What It's Like Sharing A Space With Another Church In Charlotte, Nc?

About two years ago, while we're still enjoying being a church in a warehouse in main Charlotte, it became increasingly apparent that we were not going to be able to continue to support the space we had become so devoted to, and around which, in reality, we had begun to create our individuality as an organization.

It was a painful instant, as we started to look close at hand for a new setting. And it seemed that each available location in Charlotte had already been occupied. School auditoriums, theaters, even art galleries and pubs and clubs. Everyone of them had a church in them already.

If we are honest, we started to surrender somewhat of ever finding a new home for ourselves. We even looked at the likelihood of putting up a great tent at one point. We were getting downcast.

And then our pastor thought of a conversation he had had with another Queen City pastor who at the time had been thinking about selling the building his congregation was in (there had been a second when we had hoped to buy his building.but that didn't work out), and speculatively, we called him up and told this pastor what our condition was. Could he help, probably by at least leasing us an office room in his building? No problem came the answer. Come and talk to me.

Long story short a discussion began which quickly led to the idea of sharing the building between the two churches. It was no small thing that was being presented here. First off, the other congregation, Greater Fellowship Missionary Baptist, was at large African American, used to a traditional service and music. We were mostly white, non-denominational and used to rock 'n' roll worship on Sunday mornings. Then there was the topic of service times. Their service had to be moved to an hour earlier, to 9.15am to accommodate a second service on Sunday mornings at 11.30am. That Greater Fellowship were compliant to do that was fairly extraordinarily generous, and demanded them persuading their own people that it was a favorable idea to let a bunch of strangers who do things very differently into their beloved building. It was no small sacrifice.

And it implicated sharing other parts of the building as well, splitting up the rooms, repainting and restoring them, and figuring out who could do with what when and for how long.

The opportunities were rife for arguments and treading on each other's toes. And from time to time that occurred. There must have been instances when Greater Fellowship regretted their resolution to let us in. But, somehow, through all the mess, it worked! And now not only are the building and the costs of it shared, but also a good camaraderie has been struck up in-between the two absolutely different congregations, that has led to combined services and joint outreaches into the neighborhood.and the seeds of reestablishment between two communities that have historically and terribly branched the Queen City have been sown.things we might never have seen or imagined had we simply stayed in our much adored uptown warehouse space. Looking back we conclude God had greater plans for us than we could possibly have imagined.

By: Matthew Hemsley

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To learn more about how you can find a great church in Charlotte, it's important to hear from others who have successfully found church homes. Check out the following link and you'll be taken to City Church Charlotte for helpful information from a local Christian leader, Matthew Hemsley.