My wife and I recently searched to buy our first home. We looked at so many potential new houses, and I learned a very valuable lesson in the world of real estate: there is a distinct difference between neighborhoods occupied largely with renters and those with property owners.
The neighborhoods of renters were more unkempt and rundown. Oppositely, the neighborhoods occupied by owners were more neat, tidy, and well-maintained.
At first, I couldn’t imagine the connection being that strong. But, the more neighborhoods we looked at, the more we noticed that same trend. I quickly realized there were some big differences in the way the two types of homeowners cared for their properties.
When you are a renter and something goes wrong, you can rest assured someone else will take care of it. In the back of your mind, there’s always the thought “it’s not great, but ultimately, it’s not my problem, and it doesn’t affect me in the long run.” That thought is so easy for a renter to give into and let play out.
As a homeowner, all the responsibility lays on you. If something breaks, it comes out of your pocket. You value and care for your possession to ensure its longevity and usefulness and to decrease the chance of costly damage.
The owner mentality is one we should have about our church. We should avoid the easy mindset that “someone else will take care of it.” And, instead, we should intentionality care for the church and let that care become evident in everything we do.