Theater Seating Buying Guide
By Susan Link

The decision on the type of seating you want for your worship facility is difficult because of the variety of options available in today’s market. There is a wider variety of accepted and available seating choices for worship spaces now than just 10 years ago. Today, your decision is based not only on what products are available, but also the church’s philosophy of worship and its mission, along with the function of your church building. Today, the type of seating in a space helps create the worship environment and atmosphere.

There are many reasons why you may want to select theater or auditorium seating.

Individualized Space
You may have a desire to give each person their own defined seating space. Theater seating offers that individuality. You can take further advantage of the defined space by adding arms. Armless options still give each person a feeling of individualized space, and they enable families to remain close, even allowing a child to cuddle up to a parent without the restraint of an arm.

Ministry Focus
Another reason to choose theater or auditorium seating is that your ministry focus may be such that you do not want your worship area to look like a traditional church interior. Theater seating is typically an accepted style of seating by the mass market. It is comfortable and non-threatening, and it invites a relaxed atmosphere.

Room for Movement
Theater seating allows more room for egress and movement when the seats are in the up position if the typical 36-inch back-to-back seat spacing is used. A slim seat envelope (depth dimension when seat is in the up position) aids this available space.

Aisle and Seat Identification
Theater seating allows your church to provide seating for ticketed events. If your ministry includes concerts, performances, and speakers that require you to sell tickets or assign seats, you will need aisles and seats that are identified. Theater seating can also be easily equipped with aisle lighting, allowing for additional safety when the lighting is lowered.

You will want to make your seating type decision early in the process of the building plans, as the type of seating used affects the seating capacity. Seating capacity is an integral component in determining the size of the sanctuary, the amount of parking spaces, the quantity of restrooms, and other code requirements. Seating capacity can vary depending on the type and layout of the seating you choose, as well as the amount of space you allow per person.

Once you have decided to use theater or auditorium seating, your next step is to determine what criteria you will use to compare the products offered by the furniture companies you will be considering. This may seem like common sense, but a good set of criteria can help a congregation weather the many storms of the new construction or renovation process. The seating portion of your building fund is as big an investment and as much a part of your outreach as the audio/visual and sound equipment and building design. It is an investment that is seen and felt by each person in your congregation during each service and event. You will be able to tailor your seating to the needs of your facility and ministry, so you will want to consider the seating provider as a partner with you in this venture.

Here are the most commonly used criteria in evaluating the product and the seating provider.

Reputation, Quality, and Customer Service
The quality of the product begins with the quality and reputation of the furniture company with whom you are partnering. When you choose a partner for this investment, look for a company that is respected in the industry and has a reputation of good-quality, long-lasting products that meet the unique demands of the worship environment. The product components such as the frame, standards, foam, fabric, and accessories should meet all required performance specifications in the industry. Your seating provider can provide you with that documentation.

The quality of a product is not only derived from the product itself and its attributes but also from the services that are provided by the company. Knowledgeable sales consultants have extensive experience with the buying process and can assist you in this responsibility that you may only do once in your life. Rely on their expertise of their company’s products, scheduling, and installation services. Confirm that they offer CAD (Computer-Aided Design) services, enabling your architect to easily transfer the building layout to the furniture company so they can execute the furniture layout. This tool allows you to better plan your space, visualize it, and adjust the seating layout.

Consider how the furniture company manages your project. The facility construction process is very complicated. Many things can cause a project to be delayed – zoning permits, environmental studies, construction material shortages, sub-contractors not showing up on time, changes to the project, building codes, materials and products not arriving on time, weather, lack of available labor, unexpected challenges. How well a furniture company understands the construction process, and how well they work with you, will make all of the difference in your furniture arriving on time. Take the time to understand how each company will manage your project from beginning to end. Ask each company how they manage the manufacturing, delivery, and installation process. The time you invest in this area will save the embarrassment of holding your first service or event without your theater seating.

Does their warranty offer you confidence in the product’s endurance? Check out the financial condition of the company to ensure they will be around to honor their warranty. If a company offers a lifetime warranty, make sure you understand what a lifetime warranty means. It may mean the lifetime of the product. If that product has an expected life of 10 years, then the lifetime warranty is 10 years.

Product Function and Comfort
The furniture company you select should understand the worship space and manufacture products that will work well in this environment. In a worship setting, the congregation sits and stands several times during the service. This setting requires a quiet and predictable transition from sitting to standing. Therefore, look for a seat lift mechanism that harnesses the simplicity and reliability of gravity to ensure the seat quietly and consistently returns to its raised position time after time. A gravity lift system has no moving parts to loosen or fail over time.

Look for available accessories that allow you to accommodate the functions of your worship space, such as communion cup holders, book holders, card/pencil holders, drink holders, and seat numbering and aisle identification. Accessories can also include pew ends for those wanting to blend traditional accents. A lift-up arm or armless option will allow additional space for those who desire it, also allowing those who want to sit closer to do so. Unfortunately, buildings are not always built exactly to the building plan, so look for a theater seat that allows for adjustments on-site during final installation.

Take the time to truly sit in each sample you are evaluating for a period of time. The 30-second sit test is not a good indicator of how comfortable you will be during a service or event. Look for models that utilize a foam specification that will prevent breakdown over time, such as high-density, cold-molded foam. Cold-molded foam keeps its shape and texture and, subsequently, lasts longer. Other foams have two quality indicators: density and firmness. More foam does not mean that it is denser and firmer or more comfortable. Educate yourself on the quality of foam prior to reviewing company samples. Seats that are ergonomically contoured to fit the body and have optimal lumbar (lower back) support built in offer comfort to the widest range of people.

Ownership Cost
There are more considerations that go into the cost of your theater seating than just the price of the product alone. The price you pay should include a lifetime of worry-free use by partnering with a company that offers excellent customer service and public seating products designed for worship spaces. A product that is well designed with few parts to loosen or fail over time, while offering upholstery that is easily cleanable and even replaceable, can save you money over the lifetime of the product.

Good stewardship demands that you research your seating options. Look to your design/build firm, your architect, other churches, and seating sales representatives for the information you need to make the best seating decision for your worship environment.

Susan Link is the worship market manager for Sauder Worship Furniture, www.sauderworship.com.