I have spent a fair amount of time driving the back roads of South and North Carolina. I’m amazed at the number of little churches tucked away in rural communities. Dozens of denominations with at least one thing in common: a cross on the steeple.

I’ve also noticed many large modern churches in nondescript buildings with one prominent thing missing; the cross. I worked at one such church. When I asked why we did not have a cross on our building, the responses amazed me. I checked with people that were on staff at other churches and heard similar excuses. So let me review several of the reasons I heard and the concerns I hold.

Reason #1 – The early church did not display the cross.
That is true for a couple of reasons. First, evidence suggests that most Early Christians met in their homes not at a dedicated space. Second, and more importantly, the act of displaying the cross in the first few centuries after the death and resurrection of Jesus could have resulted in the persecution and/or death of the believers.

We face no such threat here in the United States – at least for now.

Reason #2 – The cross is a pagan symbol.
I once heard this justification while standing in the lobby of a church decorated with “Christmas trees”, a symbol with a certain pagan background. Irony aside, this justification strips Jesus of His divinity. It denies the ability of Jesus Christ to redefine anything He wishes to point to back to Him.

God chose the cross for Jesus to die upon. Jesus used the cross in His teachings (Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23). Pagans hold no power over the symbol of the cross.

Reason #3 – People have been hurt by churches and we don’t want to “scare them off”.
Wow. I heard this from multiple church staff. My only response is simple: Is the plan a “bait and switch” strategy? Do people visiting your cross-less church not know you are Christians? If so, what does that say about your church? Do you hope that those injured by false teachers or abusive church leaders or congregations will attend your nondescript building until such time you can spring Christianity on them when they least expect it? Will you hide all the crosses in the building as well?

I once visited a “mega church” and had a staff member proudly tell me there was only one cross in the whole church – tucked away off the lobby. I can imagine someone from their “greeting team” sharing: “We hide the cross, but we are a Christian church. Come on in, we have splendid music and let me tell you about ‘next steps’. Help yourself to some coffee. Are you baptized?“

Would it not be better to help heal those injured by another church to show them the true love of Jesus instead of hiding our faith?

Reason #4 – We are trying to build a community building / We want to be welcoming to all.
To the young pastor that first told me this, I snarkily replied, oh, ok, where in the book of Acts does it tell us to go forth and build “community centers”? If we believe Christianity offends non-believers to the extent we hide it, how will we ever share the Gospel? The same pastor told me a Jewish congregation used his church for a period after a fire damaged their synagogue. He was glad there wasn’t a cross on his church for fear of offending the visitors. That statement is incredible and telling. When the teachings of Jesus Christ should have shined brightly (helping others) this church was happy to hide in the background for fear of offending those being helped.

Is it possible the real reason modern churches are hiding the cross is because they are determined to find a home in the culture? I am familiar with several churches that are working to make the Gospel “relatable” to the culture. I will write more about this later, but let me put it simply: you cannot. Following Jesus Christ is a distinct path from culture. We cannot serve two masters.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. –

You cannot simultaneously stand on dry land and swim in the ocean. Nor can you simultaneously follow Jesus Christ and follow the culture. You must pick one.

Clearly, there is no scriptural requirement for a church to have a cross on a steeple. But I find the reasons offered for removing the cross to be telling and concerning. If you are going to take down the cross, do so with God’s purpose in mind. Don’t hide the cross to placate culture.

If you are determined to remove the cross from your church, perhaps an upside down basket would be a suitable alternative (Matthew 5:14-16).