By Andy Hale

I can imagine them like they were yesterday; the special envelopes, the big display, the pledge letters, and the special meetings. This was the beginnings of almost every church capital building campaign of my upbringing and some of the churches I have served.

So, we built for decades upon decades. We have built education halls, multi-purpose rooms, gyms, expansive fellowship halls, and more significant sanctuaries.

Unfortunately, for many of our churches, these campuses were built for a church program paradigm that no longer exists. Now, many congregations face the rising repair costs, the emotional turmoil of recognizing what once was, and the difficult questions of what is next.

But what if there is a way for the church to rethink its structural paradigm?

What if this expansive openness of unused space could be used to create authentically missional opportunities for community, partnership, and economic growth?

What if the church could use its space to collaborate with startup businesses in need of office space, artists for studio space, catering businesses for kitchen space, and so much more?

We sat down with the Larry Duggins and Karen Doucette of the Missional Wisdom Foundation (MWF) to discuss the shifting structural paradigm for many churches.

Larry serves as the executive director of MWF, while Karen serves as a local church practitioner of these practices.

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CBF’s podcast shares stories from across the Fellowship and innovative practices of those working to renew God’s world. The vision is to share ideas, stories, and innovations from ministers, authors, and practitioners.

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Sponsorship

This podcast episode is brought to you by Fuller Seminary and The Center for Congregational Health.

Andy Hale created and hosts the podcast of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Hale is the senior pastor of University Baptist Church of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, following eight years as the founding pastor of Mosaic Church of Clayton and five years as CBF’s church start specialist. Follow on Twitter @haleandy