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Are you sitting as you read this article? If so, let's hope you're not crammed into an airplane because that coach seat is adequate only for the most petite American adult.

Then there's the lumbar problem. Does your chair you're sitting on right now properly support the S-curve of your spine? We spend so many of our waking hours in the sitting position. Sturdy, ergonomically correct chairs will allow us to focus on work, to enjoy a movie, and to pay close attention to a sermon. Ergonomically incorrect chairs may make us fidget and lose interest.

Today many churches use worship space in a variety of ways, from programs and musicals to basketball games and church dinners. Pews in such spaces may be impractical to move or difficult to store. So, if you are building new fellowship space, you might want to check out the comfortable, flexible church chair.

Before you start envisioning poorly aligned rows of rickety folding chairs, however, you should know that the chair manufacturers we spoke to have served the church market for decades. Their chairs can be seamlessly ganged, comfortably sized, beautifully padded and upholstered, easily moved, and efficiently stored. The end result of a good chair investment will be to serve the needs of your community without breaking your budget or straining anyone's back.

When our parents and grandparents had a chance to sit down in a sanctuary, they probably weren't concerned that pews or chairs were designed more for economics than ergonomics. If you're not careful about the chairs you purchase today, however, you might hear more grumbling about comfort than what was spent on seating. Some of the factors that influence one's comfort level:

• Chair width. This is a key ingredient of chair comfort and ergonomics. Don Urch, a representative from North American Seating, says that you can in crease comfort by purchasing chairs with 20- or 21-inch frames instead of ones with 18-inch frames. The larger chair seat is wide enough to accommodate an average person's hips and thighs.

• Chair size. Architects who design new sanctuaries and meeting spaces usually specify chair width based on the maximum number of chairs allowed in a room. That number can be obtained from local safety authorities. If your congregation is growing rapidly or you plan to use chairs for both worship and dining, consider buying smaller chairs. Otherwise, it may be wiser to buy larger chairs.

• Chair pitch. If you've ever sat in the front row of a movie theater, you know how your neck feels after an hour or two of looking up. The ergonomic problem in this situation is pitch. Manufacturers offer various pitch angles on chair backs to meet the needs of different groups of people in a worship environment. For example, choir and orchestra members require a higher than average seating pitch (87 degrees), which positions them slightly forward for maximize use of the diaphragm. A pitch of 100 degrees allows people to lean back a little in a chair without reclining. This is a more comfortable position for sitting through a worship service or a long program.

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