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The Barna Research Group reports that 40 percent of visitors make up their minds about a church before they see the pastor. Since your narthex (also called the foyer or lobby) is the first part of the facility seen by visitors, what it says about your church is one key for prompting a return visit.

Historically, the narthex was kept as a small, dimly lit area to quiet people as they entered a place of worship. Today it has become a brightly lit area where people gather, greeting each other before the service and lingering to talk afterwards.

According to Linda Baxley, an interior decorator for ChurchPlaza, the narthex makes an immediate statement about the congregation's openness and friendliness. "If you have a 90-year-old woman with you, how would you feel if there is no place for her to sit while you park the car? Can guests readily find educational literature about church programs?"

Baxley reports that many churches are enlarging and refurnishing their narthex areas. Today's clients are more conscious of visual appeal and pick nice fabrics and bright, crisp colors. They are including logo designs through patterns inlayed in the tile, while pieces of acrylic hang from the ceiling, with backlighting to enhance the colors. Many new narthex designs have high ceilings, lots of glass, and are two stories with balconies and walkways.

The narthex is a gathering spot, and Walter Pollack of Adirondack Direct sees it as "a perfect communication location for utilizing wall and floor display units, reception furniture, bulletin boards, display shelving, and offering tables." He points out that it's also the perfect place for wall-mounted crosses, banners, and flags.

The greeter's booth has also become more popular in churches these days. The booth is manned before the Sunday service to welcome people and direct them to Sunday school rooms, children's programs, and the nursery.

Jeanie Swift of Trinity Furniture Company believes the most prominent need in a narthex is seating. "Most churches tell me they want their members and visitors to have a place to rest, visit, or fill out visitor information," she says. Trinity offers handcrafted chairs and benches in many styles including traditional, colonial, and gothic, all available in several stain colors.

According to David Cannon of L.L. Sams, "Appearance is important, so it makes sense to put custom furniture in the narthex." L.L. Sams's benches are made from red oak and have elaborate oak moldings. They can be stained to match other colors in the narthex.

An excellent solution to space-challenged areas is folding tables and seats that can be easily moved for quick storage. For churches with very small narthex areas, or that need to setup and take down narthex furniture regularly, Pollack recommends lightweight tables such as KI's DuraLite table, which is over 40 percent lighter than standard folding tables. Because of the extra handling, be sure the tables are well built. The DuraLite table has proven its durability, and is Adirondack's best selling table.

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