Builders vs Gardeners

Builders plan.
Gardeners plant.

Builders schedule rehearsals.
Gardeners nurture relationships.

Builders organize teams.
Gardeners cultivate hearts.

Builders control outcomes.
Gardeners trust God for the increase.

Builders marvel at Moses' Tabernacle.
Gardeners are drawn to David's Tabernacle.

Builders admired Moses' Tabernacle's majesty, even when they knew there was nothing behind the curtain.
Gardeners gathered at David's Tent because the Ark of the Presence was there.

Builders schedule people for services
Gardeners serve people - holding them crying on the kitchen floor at 1 am.

Builders ensure the songs are performed well.
Gardeners disciple worshippers who then beautifully sing.

Builders set the structure for worship.
Gardeners create space for the Spirit to move freely.

Builders rely on tools and technology to ensure everything works perfectly.
Gardeners rely on prayer and patience to see God's work grow.

Builders create impressive stages.
Gardeners cultivate deep roots in people’s hearts.

Builders put the focus on execution.
Gardeners put the focus on health.

Builders judge success by how close the outcome is to the plan.
Gardeners judge success by the health of the fruit.

Builders love certainty and control.
Gardeners embrace uncertainty and trust.

Builders light the fire with a blowtorch.
Gardeners wait for God to answer by fire.

Builders focus on making things look good.
Gardeners focus on what can’t be seen.

Builders prefer predictability.
Gardeners welcome mystery.

Builders work from blueprints.
Gardeners work with soil.

Builders maintain strict timelines.
Gardeners trust in seasons.

Builders construct.
Gardeners grow.

Builders build places.
Gardeners feed people.

Builders are satisfied when a project is complete.
Gardeners are satisfied when His people are mature.

Builders seek efficiency.
Gardeners value patience.

Builders design for immediate results.
Gardeners sow for fruit they may never taste.

Builders aim to impress.
Gardeners aim for impact.

Builders prefer certainty, knowing exactly what they will produce.
Gardeners take risks, knowing only God can bring the harvest.

Builders rely on measurable outcomes now.
Gardeners are satisfied with invisible work that blooms later.

Builders use their hands to create something visible.
Gardeners use their hands to nurture something that must be felt.

Builders seek control.
Gardeners have to surrender.

Builders create rooms for people.
Gardeners grow communities of people.

Builders create beautiful structures to house ministry.
Gardeners nurture the people inside the ministry.

Builders can predict what will happen.
Gardeners leave space for God to move in unexpected ways.

Builders are satisfied with order.
Gardeners thrive in the messy work of growth.

Builders make plans to manage risk.
Gardeners embrace the risks of planting and waiting.

Builders create places and spaces that protect.
Gardeners create environments where life can thrive.

Builders are satisfied with impressive production.
Gardeners are content with unseen growth.

Builders make sure things happen on time.
Gardeners trust things will happen in God’s time.

Builders see people as a part of the plan.
Gardeners see people as the purpose of the plan.

So… Gardener’s Good, Builders Bad?

You might think this list suggests there’s no room for builders in God’s economy and that God only wants gardeners. But that’s not true.

It’s both/and - but not in some 50/50 balance.

I think God prefers us as gardeners who lean on Him for the increase. He tells us to cultivate the garden in Genesis, while He intervenes so that we stop building the Tower of Babel.

Notice when Paul discusses where growth comes from - both his examples are gardening terms.

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 (NIV)

God leans towards gardens over buildings. Why? He is our building. He is our shelter.

God created us to be builders and gardeners. Each plays a vital role, but in today’s society, we often lose sight of our gardener side—the side that nurtures, trusts, and patiently cultivates life.

Like a wedding ring, a diamond has two parts. The diamond—rare, valuable, and full of light—represents the gardener’s work: the cultivation of life, presence, and growth. But the sturdy ring, crafted by the builder, holds the diamond in place so it can effectively bring beauty and light to the world.

We need both. The diamond cannot shine without the ring, but the value is in the diamond. In the same way, structure is important, but life—the growth nurtured by gardeners—is what brings true beauty to God’s work.

God calls us to lean into our gardener side, nurture life, cultivate hearts, and create space for Him to increase.