I really enjoyed reading this post. I have always had a fascination for cathedrals and older church buildings. I firmly believe that we should be wise with how we spend our money but I do feel like the church buildings of today try too hard to appeal to the world. One of the things that is so appealing to me about the older churches is how hard it is to be inside one and forget about the awesomeness of God. I feel like a lot of churches are trying hard to make God seem like a buddy who loves everyone than a God who demands reverence and respect. The building can often draw people one way or the other.
Just a few thoughts on the subject. Thanks for the post.

When C and I went to Italy, we were thoroughly amazed as to the architecture and design of the churches there. I had a mixed reaction at times, because I understand Luther’s disgust at the opulence and the bilking of the masses it took to build some of the churches, but there was the God-given talent and genius of artists such as Da Vinci (whose statue of David MUST be seen in person to be remotely understood, not to mention his Pieta and Moses) and Michaelangelo (I actually have a print of Michaelangelo’s Final Judgment - probably my favorite Christian painting - in my office). I’m a bit of a fan of “timelessness” and simplicity, where the architecture points and directs instead of overwhelms (I have been in churches - Protestant - where the intricate stained glass window distracted from the sermon). We may also need to keep in mind that funding is secondary - God will provide for what He wants built. I would suggest possibly an architecture that does what all of our preaching and teaching and service should do - point to the Cross.

I appreciate both of the posts above. As one of our elders put it, we don’t want Friday casual nor do we want Medieval dark/stark. Bottom line, what we have will communicate what we believe about God and worship to a large degree.

There are some things that, for most people, make a church “look like a church” and “feel like a church”, even if they can’t put their finger on it. But they know if it’s not there. Some of those things are:

The “hull of a ship” idea. Traditionally, the inside of a church has looked, in some ways, like an inverted ship. This is because of the symbolism of Noah’s Ark being a type of the church: we are saved from the waters of the flood by being part of the Body of Christ. That’s why you often see exposed beams inside churches. That’s also why the “long part” of the building (where the pews usually are) is called the Nave.

A center aisle. You only have to do one wedding without one to know how much it is missed if you don’t have one. Ditto double doors at the center in the back, which will be used in weddings and funerals.

A high-pitched roof gives “ring” to the building, which will encourage congregational singing (and make the preacher’s voice more sonorous!)

Windows - stained glass can be beautiful, but depending on who makes them, they can be very dark. Puritan churches had plain glass windows to emphasize the Light of God’s Word.

You already know how I feel about pulpits. The pulpit is the Throne for the Word of God. It should be prominent, if not imposing.

It might be worth your building committee and session’s time to tour Samford’s two chapels. Reid Chapel (the University chapel) is an austere, Puritan-influenced chapel. Plain but very beautiful at the same time. Hodges Chapel (the Divinity School chapel) is more ornate (murals on the walls and on the domed ceiling), but still very Reformational. You can probably find pictures of them online.

Just my three or four cents.

Thanks, John. Good thoughts.

From viewing the elevations and floor plan of the proposed building, it appears that you will have an elegant and functional church. The musician in me is glad to see that the platform behind the pulpit appears large enough to accommodate a number of different placements for the piano (sometimes the lid may need to be up, which will mean positioning the piano others ways than shown). Numerous “escape routes” for musicians are always appreciated, so the door connecting to the classroom 142 (which can serve as a kind of green room) will be useful. I can’t tell from the plan if the multipurpose room 138 also connects to the platform area. If not, that might be a good idea.

You do know about permanently mounted piano “spider trolleys”? http://www.balaams-ass.com/piano/trolley.htm That will make moving the piano around on the platform easier (especially on carpet).

Cap’n, thanks for the encouragement and helpful suggestions. We’ll definitely need to look into the trolley you mention.