That included pictures on the walls or ceilings, memorial pictures and “ill-conceived Bible scenes wrought into the windows.”
But he also addressed the importance of providing space for “meeting social demands” such as a “social room” that could be used for a number of purposes including banquets, lectures and “moving pictures or musicals.”
Technology has changed in order to keep people connected, but it is no less needed.
“Churches can underestimate the value and cost of … investment in technology,” said Dobbins. “Coming out of the pandemic, we all realized just how important it was to carry the message outside the walls of the church with live stream and broadcast capability.
“Churches should be prioritizing their investment in these technologies as having just as much importance as actual physical spaces.”
That aside, the experience of remote worship that many congregations had in the spring and summer of 2020 drove home the importance of being together in-person.
“Churches have figured out in recent decades that fellowship and connection happens in a more natural way when spaces are intentionally designed for that purpose,” said Dobbins. “New churches are designed to have enough commons space for people to connect.”
Goins has worked with churches to accommodate interesting requests and requirements. North Jacksonville (Fla.) had to design around an eagle’s nest. A South Carolina church incorporated an old airplane into their youth building.
Others want a link to the past even as they step forward into the future. A stained-glass window is carefully moved and placed within a wall or room of a new building. One small church asked Goins to design a simple, no-frills worship area that would have made P.E. Burroughs proud.
“The important thing for the church,” he said, “is to have a strong, clear vision. Their goal is to find ways to reach their community.”
This article originally appeared here.
