Four FAQs about stackable church chairs for the growing church
1. What’s the best chair for the budget-minded?
2. What about used chairs?
3. What type of chair will last?
4. What are the best chairs for children?
For most churches the choice of chairs sits squarely on one deciding factor: budget.
Lower cost is the reason most churches are opting to use flexible seating rather than a fixed arrangement such as pews or theater seats.
The cheap seats
Seats on the cheap begin with metal folding chairs.
Bob Russell, senior minister of Southeast Christian Church said he remembers the cheap seats on his first visit to the congregation that now numbers more than 24,000. Forty years ago the church was meeting in the basement of a small house in Louisville, Ky. — read folding chairs.
Churches all have to start somewhere.
A recent BizRate shopping search revealed prices for these collapsible creations range from $10 to $30 each.
But even on the cheap churches can still maintain a clean and orderly appearance to their space. Russell also remembers being impressed with excellence during his first visit to Southeast. Church health experts agree that visitor’s first and second impressions of their facilities should be a high priority.
Most people tell others about Jesus by inviting them to church, Russell said, "That’s why excellence is so important."
Used chairs
Your church may be able to upgrade from a folding chair to a stackable chair or another variety by buying used.
A recent Internet search found 1,000 theater seats being auctioned on ebay by a large congregation in Aliso Viejo, Calif. According to the site, not only are the chairs being offered at a fraction of the cost of new chairs, the proceeds from the sale will be used to support the www.KingdomFlight.org orphanage in Juarez, Mexico.
Another Web site, www.usedpews.org, was set up as a volunteer ministry to bring buyers and sellers of used church seating together. But as the name suggests, most of what you’ll find there are pews, with an emphasis on used.
Best-wearing stacking chair
Most churches today are interested in an upholstered stacking chair to work in new, multi-use spaces. Because these chairs are moved and stacked often they must be durable.
Chair frames must be strong to withstand stacking. Wood frames are strong, but generally more expensive and heavier than steel frames. The strength of steel-frame chairs depends on the gauge of steel used - the higher the gauge the stronger the frame.
Bertolini’s First Impressions Pew Stackers were awarded for design excellence in 2004 in part because the ergonomically designed chair also wears well. The chair features a frame of high tensile strength 1010 heavy-gauge cold-rolled steel and other sturdy features that the manufacturer is so sure about they offer a 20-year warranty that includes the polymer seat and back foundations.
Churches should be wary about skimping on cost when it comes to fabric, too. High-grade fabrics, which are also usually high dollar, simply last longer.
Stacking chairs come in a wide variety of styles, sizes and prices. The simplest (and smallest) designs are priced around $25 each. From there you can spend more on a larger seat, higher grade frames and upholstery. Mid-range styles average around $60 per chair. High end models, such as a solid oak stacking chair with upholstered seat and back that Adirondack Direct recommends for choir seating, range from $140 to $166 depending on the volume ordered. Book racks, pockets and other optional features cost extra. And don’t forget the shipping costs.
Best kid chairs
The preschool, nursery, and children's facility was deemed an important first impression by 36 percent of the formerly unchurched people interviewed by Dr. Thom Rainer and his research team.
"At first glance the relative level of importance may be understated," Dr. Rainer said, "since only about one-third of the respondents deemed preschool and children's facilities important. But when you consider that only about half of our respondents have young children, the responses of one out of three has a higher impact."
When it comes to seating for children’s ministries, Adirondack Direct has deals that even price watchers will appreciate. The company frequently runs Web specials. A recent search found plastic stacking chairs for kids priced down from $20 to $25 to $14.80.
Adirondack also offers a range of products and pricing, from a lifetime guaranteed all-wood chair for children, to an all-plastic chair children can stack themselves.
No matter what chair you choose for your church, church health experts agree that you should consider others better than yourselves - namely visitors and the unchurched you are trying to reach. Excellence should be foremost in the decision.
"With testimonies such as the story of Southeast Christian and the dozens of stories told to us by the formerly unchurched," says Rainer, "the evidence is overwhelming: excellence does matter."
