Is it Wrong to Sell Things in Church?

Question:

We're not suppose to sell things at church, 'cause when people in biblical times did it, Jesus flipped the tables. So isn't it wrong that my church has a cafe, where they sell coffee and stuff, right in the lobby?

Answer:

In order to understand the answer to this question, we first need to define our terms. The event you are referencing occured in the temple, not in the church, and that is a critical difference. The word translated "church" in the New Testament is ἐκκλησία. Unlike the temple, which was a building, an ἐκκλησία is not the building, it is the people. In fact, "church" is a really poor translation of ἐκκλησία; a much better translation is "community."

So the first thing we need to understand is that a "church building" is NOT a modern substitute for the temple. That is simply the building where the ἐκκλησία (community of believers) meets. The only thing that makes a church building "holy" or "sacred" is the people who meet there to worship God. There is nothing inherently sacred about any particular building. If the people meet in a livingroom or a restaurant or a field, the place where they meet is sacred ground while they are meeting there. Once they leave, it is just a place again. And the same thing is true for any building of any kind where the "church" meets, regardless of whether it has a steeple, pews, and an altar up front or couches, a TV, and an xbox in the corner. The building is not sacred, the people are sacred. In fact, if a few of you happen to pray together while standing in a grocery store, something which exists specifically to sell things, it has become sacred because the church is meeting there.

Thus, in my case, the building where we hold our Sunday worship service is NOT Living Promise Free Methodist Church, it is simply the building where Living Promise Free Methodist Church meets. The building is not the church, we are the church.

Second, Jesus was not upset at the "selling," he was upset that they were cheating the people. Notice what He said,

He told them, "It is written, 'My house is to be called a house of prayer,' but you are turning it into a hideout for bandits!" (Matthew 21:13)

They were being thieves and stealing from the people. And that is NEVER ok, no matter what the setting, but especially in the name of God. Even worse, they were cheating the people by artificially raising the prices on things the people were required by the law to buy (doves, lambs, etc.). The people had no choice, they had to buy those doves for the sacrifices they were required by the law to perform. Since the people had no option not to buy, this was practically akin to armed robbery, and it was happening in the one place that was supposed to be a refuge and comfort for the people.

So the problem was not the selling, it was the cheating and stealing.

Thus, since the building is nothing more than a place where the church meets, assuming they are not cheating people, or selling something that is inherently immoral, there is nothing wrong with a Cafe, or a Christian bookstore, or clothing store, or whatever, in that building. If your church wants to have a cafe next to the lobby, that is probably a really good idea (particularly since it will ensure that the coffee drinkers in the congregation are fully awake for the service).

Never forget that in Christianity, no building is sacred. We, the community of believers, are sacred when we gather to worship, not because of us, but because of the God who comes into our midst as we worship and pray.

For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. (Matthew 18:20)