Topic
Church Buildings
The church’s body is made up of many members, and for many of those members, the building they worship in is of vital importance. Though congregations may not always be able to dictate what their worship space looks like, more and more churches use architecture to reflect their mission. Church buildings can also be a significant source of conflict: numerous legal battles over church land and buildings occur each year, particularly as individual congregations split away from their denominations.
Theology in Wood and Concrete
Six Protestant churches that strive to match form with faith.
May 29, 2009
Keeping Holy Ground Holy
A new survey suggests that seekers are not looking for user-friendly, mall-like buildings.
May 29, 2009
Land and Building Wars
A handful of parishes win the right to keep their property, but legal experts don't know if their cases are setting a precedent.
January 12, 2010
More on Church Buildings
Pastors Push Back Against 'Annual Registration Fee'
One Illinois city says it's charging churches a fee, but church leaders call it an unfair 'tax.'
April 18, 2013
Chances Improving for Ex-Episcopalians in Property Fights
Court cases in Texas and South Carolina could reshape other disputes—and denominations.
February 20, 2013
Churches: Take a Lesson from the Postal Service
In today's change-or-die culture, we must adapt.
February 18, 2013
Sacrilege Is Real
Why so many Christians saw Pussy Riot's Russia stunt as more than a protest.
October 11, 2012
Why Churches Worship Illegally—In Paris
Evangelical churches are multiplying but lack space to grow.
October 9, 2012
Should Churches Display the American Flag in Their Sanctuaries?
Observers weigh in on patriotic piety.
July 5, 2012
New York City Churches Will No Longer Be Evicted from Public Schools—For Now
A district court judge today issued a permanent injunction order in the Bronx Household of Faith case.
June 29, 2012
Discipling the Eyes Through Art in Worship
The visual arts can play a powerful role in worship—if we look closely enough.
April 27, 2012
You Can't Worship Here: Evicting Churches from New York Schools
What will really happen this weekend when churches gather in school buildings for the last time?
February 8, 2012
Shouwang Showdown, 15 Weeks In
Members of one of China's largest house churches continue to meet amid arrests.
July 20, 2011
U.S. Appeals Court: Schools Can Ban Worship
Ruling says New York ban on church services doesn't discriminate against expression. But legal scholars say the decision is unlikely to stand.
June 9, 2011
Should the China Ambassador Worship at a House Church?
Observers discuss whether the U.S. ambassador to China should worship at an unregistered church to 'publicly identify with the persecuted.'
May 31, 2011
Economic Bell Tolls for Nation's Church Steeples
Steeples may have outlived their times as signposts. People hunting for a church don't scan the horizon; they search the Internet.
May 5, 2011
Why Beijing's Largest House Church Refuses to Stop Meeting Outdoors
Shouwang vows to continue showdown until Christmas in hopes of ending Achilles' heel of unregistered churches: government pressure on landlords.
April 26, 2011
Share Sacred Spaces?
Observers discuss whether churches should lend worship space to other religions.
March 17, 2011
Bricks and Moratoriums: Zoning Out Churches
Economy impacts churches' battles to build.
February 28, 2011
Why We Opened Our Church to Muslims
A response to "Muslims in Evangelical Churches."
January 27, 2011
Suffering and Rejoicing in a Haitian Tent Camp
What I learned in this church surpasses anything I've seen at a stunning cathedral.
January 12, 2011
Muslims in Evangelical Churches
Does loving your neighbor mean opening your doors to false worship?
January 3, 2011
The Art of Glory
Cape Cod's newly completed Church of the Transfiguration embodies the belief that beauty can nurture our communion with God.
October 20, 2010
Mosques in Middle America: The Next Christian Response to Islam
The strain of religious diversity tests Christians' own principles.
September 10, 2010
Are Muslims the Enemy?
Some activists argue that the proposed mosque in New York City should move because Muslims remind us of terrorists. Plus, many defend the President's Christian faith.
August 27, 2010
Freedom? Yes! Mosque? No!
The issue isn't just freedom, say some champions of religious liberty.
August 13, 2010
Testing Property and Prisoner Protections
The 2000 Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act takes shape.
July 29, 2010
The Lord Who Acts Like It
Where did we get the idea that the church should be a place that makes people feel comfortable?
June 10, 2010
Churches Scramble to Meet FCC Rules on Wireless Mics
The Federal Communications Commission recently mandated that anyone using wireless microphones on the 700 MHz band must stop.
June 3, 2010
Land and Building Wars
A handful of parishes win the right to keep their property, but legal experts don't know if their cases are setting a precedent.
January 12, 2010
Welcome the Exceptional
Churches that embrace people with disabilities do more than they imagine.
January 4, 2010
Crazy Passion
Francis Chan keeps pushing and pushing to make more and more disciples.
October 16, 2009
Should Multisite Campuses Be Church Plants Instead?
Church leaders and observers weigh in on a current debate.
September 29, 2009
Reveling in the Mystery
Sometimes in order to see God, we have to learn to not know him.
September 17, 2009
Keeping Holy Ground Holy
A new survey suggests that seekers are not looking for user-friendly, mall-like buildings.
May 29, 2009
Theology in Wood and Concrete
Six Protestant churches that strive to match form with faith.
May 29, 2009
Popcorn in the Pews
Movie theaters are the new churches. Some congregations plan to stay.
January 14, 2009
A Good Time to Launch a Church Building Campaign?
Advice on expensive church projects in a time of economic turmoil.
October 16, 2008
Churches Begin Cleanup after Ike
Some congregations worry that storm fatigue could cause exodus.
September 23, 2008
Virginia Judge Sides with Breakaway Episcopal Churches
Decision confirms April ruling in favor of Falls Church et al., saying the 1867 law that would allow them to retain property is constitutional.
June 30, 2008
The Sale of Britain's Churches Should Cause an International Outcry
Churches are national art in a way that Titian's magnificent Diana and Actaeon never was. (HuffPo)
Pastor leaves his flock and a failed expansion project behind him
At first glance, it seems like a tragic but familiar tale of a church getting too ambitious, growing faster than it ought. But Douglas Lay, a former pastor at the church, is among those who tell a different story. (Post-Dispatch)
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