Reader's Version
- Ministry Over Maintenance
- Sermon by Gene Simco | Reader's Version
- A Family Wedding
- Last week, we had the joy and privilege of witnessing a wedding. We talked about marriage last week, so again, congratulations to James and Crystal!
- It was kind of funny because my initial thought was to reveal the wedding ceremony at the end of the service. Yes, there was an arch on the stage, but that could have been a prop. In my mind, I constructed the whole message around this big reveal. I was just going to talk about biblical marriage, and then—surprise!—at the end, we would marry a couple.
- I really only considered things from my own perspective, or rather, I didn't fully realize how it would actually look in practice. I thought, All right, I won't wear a jacket or a blazer because then people might think this is formal and guess I'm doing a wedding. I thought I was being crafty. I dressed like I normally do, which is fine, but it certainly isn't wedding formal.
- I even warned Crystal beforehand. I said, "You might want to tell your family members that there will be people here in shorts and sandals because that's how people arrive at our church. If you told your guests to dress formally, let them know what the environment will be like so they aren't offended."
- Well, when I got up on stage on Sunday, it was such an amazing contrast of people in formal wear sitting next to people in shorts and sandals. Now, don't get me wrong—if you're a regular here, you know that when I'm not preaching, I wear shorts and sandals to church myself. That's perfectly okay! But from my vantage point, it looked like such an incredible contrast that I couldn't help but make some jokes about it.
- However, those jokes ended up completely ruining the reveal. We try our best sometimes, and we make it work!
- A Family on the Move
- Regardless of the wardrobe contrast, what that Sunday showed is that we are a family here at C3. We are a family-driven church where everyone is welcome.
- Which brings me to a question: As a kid, did your family ever move?
- What were your feelings about it? What were your anticipations or expectations? Did you miss your old home? Did your excitement eventually override that feeling of loss? Did you get to pick out which room was yours? That is probably the most famous part about a family move.
- Today, we are going to explore those questions as a church family. We are a family. Families grow, they transition, and they move. A building or a house does not define our family; it simply houses it for a season.
- The Elephant in the Room
- Like last week, I am not going to make an attempt at a big reveal. I am just going to speak directly about where we are going today. We are currently evaluating our options to move out of this 17,000-square-foot building.
- Now, before we go into the "why," let me make something abundantly clear right at the top. This has absolutely nothing to do with my salary. We are going to talk about some budget things, but my wife, Heather, works hard, and we are well taken care of by this church. This message is entirely about space, building expenses, and our mission.
- I am not in charge of the finances. I am simply addressing a situation that affects us as your pastor, using the general information that the financial board has shared with me, and discussing the decisions they have made with my spiritual direction.
- Some will say we are too small for this building, and that is the reason we are leaving. Is that the truth? Yes. As a church of about 150 people, we do not need this much space. But some will also say we can't afford it. That should be a myth, and we are going to look honestly at that in a few moments.
- The Reality of Our Current Facility
- Before we begin, let's look at the reality of our church facility. A little history lesson:
- We arrived at this building almost ten years ago. We did not have a complete vision at that time, and we didn't really know who we were. We were copying other churches and their programs. We even had a little thing called "Growth Track." If you were a new member, we would try to sit you down and explain everything about the building until someone finally told us that it felt like we were trying to sign people up for a timeshare.
- We were being pulled in different directions, as many churches are, by outside ministries. Outside ministries often insert themselves into the congregation; they weren't created by the church, and they pull it in all these different directions, which only added to the confusion.
- Now, this building itself was designed for a program and production church. It was segmented into rooms for segregated, age-based ministries, and we were attempting to do that. But over time, we figured out who we were: a Bible-based church. Everything we do is guided by the Bible, not by programs or business. That meant less production and more focus on people. A part of that is being intentionally smaller in number so that I can have a real relationship with all of you.
- But there was one problem. This building was still designed for programs and production.
- Churches Are Not Supposed to Be Businesses
- Over the years, we tried using the building in different ways. We tried pretty much everything you can imagine, including renting out most of it. But this never proved spiritually or financially healthy. It turned us from being ministers into building managers.
- Churches are not supposed to be businesses. This is often something that a congregation will do in lieu of being generous. Instead of parting with their money, they figure they will use the church building as a business so it can generate revenue. But that is not how churches are supposed to operate. The body is supposed to be nurtured by the believers.
- Inclusion vs. Exclusion
- The largest problem was that, in being a true Bible-based church, we made breaking bread and fellowship [koinonia] a large part of what we do, just as they did in the New Testament church. We will take a closer look at that in a minute, but in Acts 2, we see that they were deeply devoted to the word, the breaking of bread, the fellowship, and the prayers.
- What is the problem with that? Nothing—unless you are in this building. Because our café is upstairs.
- Over the past couple of months, it has broken my heart to exclude people who cannot make it up the stairs from a vital function of who we are as a family. And yes, we have explored everything from chair lifts to an elevator. Chair lifts don't work here. And if you have ever managed a building with an elevator, you know the costs associated with installation, compliance, and repair can be astronomical. So, do we want to spend our money that way? Or do we just find a space more suited to our needs?
- The Financial Reality and Maintenance Burden
- Any structural adjustments will come with costs that simply do not make sense for us financially.
- Then there is the maintenance burden. We have twenty-three commercial AC units, and keeping them running is a full-time job. If you own a home in Southwest Florida, you know that one of your main nightmares is the AC unit or the roof leaking. Well, imagine having twenty-three of them. That is twenty-three nightmares you have to worry about. Because they are commercial, they cost four times as much to repair. We are currently spending more money on the upkeep of this building than we are on actual ministry, and that breaks our model.
- There is also the insurance threat. Our wind and hurricane deductible used to be $400,000 for a named event. The board has been working hard to reduce things, and they successfully brought it down to $275,000. But if a storm hits us, that deductible would instantly put us under. Even if we had the funds, staying here is a high-risk liability. It is a smart move for us to get out from underneath that threat.
- The Main Reason: Inclusion vs. Exclusion
- The main reason, though, goes back to an inclusion versus exclusion issue. The early church was built on fellowship and breaking bread together.
- Acts 2:42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.
- Our café is a huge part of how we live out this model. But again, the café is an afterthought located upstairs. Right now, not everyone in our family can get up those stairs to participate, and this creates unintentional exclusion. If the facility prevents the whole family from gathering at the table, the facility has to go. We need to move regardless of anything else.
- Funding the Mission: The Myth of "We Can't Afford It"
- Now, let's go back to how these things are sustained. Back to this myth that we can't afford the building. Let's talk about the financial health of the church for a minute, which needs to be addressed no matter where we go.
- The first thing is, I don't lie to you. I don't do what some other churches do, like taking Malachi 3:10 out of context and just telling you God commands you to tithe and give 10%. We'll get back to that in a moment.
- I don't say, "If you have faith, you'll give," or "If you give, you'll get more." I don't appeal to your greed either, as that is sinful.
- But I have thought of some ways to motivate you to give. The first one would be: only people who tithe get Stromboli. We could have Heather up there in the café with a clipboard, and it would look similar to the Soup Nazi in Seinfeld: "No Stromboli for you! Come back when you tithe."
- Or, the other idea I had is the passive-aggressive prayer list. I could start putting people on the prayer list who don't tithe and saying:
- - "Lord, we pray that so-and-so gets a new job... so that they tithe."
- - "We pray that so-and-so gets a promotion... so that they finally tithe."
- - "We pray that so-and-so wins the lotto... so that they tithe."
- - (If they are still not giving) "Lord, we pray that so-and-so would go home and be with You... and then leave everything to the church."
- The Context of Malachi
- But let's get serious for a moment and look at the context of Malachi. Malachi was written to a wicked, rebellious people under the Old Testament covenant law who were testing God.
- There are two problems with using this to mandate giving: it is hyperbole, and we are not under the Law. The Book of Malachi is a prophetic book in the Old Testament. People will say, "Well, they gave 10%!" Yes, but they were under the Law. We are under the New Covenant of Grace. Let's look at the context. There are wicked people cheating God, giving Him their leftovers.
- Malachi 3:8-10, 14-15 “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! ... You have said, ‘What’s the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying his commands or by trying to show the Lord of Heaven’s Armies that we are sorry for our sins? From now on we will call the arrogant blessed. For those who do evil get rich, and those who dare [test] God to punish them suffer no harm.’”
- Again, these are wicked people testing God. People will say this is the only time the Bible says to test God. That is not a good argument. Before that, in the Law in Deuteronomy, it says not to put God to the test. And Jesus affirms this: you do not put God to the test. Jesus controls here in this situation; He definitely clarifies that position. The text in Malachi says that it is the wicked who dare/test God.
- The New Testament Standard
- The other problem is, again, this is under the Old Testament Law. We've seen this as a church before: we are not under the Law of Moses. We are not obligated to do that. A pastor should not be putting his people under the yoke of the Law, as Peter calls it in the Book of Acts.
- Using Malachi appeals to greed, and a pastor should not be leading his people into that sin. Colossians 3 says a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.
- Now, some people will say, "But Abraham tithed before the Law!" True, but that was just a cultural practice, not a command or a reason to tell people they need to give 10%.
- Now, before you say, "Whew, I'm glad I'm off the hook here!" let's look at the New Testament standard. When we look at the New Testament church, they didn't just give 10%. They gave everything to support the church community.
- Giving 10% means you get to keep 90%.
- The Generosity of the Early Church
- Let's look at our model again, but keep reading.
- Acts 2:42-45 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship [κοινωνία, pronounced kee-no-NEE-ah], and to sharing in meals, and to prayer. A deep sense of awe and fear [φόβος, pronounced FO-vos] came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need.
- Look what happens when we keep reading. That model is great, but it requires financial support to sustain it. And if we keep reading in chapter four:
- Acts 4:32-35 All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.
- Again, they were filled with extreme generosity to support that model. And notice something else: they didn't try to control or dictate anything. They gave their finances and trusted the leadership that God appointed. That's called faith. Too many people give today with strings attached, but that is not faithful giving.
- The Radical Generosity of the Widow
- We see this same radical generosity praised by Jesus with the poor widow. What you have is a situation where Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.
- Mark 12:43-44 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”
- All right, so that's not most of us here. But even if some make the excuse, "Well, I just don't have enough to give," Jesus takes that away. But again, that's not most of us. If we are being honest, most are giving from their extras.
- You see, we can't have it both ways. Many people love the Acts 2:42 fellowship and breaking of bread, but you cannot have the Acts 2 community without the Acts 2 and Acts 4 generosity. It needs to be supported.
- They gave everything. Now, 10% doesn't sound so bad, does it?
- You see, 10% is simply a time-tested standard for church operations. If every church member gave that base, the church would get by.
- The Math on Our Giving Culture
- Let's look at the math on our giving culture. As stated before, we have about 150 people who consider C3 Church their home, both here locally and those who join us from farther away. But the reality is, our entire church family is almost never in the room at the same time. This is very typical of any kind of membership-based structure or business. On a typical Sunday, fewer than half of our local members are here, and during parts of the year, it's even less.
- As a 150-person church, could we support this facility? Yes. So let's do some math.
- The average salary in Naples, Florida, is roughly $50,000 to $75,000, depending on where you look. I think a current Google search pops up $75,000 immediately. However, some other sources say $50,000. So let's lowball it and say the average salary is $50,000, and everyone followed the leadership of this church's example and tithed. Let's look at the numbers:
- $5,000 (10% of $50,000) × 150 People = $750,000
- That would be plenty. At that number, we could easily afford to be in this building financially.
- Framing Reality, Not Shaming
- Now, let me be clear: I am not on the financial board. I lead by example and I give, but being the pastor doesn't entitle me to be intrusive or go outside my ministry lane. But I did ask the board for some broad numbers – our total offerings and who is giving. Here is what we bring in per year in tithes and offerings:
- $150,000
- That giving level cannot afford this building. Even if the 50 observable people on a Sunday were our total membership, that number is still $100,000 short of what it should be if only those 50 people tithed. We could stay here, but tithes would need to come up.
- Now, this is not to shame anyone; it is simply to frame reality. The first thing I want to say is thank you to those who are tithing, and thank you to those who are giving something. Your support has helped maintain and increase the value of this building. Thank you for following the leadership.
- Should this discourage you? No. To be honest, it saddens me, but it doesn't discourage me. It makes me realize, as a leader, that I need to give more. In leading by example and making sure that the church I love is taken care of. As a leader, I know that the best way to motivate someone isn't to shame them; it's to show them how it's done. I can do with fewer extras because the body of Christ is more important to me. So as for me, I will be moving my tithing closer to 20%.
- Evaluating Our Extras
- Now, for those who give but aren't yet there spiritually at 10%—again, thank you, and I want to encourage you: exercise your faith, let the Holy Spirit guide your life, and a part of that is supporting the body of Christ, whom you love.
- Remember, last week we looked at Ephesians 5. It says that Christ gave His life for the church. So the question is, what will you give up for the church? Your life? Well, here we're only asking that you give up 10%. Or maybe you'll give up just eating out. What's more important to us: an extra round of golf, or Christ's church? An extra night at the movies, or Christ's church? An extra set of clubs, or Christ's church? More alcohol, or Christ's church? An extra vacation, or Christ’s church?
- Now, there is nothing wrong with some of these things, but they are clearly extras.
- Our Options Moving Forward
- So, how much does it cost to keep this building? A lot more. Could we afford it? Yes. Can we afford it with where our giving culture is currently at? No. And that's okay. It just means we cannot be here.
- But would it be a good idea anyway? No. Again, there are constant repairs. We've tried everything from renting extra space, and it just turns us into building managers instead of a church. Even then, it doesn't match our model or vision, or the actual size of our congregation, which is a part of our vision. We're paying a lot of money to maintain the AC units in a lot of unused space. The building lies 70% unused all week.
- Clearly, staying here is not a smart or viable thing for us. So let's look at the options.
- And here's the thing: we're putting it in your hands. We are moving, but what you give now determines what that will look like. No matter where we go, we will be filming messages, breaking bread, and doing everything we currently do here. But what that looks like will ultimately depend on our offerings.
- Option 1: Leasing Commercial Space
- This is the number one thing on the table: moving to a space better designed for who we are.
- Commercial real estate is not a great investment for us in particular, so renting lets the roof and the AC be the landlord's problem. And here's the thing: we can build it to suit our needs—a right-sized, accessible café, and more intimate seating, while still doing everything we currently do and filming our services for those who participate from afar. It would be a custom build-out, just like picking your room in a new house.
- But this option only happens if offerings come up.
- Option 2: The Home Church or HOA Model
- This is the other extreme. There are people who never step foot in this building, who only watch the sermons online, and they actually tithe 10%. This has caused us to entertain the idea of moving to a home church and perhaps filming in a smaller, more affordable studio.
- The Pros: It is highly reflective of the early church. Everywhere from Romans 16:5 to Philemon to Acts, we see that they met in homes.
- The Cons: It is exclusionary. Not everyone is comfortable walking into a home. It creates socio-economic problems, like Paul addressed in 1 Corinthians. We couldn't host public events and groups like we do now, such as AA, and there are safety concerns. Would you want someone you don't know walking into your house, perhaps casing it for a robbery? They could come back later. In my case, I have a daughter living in my home, so it would be tough.
- We would probably have to rent an HOA center, but it is still on the table. And again, we would still film and break bread, so financial support is still needed regardless.
- We Need the Whole Family
- Regardless of what we do, we need the whole family. I want to warmly encourage and thank everyone who participates in this church at any level.
- To those who are tithing: again, thank you. We will still need the support of those tithing to handle the space and expenses wherever we go.
- To those who give but aren't quite near that yet: thank you, and I encourage you to follow the example of the leadership.
- To those who do not give: I strongly, at this point, emphasize the importance of supporting the family financially. This is an invitation to participate in this decision. What you give will determine what our future looks like.
- Now, there are many people who have suggestions. I want to encourage you to stay in your own lane and trust the leadership board as I do. Families are built on trust. Families cannot operate unless they trust one another. We are talking to interested buyers, and we are looking for options in new spaces. We are a family, and we are stepping into this new season together.
- Again, your support will determine what our future looks like, and we will need that support through this transition, as there are going to be many extra costs associated with a move and the build-out of our new location. In other words, although expenses will go down after we are done, they will go up during the transition.
- Every generation of God's people has had to decide whether they loved the mission more than the place. I want us to be remembered as the church that chose ministry over maintenance, people over property, and the family over the facility.
- I want to encourage you through this exciting new season. We are going to be moving to a new house built for who we have become—a real church for real people.
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- ©️Copyright 2026 Gene Simco Most Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scriptures in brackets reflect the original Biblical languages.