Vendors of pews or chairs have no problem calling their products just that. However, there is another form of church seating that vendors are a bit sensitive about. This type of seating has been called opera seating, movie seating, auditorium seating, theater-style seating, and theater seating. The reason vendors are sensitive and not sure what to call their products is that all of these designations, as well as the seating itself, originate in the secular rather than the church market.

But there's probably no real cause for concern. Worshippers don't know what they're called. And church administrators really don't care—as long as they're adapted to fit with their church. So let's just call them theater seating, and keep the connotations of comfort and style.

ChurchPlaza and Irwin Seating
Maybe from a distance all theater seat products look similar, or even identical. But the truth is revealed on closer examination that seating manufacturers continue to fine-tune their products for the church market.

ChurchPlaza, Inc., of Sarasota, Florida, offers theater seat products made by Irwin Seating Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Tom McElheny, CEO of ChurchPlaza, praises Irwin Seating for constantly developing innovative new products and technology.

For example, seats with different back heights have been developed for tiered seating toward the back of the sanctuary and in the balcony, and for stadium-style rather than sloped-floor seating. "These developments are driven by the Americans With Disabilities laws which regulate the amount of slope and call for better sight lines," McElheny says. He adds that back heights are altered to allow for the proper sight lines. Depending on where you are sitting, the seatbacks can have a different height.

In addition to varying the back heights, Irwin offers four different styles of seatbacks. "The first and most popular choice, about 80 percent, is the plastic back," says McElheny. "It is very durable, very cleanable, and the chair looks good for years to come." Plastic laminate, which is both durable and economical, is a second choice. A solid wood back presents a look appropriate for more formal liturgical settings. Finally, an upholstered seatback gives a "softer" look on entering the auditorium, McElheny says, but does not provide the long-term wear of the other options.

End panels are available in a wide variety of shapes and materials including wood, wood veneer, plastic, laminate, and upholstered. "You can do nice architectural features to match the rest of the sanctuary," says McElheny. He adds that armrest material can also be chosen to complement the design. Popular choices are maple and oak. Irwin also has one option for flip-up armrests that is useful for family situations with young children and for the larger person.

Irwin offers a choice of three different "rides," from a firm, ergonomic seat to a soft, La-Z-Boy-like seat, and one in between. The seat uplift is silent, to do away with the clangs and clatter common with many theater seats.

McElheny also emphasizes the durability of Irwin Seating products. They are tested and certified by the independent Business and Industry Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA). "Our CAM seats are certified to 400,000 lifts," he says. Many of the different style seat components are interchangeable. "You can mix and match different components to customize to meet requirements of budget, aesthetics, and worship style," says McElheny.

Bertolini
"Church customers are looking for a contemporary look and feel that's different from pews, but more permanent than stackable seating," says Bruce Prock, executive director of sales and marketing for Bertolini, Inc. in Chino, California. Prock agrees that theater seat products for a worship setting can be differentiated from those used in a cinema. He says that in a sanctuary, you don't want to look out on "a sea of harsh plastic." He points out that Bertolini's upholstered seatbacks drop down for a "softer look."

Bertolini has started offering a seat that does not lift itself. "What churches have been running into," says Prock, "and a complaint we've heard from pastors, is that with the lift chair, people don't have any place to put their Bible, purse, or other belongings when they stand up. So these items often end up on the floor, and people can find a footprint on their $70 Bible."

With this option, the seat does not flip up when a person stands. Belongings can be put on the seat. This is especially appreciated after a service, when people like to stand around and chat before going home.

Series USA
"About five years ago we saw an opportunity in the church market for a theater seat design that would maximize ministry objectives," says Ron Ogden, vice president of marketing for Series USA in Warsaw, Indiana. Series is an international firm established in Columbia, South America in 1982.

Ogden believes that the fast-growing demand for theater seating in the church market relates to stewardship and space efficiency more than issues of style and comfort. "A properly designed product with self-lifting seats will simply provide more seat capacity per square foot of building and more efficient traffic flow than any other seating product available," he says. "Ultimately, the value of self-lifting seats will always be inseparably linked to the value of real estate."

According to Ogden, the difference in value between one theater seat and another can be estimated, in part, by the dimension of the seat envelope (the front-to-back dimension required for a seat in the lifted position). Ogden explains that the design of Series seats reduces the envelope dimension to just over 16 inches compared to the industry average of about 21 inches, providing more passage between rows.

Series has focused their design efforts on eliminating some of the common objections associated with theater seating such as noise, maintenance, and arm dividers. Ogden says they have also eliminated molded plastic exteriors on the back and underside of the seat. He explains that the molded plastic exterior presents a more institutional appearance that tends to scratch and scar more readily than an upholstered surface. It is Series' experience that the preferred exteriors in churches and performing arts venues are upholstery, plastic laminates, and wood.

Sauder
Known for high-quality wood pews and church furniture, Sauder Manufacturing Company of Archbold, Ohio has also entered the theater seating market. "We have 70 years of church seating experience, and now we've teamed up with a partner who has 35 years of theater seating experience," says Tony Warncke, marketing and product development manager. Some of the main features of this new seating, which was just launched in April 2005, include very few moving parts, so it's easy to assemble, install, and maintain. "The seat was designed with a very ergonomic contour design, and high-quality, high-density molded foam," Warncke says.

Warncke adds the seating has a very compact form with tight envelope spacing, has a noiseless gravity lift, and is also available in an armless configuration. "The separate components are renewable for easy repair, and the pull-off covers can be easily changed for a change of style," he says.

Seating Concepts
Seating Concepts, LLC in San Diego is a global seating company that brings 88 years of seating experience to the church marketplace. Pete Paffrath, eastern region worship sales manager, says his company offers theater seats customized for churches through features such as the design of end panels, upholstery, and church logos. Retractable armrests are available on some models.

Available accessories include book holders, either for the seat back or for under the seat base, communion cup holders, and a variety of arm styles. Seats can even have a rocking motion. Seat pans are vented to allow the foam cushion to breath as it is compressed and expanded. Seat backs can be injection-molded plastic, upholstered, laminated, wood veneer, or a combination of laminated and upholstered. Seating Concepts maintains a product showroom at their offices in San Diego.

Theater seating has hit the church market in a powerful way. All these providers recognize the demand for their products in sanctuaries across the United States. With the variety of products and options available, you have every reason to investigate theater seating for your renovation or new facility.

Thomas G. Dolan is a freelance writer who writes on a variety of business subjects.