It was nearly midnight on a January evening in 2022 when pounding at my door jolted me from sleep.

Our worship pastor’s son, Jordan Kirk, was standing outside, along with the local mayor, Spencer Cole.

Kirk shouted, “The church is on fire!”

I struggled to process those words. It didn’t seem possible. For nearly a century, our historic building had been a fixture in Munford, Tennessee, a small town outside of Memphis. Just seven weeks earlier, we had finished remodeling the entire facility — a project spanning four years.

Accepting their offer of a ride, I hopped in a car with the two men. More than two miles from our church property, I noticed an orange glow in the distance and asked, “Is that the fire?”

“I’m afraid it is,” Cole said.

When we arrived, the entire 20,000-square-foot sanctuary was engulfed in flames. From across the parking lot, I could feel the intense heat on my face.

On the scene were 46 firefighters from nine stations. With overnight temperatures in the single digits, they struggled to keep water lines from freezing. City crews used blowtorches to thaw the hydrants.

As news of the fire spread on social media, church staff members, parishioners, and neighbors gathered in the parking lot. Some prayed. Others cried. Worship pastor Ben Kirk led the group in a chorus of “How Great Is Our God.”

It took 16 hours to extinguish the blaze. The main building was a total loss. Yet our freestanding gymnasium was completely unharmed.

Believing this was a sign from God, we shot a video in front of the fire that Friday announcing plans to meet in the gym the following Sunday. The clip attracted more than 30,000 views on Facebook.

On Saturday, dozens of people came together to transform our gymnasium into a temporary worship facility. Local churches donated supplies, including chairs, tables, sound equipment, musical instruments, and Communion trays. This outpouring of support was a testament to the power of faith and community.

The fire that destroyed our building became a catalyst for spiritual growth within our congregation.

Sunday brought heavy rain with localized flooding. Nevertheless, people came, trudging through ankle-deep water to worship together. A local television news crew was there, reporting on the church’s resilience.

Amid loss, what matters most often comes into sharper focus. As it turned out, the fire that destroyed our building became a catalyst for spiritual growth within our congregation.

We experienced the reality that the Church is not a building, but the people of God. As 1 Corinthians 3:17 says, “God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.”

Whenever we gathered, there was a fresh sense of excitement and purpose. People expected to encounter God. They wanted to help and serve one another. Selfish hearts grew generous. Apathy turned to sensitivity.

In the days and weeks after the fire, I personally became more aware of God’s presence and provision. At times, the exhaustion of leading in crisis mode was nearly overwhelming. On Sunday mornings before service time, I sat in our food bank closet asking God for renewed energy. Without fail, the Lord met me there and gave me strength.

My heart changed, my preaching became more passionate, and my love for God’s church grew.

Increasingly, I prioritized people over projects. Even when I was meeting with insurance adjustors and fire inspectors, I focused on making each interaction a demonstration of Christ’s love.

I took time to interact and pray with people who visited the burn site. Some wanted to see what was left of the church they once attended. Others were just curious, having heard about it in the news. Several accepted Christ or received the baptism in the Holy Spirit on the church parking lot.

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

Jesus was not referring to a building. He was speaking of His body — the people who make up the Church. I am more confident than ever that we have a lasting foundation, regardless of our physical setting.

Since the fire, our congregation has grown spiritually and numerically, gained resiliency, and witnessed many miracles. In September 2023, we moved into a new facility that is more than three times the size of our previous building.

Today, River of Life (AG) is a healthy, vibrant congregation that is committed to serving God, loving people, and reaching our community for Christ. During the first half of 2024 alone, we saw more than 80 salvations and 50 water baptisms.

Through the fire, God forged in us a stronger and more unified vision of what His Church should look like.

This article appears in the Fall 2024 issue of Influence magazine.