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Church architecture in America is as diverse as America itself. Yet all worship centers, from image-rich Gothic sanctuaries to deliberately understated auditoriums, show the influence of history, culture, tradition, and theology. They also suggest a variety of options. With all of that choice, how can a congregation begin to plan a worship building?

Bruce Wardell, an architect in Charlottesville, Virginia, who has walked many congregations through construction, says the first question a congregation should ask is not about buildings. Rather, it should ask, "What does it mean to worship together?"

Many evangelicals recognize the importance of community, Wardell explains. But they have little understanding of why they gather together to worship God as a church. "We have lost the reason for worship," he says.

Wardell has created for such Christians a slide presentation that shows how the concept of a place of worship developed during Old and New Testament times. After the presentation, Wardell challenges people to take a close look at their assumptions about worship. In almost every denomination, liturgical traditions and theology have combined to produce a particular focus for worship, Wardell says. He suggests Christians should learn to listen without partiality to the call of God in Scripture and to let that inform their traditions of worship.

A congregation should then examine the specific characteristics of its own group. For example, with 60 musicians in a growing congregation of 600, Preston Wood Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, decided that the central focus of its worship was music and song. Correspondingly, the congregation decided that its new worship center would include ample space for a choir and orchestra, and that it would put them close to the congregation as a reminder of unity in praise.

An emphasis on congregational participation influenced Christ Community Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, to design a sanctuary that was wider than it was long. That shape will encourage greater awareness of the corporate group gathered for worship.

Congregational focus can affect decisions about acoustics, too. Worship space can be designed to emphasize congregational involvement, or it can be designed like a lecture hall, which maximizes sound at the lectern and dampens what goes on in the audience.

Churches should also think through the importance and placement of various symbols within a worship environment. They should ask: What sacraments should be prominent? Does preaching take precedence over worship? Will crosses or banners be part of the interior? How will necessary features like raised platforms affect the experience of corporate worship? What should be the first thing people notice when they enter a structure to worship?

Answering those questions should help clarify the reasons why you come together for worship, the importance of those gatherings, and how all of that affects your building plans.

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