Should A Church Meet In A Mosque Or Kingdom Hall?
By Joel Settecase / March 2, 2021
Every now and then, I get theological or practical questions sent to my email or Facebook messenger. I want to start sharing some of those questions, along with my responses, in the hope that they might prove helpful to other followers of Christ.
So here’s the first one:
Should a church meet in a mosque or other non-Christian religious building?
Hey what’s up brother. I have a question for you. What are your thoughts on renting spaces for church services? For example, is it ok to rent from a Kingdom Hall or mosque if they give you your own space and don’t interfere with anything you do or preach?
—AC
Man that's a good question, and I don't have a great answer offhand. Three considerations come to my mind:
The Early Church did something similar: Within the first few hundred years of church history, local churches had begun meeting in basilicas, i.e. administrative buildings leftover from the old Roman Empire's government. There was nothing holy or unholy about these buildings (methinks); they simply served a practical function. Many churches today meet in public school buildings—which are government buildings that are hardly promoting a biblical worldview from Monday through Friday! But they serve a practical function, and I think that's fine.
Spiritual Warfare Is Real: There are spiritual realities, and buildings that are specifically housing pagan/un-Christian worship services might well be home to demons (cf. 1 Co 10:19-20). You could look at that as a benefit (taking enemy territory) or a risk (opening your congregation up to spiritual malevolence). It might be both. My own church (I'm not a pastor) is temporarily meeting in a Lutheran church building, and I have no clue what the theology of the Lutheran church is. We meet in the gym and have been grateful for the opportunity. The early church (in Acts) met in the Temple (cf. Ac 2:46), which by that point was a den of thieves (Lk 19:46).
Clear Theology Is Essential: Any biblical church who would meet in a Kingdom Hall/Mosque, etc., would need to make their theology abundantly clear to the hosting organization, and that they are not there as sympathetic guests, but rather representing a worldview and religion that is in direct opposition to the host. What fellowship does light have with darkness (2 Co 6:14)?
Man, I could go either way on this question, personally. Because of the specifically spiritual and religious nature of the examples you mentioned, I would advise any church to use such a space only as a last resort, after much prayer, and making their intentions and positions abundantly clear to the building owner/host.
Even then, I'm not sure I'd advise it (because of the potentially demonic worship that occurs in the building), but given the fact that Jesus Christ holds all authority in Heaven and on the Earth (Mt 28:18), and that must include authority over mosques and kingdom halls, I could see the potential for making it work.
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