The Future of Church Buildings Revealed

A leading Christian magazine - CHRISTIANITY - has recently called for the design of “the church of the 21st Century”, as reported by Premier Christian Radio. The design of a renowned architect, Paul Chapman, will be published in the October issue of the magazine.

Across the whole UK, grand and historical church buildings can be easily found. However, for most Christians, the church is no more than a place for worship and the holding of religious ceremonies. Some surveys have revealed the alarmingly low percentage of Christians that are attending church worship. The design of the church for the 21st Century from Chapman reveals his deep reflection of the needs of modern Christians and the changing face of Christianity.

The key feature of Chapman’s design is a contemporary exterior, adopting a “shop window” approach to attract passers-by. In the view of changing the impression of the church as something irrelevant to people’s life, “the church of the 21st century” will no longer be decorated by luxurious portray and art work.

“Buildings that are contemporary and modern counter this impression... My designs are transparent, attractive and inviting... views in and out should be maximised, including into the main worship area.” he explained, “The transparency and lighting design will cause the building to glow on dark evenings, like a lighthouse or beacon.”

The design may have echoed similar messages from a newly published booklet named “Creating a Culture of Welcome in the Local Church”. Written by an Anglican pastor, it says that churches could learn from organisations such as McDonald’s about how to welcome people.

The author warned against the problem of churches nowadays: “Giving the impression that the Church is only for those who already belong is detrimental to the ministry Christ set before us.” The book concludes that churches must stimulate concern for the stranger and build communities.

In addition, to accommodate an expanding congregation, Chapman added that the new church will be “a design that allows for expansion both horizontally and vertically.” This requires external walls that are easily demountable, and a structure that allows for additional floors.

Cost cutting, environmental protection and energy saving are some other main factors of concern. Chapman suggested some ways of offsetting the cost of the building, for example, offering short-term letting of the building for residential, retail or commercial use; running a bookshop and coffee bar or providing accommodation services to outside organisations.