Architecture & Purpose in the Church
I was watching the News Hour last night on PBS. They had a story about the Nelson-Adkins art museum in Kansas City. They recently had to expand by building a new building. If you are familiar with the Nelson-Adkins you know that it is a very classy and classical building. There was great apprehension about how adding a new building would impact the classic architecture of the old. How can new and old blend together?
It got me thinking. I recently had an epiphany. I have been fascinated by architecture, especially church architecture for some time now. Consider, if you will, the architecture of churches fifty years ago and the architecture of today. They are really a study in contrasts. I was asking a friend recently if the contrast went deeper than just architecture.
Churches, say fifty years and older, often have a big problem in today’s church culture. There isn’t adequate space or facility for the types of ministry prevalent today. Typically, the church is a handsome brick or stone building with a large and often beautiful sanctuary. It typically has lovely stained glass windows, a powerful pulpit and an admirable altar. Most often it even has a stalagmite like steeple. There might be some classroom space in the basement.
Consider typical new construction churches. They are typically rather sterile environments. There are large and open, with very few permanent fixtures. The pulpit and altar are flimsy and easily movable. Everything is flexible. There is an abundance of foyer space, classroom space, kitchen space, office space, and the amount of multi-use space is astounding. Typically the exterior is barn-like, complete with steel roof and often steel walls. The buildings are a study in contrast.
What really strikes me is not the so much the shift in architecture that causes me to pause, but rather the shifting notion of church that I believe has motivated the architectural shift. It is quite clear that older churches were built primarily as a place where the people of God gathered to worship their God. It seems today that the church has become primarily a ministry center. The church of yesterday seems rooted and formed by their worship, and the church of today seems rooted and formed by their ministry.
I don’t think either are wrong. In fact, I think they are both necessary. It seems however that adequate attention to both has been an impossible task (especially with such limited resources). How do I create a space that captures the attributes of God (ie, holiness, eternity, creativity, beauty, mystery, awe, et al) and that tells His story, while at the same time allows for the incarnational nature of God reaching out and ministering to a world, all at the same time? Perhaps some day I shall enjoy the venture of church building!!! Until then I will have to settle for reflection and dreaming.
posted by EF + at 4:06 PM
4 Comments:
I think a big problem of accomadating both sides, the visual and the capacity, is that trhe Church will be very big usually. Remember that Raytown Baptist Church? It has 82 flat screen Tvs, big fountians and from what I hear a large, impressive sanctuary. But b/c it's also big, I hear stories all the time from school about disturbing things that go on there, b/c it's quite easy to hid. Stuff you don't you want hear. And when you try to make up for both, its hard so I think the church often times gets to big. So problems like that occur and its also harder to connect and witness and minister to a congregation that large. Just my ideat though
Eric, my sermon went very well. I think it was my best ever. My dad was so surpirsed. A lady from our church, who I really didn't know, said I could be the next Billy Graham, which made my head so big I floated to the ceiling.
NYC was good. The music was great, the speakers were awesome, and the vibe and images were incredible, but I left everyday feeling sick. Something just replused me. After every service, during the night after everyone had their hands in the air and praised God, they went to the streets, and not one gave anything to the near 15 homeless people on the streets. All I did was stare. I didn't really have any money, so all I could do was stare and smile wioth a greeting. But inside I was so convicted. And sick. jUST SO DISGUSTED. Not only at my fellow youths, but mainly at myself. I knew the sick feeling I had at myelf was probabaly similar to Jesus' feeling watching me be lukewarm. We were acting out the Church of Laodicea. It hurt me so bad.
Then we met this homeless guy named Mark. He asked for money, we decided to just take him to a grocery store. We feed him, and he enjoyed it. But I still felt a burden. You know, THIS IS NOT HOW OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST IS SUPPOSED TO BE. Not once in awhile giving our heart to worship and 'the end.'
Then a speaker I knew spoke. Interesting thing was that I knew him way beforehand by stumbling on him on youtube. He is probably my favorite preacher so it was a shock to know he was going to be speaking. He said how weird it would be for a football team to huddle, call a play and then after calling the play, go directly to the sidelines, and not begin the play. And he compared that example and applied it to the Christian Church, and how we are the exact same. I was cut to the heart. That was exactly how I felt. I was disgusted, but the message went on and without explaining it whole,I'll put it simply, I had hope I could change it. I knew I could. I was going to. This wasn't just some high I got from leaving Church, this was it.
I don't know if you know Cress Vanwyngarden, I think you might, but if not, he is our new youth pastor. The speaker, Francis Chan, left us while we silently prayed. Before the service I told Cress about how I felt; my anger, my sick, gut feeling. I seemed to be the only not enjoying eveything. The only one that was convicted so. He talked to me about a new ministry he hand in mind, where we bought 40 dbl. chesse burgers and went up to Downtown KC and handed them out to the poor, and I told him about the idea I had about volunteering at the soup Kitchens. After the service, Cress told me that while he was silently praying all he could think and hear was the ideas we had before, specifically the burger idea. He said it was now a calling.
NYC was good. But I think the more important thing I realized was that getting an emotional high at a service is good, but done in vain if you don't play out on the field. Nyc was just a huddle. It was all kind of a journey, not one I had anticapated. All fitting together. God was talking to me. I really did not want to be that convicted at the time, but I am happy I did. I can't tell you the joy that I have now that I get it. Church is not about the type of music, and not about even the high. And I disgusted me that here I was getting this high as everyone else, and then nothing else is done. That I believe is the biggest problem with churches today.The biggest problem is that we get a spiritial high, we get so full of love, but do nothing after 12, and we're ok with it. We're ok with being lukewarm hypocrites. But my call to ministry has been magnified now that I get it. Now that I get what the relationship with God is. It's not necessarily the service, it's what happens after. The works of it all. The whole Book of James ideals of faith without works is dead. I so what to have a church, or just any believer, and tell them what it really means now that I got it. Sorry for taking up so much room I just had to tell you, I GET IT.
Hope all is well Eric.
Nick,
Good to hear from you. I am glad things are going well, and that you are seeing the world as you are. Do me a favor. Don't let the way you see things get you down...don't let yourself become too critical. It is awesome to be able to see the injustice in the world, but don't become jaded. Become motivated.
Read the Old Testament prophets. Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Amos, Malachai, etc. The struggle was similar for them. Israel "worshipped" God, but as a nation neglected, the widows, the orphans, etc.
Check out Acts 6, same thing. It is easy to be a complainer (I've been there). It is much more difficult (and much for fulfilling & beneficial) to be a part of the solution.
I love the ideas that you and Cress have. Yes, I know him. He and Ashley are awersome. I should probably shoot him and email soon. Anyway, another option that I want to encourage you to check out is the Raytown Emergency Assistance Program. It is just off 350 behind the Jeep dealer. The director's name is Al Brown. Give him a call at set up an appointment to talk with him about what they do.
It is not nearly as adventerous as cheeseburger in the downtown, but it helps just as many people. It would be an easy bike ride for you to volunteer once a week. Al is a wealth of knowledge that we can learn from how to do this type of compassionate ministry.
I do want to give you a word of caution, but email me if you want to hear it.
I loved NYC too. I had many of the same thoughts as you. It is one reason it took me so long to decide to invest my life in the church. Investing it for God was not a problem, but I let myself become too critical. You can't change anything from the outside. BTW I still remember you giving the homeless guy $20 in Natchez. Follow your heart!
I think of how the church as parish has been lost because of a shift (or change) in culture--from what I can think of in no other "term" right now than the in-community to a drive-through community (and I'm not thinking fast food). I've heard stats that say people will drive as far to go to church as they are willing to drive to work. And for people in my community that can mean 45 minutes. Church used to speak to permanence. They were established and not going any where (I mean that in a positive way). Now, churches are mobile; they set up in "converted" store fronts. They rent school space or a theatre. Also, as neighborhoods change, churches relocate...and the commitment to a building is so passe. I think of this now as we are in this pre-emerging stage of a church plant and how this is going to affect us.
I also see the loss of sacredness of space to an efficient model of pragmatics: get as much use of out the space as possible--so the worship space can double as the fellowship hall (which can have a good theological point) and a gymnasium, etc. (Personally, I don't think the majority of churches actually really NEED a gym).
I think that there will be a "renaissance" in church architecture. Actually, I think it's going on now. Driving back from Nashville to DFW we saw two large, beautifully designed pentecostal churches in Little Rock. There is a very large UMC church in Southlake (an upscale suburb here) called Whites Chapel UMC and the church is gorgeous. But, typically, I'm seeing the great churches built by the churches that have "always" been committed to the building's architecture saying something theologically grand (Episcopalian, UMC, Catholic, etc). I've said too much. Bye.
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