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The busiest place in church has few chairs and no couches. Yet we stand there and talk.

The busiest place in church is drafty and cold in winter and a sweatbox in summer. Yet we stand there and talk.

The busiest place in church has terrible acoustics. The noise can be deafening. Yet we stand there and talk.

The busiest place in church is where people love to congregate because it's where people cross paths. It's that space between the front doors of the church and the sanctuary, which has traditionally been called the narthex.

Historically the church narthex was a kind of chamber that people entered to prepare themselves for worship. The narthex was small, dimly lit, and directly adjacent to the church sanctuary. By its very design, it quieted people and directed them into the presence of God.

Over time, the function of this space changed. People began crowding into the church narthex prior to worship, greeting each other in the narthex between services, and lingering in the narthex after worship was over. Some churches fought the tendency of people to gather in the narthex. They stationed coffee pots in other rooms, trying to cajole church members and visitors to gather in areas furnished with comfortable seating, fireplaces, tables, and cozy lighting. But people still spilled out of those spaces (coffee cups in hand) to greet friends and new people in the narthex.

Meantime, the narthex itself did not make the transition in design, furnishings, or space to become the kind of warm, welcoming area in which people could fellowship with one another. All too many church narthexes are still small, dimly lit, bland spaces that you have to fight through on your way to someplace else.

Perhaps it's time to stop fighting what people naturally want to do and rethink this space we call a narthex. We should decide what the purpose of this space has become, then consider redesigning it to meet the needs of today.

As the church rediscovers the importance of community, architects are realizing the need to provide centrally located spaces of sufficient size and amenities to encourage church fellowship. They're expanding the walls of the church narthex to create wide-open spaces, such as atriums, that are brightly lit and welcoming. Some of these spaces are as large as the church worship space itself.

This kind of open area, referred to as a commons rather than a narthex, is where busy people can reconnect with friends or spend a few minutes relaxing with visitors after a service. It's a pleasant, inspiring place where people can grab a cup of coffee or snack, check out a church program, or register for an upcoming event.

For churches that value the ecclesiastical nature of the historic narthex, a small, quiet space is provided between the large commons or atrium and the entrance of the sanctuary.

Ideally, the new narthex, or church commons, should be large enough to accommodate several functions at one time. It should include conversational groupings of comfortable chairs, sofas, and cushioned benches where people can relax before or after a church service. It should include cafe tables and chairs and serving areas where people can help themselves to coffee or snacks.

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