The look and feel of church is changing. Churches today feature high-tech sound systems, big-screen production and spectacular lighting. They open their doors to the community for drama and entertainment. Church leaders often focus on how to make their buildings places that are inviting to people who normaly shy away from them.
The trend in church design is to allow optimal use of buildings. Sanctuaries double as
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WHAT'S IMPORTANT |
While it may seem church leaders are simply trying to look less like a church in order to be more "seeker friendly," the motivating factor is less complicated: Money.
Kenneth Kaiser, owner of Chancellor Manufacturing Inc., said it simply doesn’t make sense to build separate buildings for worship, recreation and fellowship.
"Church leaders realized it was not possible to build a building, put in fixed pews and use it for just three hours a week," said Kaiser, a 38-year veteran of the worship-seating industry.
"No longer is the church used only for worship services," he said. "The suburban church, if it builds on the outskirts of an expanding community, finds it is a 24-hour-a-day church. It must offer recreation, such as basketball, volleyball and rollerblading. It must
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-- Kenneth Kaiser, |
You get two buildings for the price of one.
Most church budgets cannot support building a separate facility for such non-worship functions.
"Therefore, the church must become multi-purpose, and still keep worship the primary purpose of the building," he said.
The move to multi-purpose facilities is not only logical, it is good stewardship, Kaiser said. Since congregations are not building separate buildings for worship and recreation, they are maximizing the amount they do spend on construction.
"You get two buildings for the price of one," Kaiser said.
Too Many Options?
Once the building committee decides a multi-purpose design is the way to go, it must work its way through myriad seating options. Should chairs be metal-frame or wood? Lumbar support, seat cushion and degree of recline are design features that also must be considered.
So, how do all of these factors figure into the purchasing decision process?
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-- Jim Couchenour, |
"Actually, I think it is improving it because it just gives you more options to choose from," said Jim Couchenour, director of marketing and ministry for design/build firm Cogun of North Lima, Ohio. "It lets you specialize in what kind of space you’re wanting to create."
For example, if a church has a strong drama ministry, the building committee might want to go with more of a theater chair arrangement.
"But, then if you are thinking about more of a real multi-ministry kind of building, where on Sunday you’re going to have worship service and on Monday night you’ve got a volleyball league, then obviously you’re going to want to go with a non-fixed seating."
While such options may seem daunting compared to deciding which style of pew end to choose, Couchenour said church leaders should not let the plethora of choices intimidate them.There is plenty of information out there to help buyers customize seating applications to their particular needs.
The Science of Comfort
While most discussions of chair design and ergonomics — the study of how to design tools, furniture and other items to better fit the human form — focus on office equipment, experts say buying ergonomically sound worship seating is important.
"It’s doubtful that people sit on church seats for long enough to cause a back injury," said Alan Hedge, Ph.D., a Cornell University ergonomics professor and director of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Laboratory, in an article published by Church Business magazine.
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-- James Sewell, |
"However, for people with back injuries, even an hour on a chair that’s uncomfortable can be too much," he added.
James Sewell, owner of Church Furnishings and Accessories in Birmingham, Ala., said ergonomic study has had an effect on worship furniture.
"The office furniture and automobile industries have spent millions of dollars on ergonomic studies, and churches benefit from that," Sewell said. "We’ve taken advantage of that information."
Lumbar support, achieved with subtle curves in the seat’s backrest, is an important purchasing consideration. The curve helps prevent the lower spine from flattening against the chair back. Some chairs even let users adjust the size and firmness of the support and many feature large enough supports to benefit the mid and upper back.
Sewell said recline is also a factor to consider. Typically, chairs have a 3- to 5-degree negative pitch when the object is to keep the person, such as a choir member, sitting upright and alert. A 10- to 15-degree recline is frequently used for the semi-reclined chair that typically seats the congregation.
The Bottom Line
With so many types and styles of chairs to choose from, buyers can expect a wide range of pricing.
"There are a lot of different grades of chairs," said Cogun’s Couchenour. "I think if we were looking at the relative difference between chairs, pews and theater seats, chairs would be, per person, the least expensive. Then it would go pews and then theater seating."
Metal-frame chair prices can range anywhere from about $25 to $30 for the bottom range on up to $70 to $80 at the top range. Pew prices would start at about $80 and wood chair prices would start at about $90. Bottom-end theater seats would start between $100 and $120. Available options determine top-end prices of all seating.
Because there are so many options and prices, buyers would be wise to do their homework. Sales representatives should be able to supply the names of churches using their seating products and, if possible, buyers should take a "test drive."
Most experts would caution buyers to examine seating at the bottom end of the price scale carefully.
"You get what you pay for," said Chancellor’s Kaiser.
He noted that churches opting for multi-purpose configuration should consider the amount of money their decision is saving them on building costs and be willing to reinvest some of that savings by buying seating on the upper end. "At $100, you are getting a very fine product," he said.
A church that plans one facility for worship, recreation and fellowship can actually build for as little as one-third the cost of constructing separate buildings.
"The thing that makes it work is the furniture," Kaiser said. "Even if you have to spend an extra $10,000 on the furniture," you have probably saved enough by combining facilities to justify the cost.
Kaiser has long championed multi-purpose facilities as a means for congregations to get the greatest good for their dollars.
"The biggest factor is money. There is no second. The driving force is money and good stewardship — utilizing your money properly," he said.
