Church Building Design
Church building design requires the leaders and the church architect to take into account various factors when choosing what to build. Because this type of structure stands apart from other buildings due to its symbolic nature, it's important that extra planning and details go into the design. A church building is the place where congregants gather for times of worship and teaching, fellowship, and ministry. It should reflect that in its design, and it should be easy to set up for a variety of functions.
Styles can vary dramatically and have developed over the years. Historically, church buildings in Europe were elaborate cathedrals with stained glass windows and intricate woodwork and stonework. When people envision a church building design, they see the pulpit front and center of the room, lots of pews or seating facing the pulpit, and an area similar to a stage behind the pulpit. This has not always been the case. Prior the 1500, churches existed with the focus being on the arts and depictions of the Gospel through paintings. The invention of the printing press changed all of this, and the focus shifted to the written and spoken word.
At this point in history, the design emphasized the pulpit and sermons more than ever before. It became more functional and less grandeur. This can be seen frequently in church building design in the Northeast or New England. A small, rectangular church building with pews and a pulpit, but nothing more dramatic is common because it was at this time places of worship were first built in America. However, from about 1850 to 1920, a shift occurred again. The arts were thought of as "high society" and they were reintroduced. Music became an important part of worship, and theater style seating for the masses was introduced.
The building represents cultural changes throughout history. As the way society and Christians themselves viewed the church, the way they looked changed as well. Nehemiah 2:5 says "And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it." There is of course form and function to be considered when choosing a church building, but the importance of what the building evokes from within a person is also relevant to church building design.
Styles can vary dramatically and have developed over the years. Historically, church buildings in Europe were elaborate cathedrals with stained glass windows and intricate woodwork and stonework. When people envision a church building design, they see the pulpit front and center of the room, lots of pews or seating facing the pulpit, and an area similar to a stage behind the pulpit. This has not always been the case. Prior the 1500, churches existed with the focus being on the arts and depictions of the Gospel through paintings. The invention of the printing press changed all of this, and the focus shifted to the written and spoken word.
At this point in history, the design emphasized the pulpit and sermons more than ever before. It became more functional and less grandeur. This can be seen frequently in church building design in the Northeast or New England. A small, rectangular church building with pews and a pulpit, but nothing more dramatic is common because it was at this time places of worship were first built in America. However, from about 1850 to 1920, a shift occurred again. The arts were thought of as "high society" and they were reintroduced. Music became an important part of worship, and theater style seating for the masses was introduced.
The building represents cultural changes throughout history. As the way society and Christians themselves viewed the church, the way they looked changed as well. Nehemiah 2:5 says "And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it." There is of course form and function to be considered when choosing a church building, but the importance of what the building evokes from within a person is also relevant to church building design.
Church Building Design
![]()
Reviewed by Anonymous
on
10:18 PM
Rating:
