About the journey in faith as Christian followers

about the journey in faith as Christian followers

There is an idea prevalent in today’s churches that in order to develop a sense of community, more than just a five-minute fellowship ritual in the service, a coffee hour in between services, or potluck dinner afterwards is necessary for the parishioners’ lives to genuinely intersect. Spaces are needed where the members of a church community can gather to share honestly about the journey in faith as Christian followers.

There are very profound implications for church architects when it comes to designing a church, whether the church community is building a church home for the first time, remodeling the structure they already have, or are putting on an addition.

As few as 10 to 15 years ago, the typical plans drawn up by a church design architect contained a narthex/lobby area that was much smaller in size. The space acted more as a way to funnel members to other church spaces or to or from the exterior entry points. Under the old design, although it was possible for members to stop and talk following service, few actually did to avoid causing a traffic jam at key areas. Most would simply avoid the bottleneck and leave quickly to go and pick up the kids and go home immediately after service. Any discussions or other social interaction would have to wait for the potluck suppers to avoid crowding or standing in someone else’s way.