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The type of seating you choose for your sanctuary or worship space really does matter. Consider these often-overlooked factors before making a final decision.

For their chapel renovation project, committee members at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan considered refinishing and reusing their existing pews. Maintaining the pews would provide continuity with the old chapel and their established sense of community. The committee also took a long look at changing to individual chairs, which would provide a more contemporary look and a flexible worship space that could be configured for any occasion. Committee members began to wrestle with how a choice of seating would impact the school's mission.

Any church constructing a new building, renovating current facilities, or deciding how to maintain the seating already in place faces the same type of decision faced by Calvin. The biggest mistake is to dismiss this as "only" a decision about seating. Don't do that—this is an important decision.

"The seating says something to the person who walks in," says Ed Bahler, CEO of the Aspen Group, a church design and build firm. The choice you make—pews, stackable chairs, or theater seats—depends on the kind of church you want to be, how the building will be used, aesthetics, ease of maintenance, and cost.

Seating experts and architects alike agree on a necessary first step in the seating selection process: determine a church's philosophy of ministry. From that, you can choose the type of seating that best expresses that philosophy. To emphasize traditional ministry, historical aesthetics, and increased community, pews will often be the choice. To take a deliberate step away from tradition, appeal to the individuality of people, and create an atmosphere that is more like a movie theater or concert hall, theater seats or stackable chairs are a more likely choice.

"The most significant issue that determines which of the three you will use is church culture," says Bahler. "It's not going to be cost. A more traditional church will go to pews regardless of what the costs are because pews represent a certain spirit or feel that's important to that church. On the other end of that spectrum would be theater seating, which represents an auditorium feel of performance and excellence. Stacked chairs are in between—they suggest flexibility."

Unless church development takes an unexpected turn and we end up worshiping on beanbag chairs, the primary sanctuary seating alternatives will remain the same: pews, portable stacked chairs, or fixed theater seats.

Pews create a sense of tradition within a sanctuary. Most pews are constructed from oak, but cherry and maple are other popular choices. Comfort can be added with the use of padded and upholstered seats and backs. Pews offer a more feasible choice for a church that is not concerned with flexibility or multiple uses of a room. They are bolted down, and are suitable for use on both flat floors and sloping floors.

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