Before we can debate buildings, budgets, or strategy, it’s probably important that we address a simpler question: what did Jesus and the apostles actually mean by “the church”? The New Testament presents the church not as a place but as a gathered people—living, mobile, and shaped to meet the needs of the world they were sent to. In this episode of The Postscript, we step into first-century Christianity to explore how believers met, why homes were so common, what their gatherings focused on, and which patterns were the result of circumstance and which were the result of biblical commands. The goal isn’t to copy the early church mechanically, but to understand the principles that free churches today to adapt faithfully—so that our spaces serve the mission instead of defining it.

Our guest today is Pastor Dan Reneau, faculty professor of Biblical Studies at the Living Faith Bible Institute. Dan has served on the front lines of church planting and now finds himself helping support and a new work in St. Louis, giving him both the perspective of a planter and the responsibility of helping church planters. Because of that experience, the question of meeting spaces is personal to how he understands the church's mission.

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Church buildings don’t just house Christians—they are built to facilitate so much more—each building quietly tells a story about what your church values. Long before a word is preached, the space itself establishes the way in which people will engage—how people understand authority, worship, and the mission. For each denomination, and each tradition the building guides believers to better understand their theology in different ways. 

From persecuted Anabaptists meeting in homes and fields, to simple Baptist meetinghouses in the New World, to revival-era preaching spaces, suburban church complexes, and today’s eclectic mix of megachurches, old buildings and minimalist spaces—by examining what Baptists have built—we ask a foundational question for today: what do our meeting spaces say about what we believe, prioritize and whether our buildings still serve the mission they were meant to support?

In today’s episode of the Postscript, I’m joined by Dr. David Bains, professor at Howard College of Arts and Sciences at Samford University. Dr. Bains teaches courses that examine the interaction between theology, culture and religious life. His research has appeared in over a dozen books and journals. Today we hope that Dr. Bains will help us better understand the correlation between the historic Baptist mission and the buildings in which they met.

For more information, please follow the link to read the notes for Ep. 260

Visit https://magiccityreligion.org/spaces-for-worship/varieties/classic-auditorium/combination/ to see a recent project of Dr. Bains.

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Church planting involves people, prayer, and the teaching of God’s word—but sooner or later—every church planter runs headlong into a very practical question: where do we actually gather? In a city like London, that question isn’t a footnote—it’s a weekly dilemma. Do you invite strangers into your home, or relegate meetings to public spaces until trust is built? When does a Bible study become a church family, and what kind of space helps that happen? And what do you do when historic church buildings are closing, but you’ve been priced out? Today’s conversation is about that tension: staying faithful to evangelism and discipleship while navigating a city where “space” is scarce, expensive, but important.

Our guest is Brian Clark, an experienced church planter who previously planted a church in London in the Chislehurst area—and by God’s grace, that work is now healthy and autonomous. Brian and his family are now stepping out to plant a second church, but even with experience and a deep knowledge of the city, he’s facing fresh uncertainties: how to build fellowship, how to move from street evangelism to intimate community, and how to think creatively about meeting spaces when traditional options feel out of reach.

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When a missionary or pastor plants a church, they’re not just gathering people—they’re making decisions that quietly shape the work for years to come. And one of the decisions that carries great weight is that of “space.” Where do we meet? When do we start on Sundays? How do we stay nimble and mission-focused without being homeless—or overbuilt? Today’s conversation sits right in that tension: the blessings a building can provide, and the burdens it can introduce, especially when the work is still small and the people are still growing.

My guest today on the Postscript is Blade Sbisa, a church planting pastor in St. Louis who’s just getting the work on the ground with a small team. Blade recently stepped into a rare opportunity to purchase a church building at a phenomenal price—complete with a parsonage—before the plant is really ready to use it. So what do you do when the building is bigger than the congregation? How does it effect the culture and set expectations? Blade is thinking through it all in real time, and his process will help a lot of planters—and sending churches—think more clearly about buildings, stewardship, and the work of making disciples.

For more information, please follow the link to read this episode’s notes.

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We speak with pastor Mark Schaffer to hear his testimony and the story of how God led him to plant a church in Tampa, Florida. He speaks about the development of his team and the challenges they have faced over the past 9 years as they have discovered their particular place in the city and ministries to match the culture. Lastly, Mark shares how the church's identity has shifted during the church-planting process. Living Faith Tampa is now a fully established church on a mission to reach the nations, with the goal of planting many churches near and abroad.

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In Episode 28 of the Postscript Pastor Brian Clark of Crossroads Baptist Church in London tell us of his church planting hardships in the earliest years. He tells us about how he was broken and then how God lifted him out of a dark place and convinced to move forward in faith.

In Episode 26 of the Postscript Missionary/Pastor Kale Horvath discussed his call to the mission field. The Horvath's are preparing to go to Hungary to establish a Bible-believing church. We discuss the ins-and-outs of their preparation. What is it like to prepare a family for the field? What is deputation like? What is the work in Hungary going to look like?