to identify. Here is what I mean. In a new church you typically start with nothing but an idea, a blank slate, or a vision. From there, you set out to develop the structure and ministries of the church, discerning from Scripture what this new church is going to be about, and how it is to function. Once the plan is developed, the real work begins.

One of the undeniable truths in church planting is that you can have the best plan in place, but if you do not have people willing to come and put in the work to build on that plan, all you have are ideas on paper. This is where the “Builder” versus the “Plug-In and Play” distinction comes to matter greatly. If a church plant is to succeed, it will need people who are willing to come and sacrifice their own wants and needs to build something for the glory of God. This has been one of the greatest blessings I have witnessed since starting this church planting journey a little over a year ago. I have seen men and women, young and old, come and give of themselves so sacrificially to build something for people they may never meet. They give of their time and resources to build something that will produce fruit they may never see. It is truly one of the most humbling, and inspirational things I have ever been part of. Builders are those who come in and see a need, and they get to work so that the need can be met. Builders are the ones who have come to learn not to despise the days of small things, for in due time, the Lord will bring about His plan for even greater things. 

Plug-In and Play Christians are different, and, sadly, much more numerous today. These are the Christians that will come, and if there is something already in place they may plug in to that ministry and serve. If the church has a good children’s ministry already in place, then they may hang out and plug in, but if a church does not have what they believe their kids need or want, they will leave. For their child to be the only one in the children’s ministry is more than they can handle. If a church has the kind of music they like to sing, then they may stick around and plug in. However, they will not stick around very long if they do not have what they need or want. While Builders see a need and stick around to meet the need, Plug-In and Play people see a need, but they don’t stop looking until they find a church that has already satisfied the need and the want. In a culture saturated with churches focused on the consumer, it isn’t hard for them to find what they are looking for.

“Sadly, our culture has adopted the “build it and they will come” philosophy. However, the church needs those who will come and stay and build.”

Where have all the Builders gone? Sadly, our culture has adopted the “build it and they will come” philosophy. However, the church needs those who will come and stay and build. We at Christ’s Church are still in the very early days of building. We are, as Zechariah 4 calls it, in “the days of small things,” and they are glorious days. We are also a testament to what happens when God gathers a bunch of builders together and begins to work through them. We have had our share of Plug-In and Play people come through the doors, but it is the Builders that God has assembled that are the most amazing to watch. The church needs Builders. The church needs those who are willing to sacrifice their lives to engage in a building project that Christ has assured us will prevail. The landscape is littered with small churches that need hands and feet. We at Christ’s Church invite you to come join us as we labor to build. The work is hard and the desired results can be slow in coming. However, we build for the glory of God and that is the desired result that keeps pushing us forward.