I’m just going to come out and say it.
If you run a church, there is a 90% chance you have a room, a closet, or an entire basement that you are actively avoiding. You know the one. You open the door, a box of tinsel falls on your head, and you immediately shut the door and say, “I’ll deal with that tomorrow.”
Tomorrow never comes, does it?
I’ve been in enough church buildings to know that the “backstage” area is usually a disaster zone. We treat the sanctuary like a queen, but the fellowship hall storage room? That is the wild west. We stuff things in there like we are playing a game of real-life Tetris, and we just pray the door holds.
The problem is, that clutter is bleeding into your Sunday morning vibe.
You might not think visitors notice, but they do. When they walk past a window and see a jumbled mess of old fans, Christmas lights, and broken chairs piled up, it creates a mental “red flag.” It makes the church feel disorganized, even if your sermons are top-notch. People judge the book by the cover, whether we like it or not.
So, why is this happening?
It’s because we are weirdly sentimental about “stuff.”
We hang onto things because “Aunt Betty donated that table” or “We might use that stage backdrop again in three years.” We treat the church building like a museum instead of a hub for ministry. That old communion set from 1985 isn’t ministry. That leaky fridge in the back isn’t ministry. It is just taking up real estate.
Real estate you are paying for.
Think about your electric bill. You are paying to heat and cool that storage room. You are paying for the square footage of that closet. When you cram it full of junk, you are essentially paying money to keep garbage warm. That doesn’t make any sense financially.
The “Seasonal” Nightmare
Here is where we see most churches lose their minds.
You just finished the Easter service. It was beautiful. The flowers were perfect, the cross was draped, and the choir sounded amazing. You take a breath. Then you look at the clock. Next weekend is Mother’s Day, and then VBS is right around the corner.
Where does the Easter stuff go?
You can’t throw it away because you need it again next year. So, you shove it into the hallway. Then, the VBS decorations arrive—think plastic palm trees and inflatable dolphins. They have to go somewhere. So you shove them on top of the Easter stuff.
It becomes a “pancake” situation. Layer upon layer of seasonal items that you have to dig through every single time. You waste hours of volunteer time just looking for the right box of fake snow for the Christmas play.
Here is the hard truth I want you to swallow: Your building is a tool, not a warehouse.
You are running a ministry, not a storage facility. If you wouldn’t use it in the next six months, it shouldn’t be inside your four walls.
We do this thing at our storage facility where we tell churches to treat their stuff like a “library system.”
Imagine you have a library card. You check out books, you use them, and you return them to a central location. Your storage should work the same way. Take your Easter stuff, put it in a plastic tote, label it in giant sharpie marker “EASTER – APRIL,” and physically move it off the church property.
Suddenly, you have an empty room.
What could that room become? Could it become a quiet cry room for new moms? Could it become a teen hangout space? Could it become a mini food pantry for the community? When you free up the space, you free up your ministry potential.
Let’s talk about the “Landscaping” problem
I know a church that keeps their riding lawnmower, weed whackers, and all their fertilizer in the “back lobby.” The smell of gasoline hits you the second you walk in the side entrance. It is so distracting.
Why do we do this?
Because we don’t have a shed. That’s it. It’s just pure lack of planning.
Move that stuff out. Build a small shed, or better yet, rent a cheap unit somewhere. That stuff is heavy, it’s dangerous, and it smells terrible. Do you really want the smell of 2-stroke engine fuel mixing with the smell of the coffee hour? No. Keep the building smelling fresh and clean. Keep the gas-powered tools somewhere far, far away from the fellowship hall.
The “History” Argument
I know what you are going to say. “But we have to keep the history! We have the original deed from 1912!”
I get it. That is important.
But here is the thing: that deed belongs in a safe. Or in a frame on the wall. It does not belong in a cardboard box sitting on a damp concrete floor where it is going to get ruined by mildew.
If it’s historical, treat it with respect. Put it in a fireproof box. But if it’s just old, dusty, and broken, let it go.
I have seen churches keep broken chairs “just in case” we can fix them. Those chairs will never be fixed. You know it, I know it. Throw them away or donate them to someone who can use the scrap metal.
Here is what I want you to do tomorrow morning
Don’t overthink this.
Walk into your worst closet. Take a picture of it. Just one picture. Look at that picture. If you were a visitor walking past that room, would you feel comfortable? Would that room make you feel peaceful?
If the answer is no, you have work to do.
Grab a few volunteers. Give them a pizza lunch. And play a game I call “Keep, Move, or Toss.”
- Keep: Stuff you use every week. This stays inside the church.
- Toss: Broken stuff, moldy stuff, or stuff you haven’t touched in a year. Throw it in a dumpster.
- Move: Seasonal decorations, extra chairs, or bulky equipment that gets used once a quarter. This goes to an off-site spot.
This is where we step in. We have units specifically sized for churches. You don’t need a massive 10×30 if all you have is Christmas decorations. But if you’ve got a ton of tables and chairs, we have the space.
Our facility is clean, dry, and secure. You don’t have to worry about the mice getting into your nativity scene. You don’t have to worry about mold ruining your choir robes. You just load it up, lock it, and forget about it until you need it.
One final thought:
The greatest gift you can give your congregation is space. Space to gather, space to eat, space to move around without bumping into a stack of old hymnals.
When you clean up the clutter, you are telling your people, “I value your experience here.” You are making room for them.
Stop letting the clutter distract from the message. If you want to keep your church looking warm and welcoming, take the junk out. Use us as your “overflow.” We’ll hold onto the seasonal stuff, so you don’t have to hold onto the stress.
Seriously, give us a call. Come check out the units. We’ll help you figure out the size. Because trust me, you need the space, and we have it. Let’s get your hallways looking like a church again, not a liquidation sale.
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