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When Your Church magazine approached me about writing an article on the changing face of church design, I was thrilled about the opportunity to delve into this important issue.

But as I did my research—reviewing my own projects, talking with pastors and other architects—it at times seemed more like I was working on a thesis project than just an informative article! This subject matter can easily spin off in a number of directions, each equally interesting and significant when looking at a complete picture of the elements that influence trends in design.

When I approached pastors with questions regarding design trends and their thoughts on the matter, their responses were so varied that I soon found myself thrust into theological discussions better suited for a Bible college! Responses from pastors ranged from disappointment "with the apparent abandonment of the traditional designs in favor of designs that 'package' God to meet society's wants and desires" to support for more contemporary approaches "because they utilize 'less scary' designs that draw more people to the church to hear God's Word."

So, the question is, how can we continue to best constructively address the changing face of church design? Let's look at a few comprehensive factors.

Beginning with outside appearance, we all know that there has been a divergence from traditional church design over the years. Fifty years ago, the prevalence of outstanding and ornate church steeples was unmistakable. Now, while many such beautiful structures still provide a mainstay of ministry in many communities, a new church look often presides. Today, a drive down an area freeway may provide the sight of several warehouse-looking church buildings with attractive contemporary stained glass window-walls as highlighted features. And a jaunt to a main downtown intersection may put you within sight a half dozen storefront churches, scrunched between the local nail salon and McDonald's.

Without centering too much on the popular debate as to whether a church should look "traditional," there are other factors that continue to influence church design. Three of the top factors affecting design changes are cost, cost, and cost—of land, construction, and technology.

The cost of purchasing and developing land is one of the biggest challenges churches face today. Especially in larger urban areas, churches that want to grow or have outgrown their existing facilities are often forced to consider spending exorbitant amounts of money to purchase available land (if it even exists nearby), moving to a larger piece of property, or changing their design vision so their structure can fit into available local space. As the costs of real estate and construction continue to escalate, churches must often seek new and different means that allow them to grow without incurring insurmountable costs.

Now the question becomes: Is "old" always better and "new" always bad? Not necessarily. We are directed to be smart stewards of the resources God has blessed us with, and if newer construction methods, materials and technology can be utilized to further ministry, it is wise to at least consider them.

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