Why is the Beaverton Foursquare Campus So Big?

Q:  My question is not biblical but more practical. I've driven by your facility a number of times and wonder why it’s so big?  I questioned the purpose of the church and why it was necessary to spend so much money on facilities and stuff that so many Christians seem to think make up the Christian life when people are starving and dying on the streets and in prisons.  I'm interested in a church that has so many members that it requires police traffic intervention.

A:  It is big because over time we have grown to a fellowship of several thousand people and the facilities provide space for all of our worship and activities.  We are a Bible-believing and teaching church and we put a tremendous amount of resource into our children.  Other than the sanctuary, all of the other buildings serve children’s and youth ministries.  But please be assured, there is nothing sacred about our buildings.  If they were leveled tomorrow, we would still be the church.  The buildings merely provide the space we get to use together and minister to one another.

We question the same things, as well.  Our buildings are a legacy of past years and we are thankful for them.  But our goal is not to make our church into the place where Christian life happens.  In fact, we are very intentional about equipping our congregation to be the church in their own homes and communities.  We believe that the campus we have is a place to equip and “turn lights on” so that lights can be fired up in homes.  We value prayer, devotions (journaling) and developing our homes as places that produce disciples.  There may come a day when there will not be buildings.  We are more concerned with what goes on when people leave here than when they come.

We share your concern for those in the world who are struggling and so are very focused on missions, on making a difference in a number of communities, here and around the world.  We serve a generous congregation.  In the past year we have contributed to providing clean water by digging wells in Africa, we have built schools in impoverished towns in Sierra Leone, we have deployed missionaries to work with orphans in Romania and China, and we are in the middle of deploying missionaries to Southeast Asia to run a transition center for children rescued from sex slavery.  We are committed to participation in the Advent Conspiracy, a movement of like-mined churches who are forsaking the glitz of American Christmas for the opportunity to support world-changing missional efforts. 

And the reason we have police managing the traffic is that we have so many people who come to the service at the same times.  Between our church and Holy Trinity Catholic Church (next door), if it were not for the traffic cops, I am afraid we would create a traffic mess for the neighborhood.  We want people to be able to get in and out efficiently and without incident.  We want to be good citizens of our community.