Earlier this year, G. L. Johnson of Peoples Church in Fresno, California, announced to his congregation that he would be stepping down as pastor of the church he has led since 1963. In 2008, as Pastor Johnson reaches his 80th birthday and his 45th year as the church's leader, he will turn the reins over to someone new. 
  
But it isn't likely anyone in this church will soon forget Pastor Johnson's leadership. His influence can be felt throughout the congregation and throughout its campus, which has been built under his leadership. The chapel at Peoples Church, which has a mile-long list of brides waiting to hold their weddings in the facility, even bears his name. The G.L. Johnson Chapel, with its old-fashioned facade, mixed with upscale interior touches—like crystal chandeliers, cherrywood appointments in the groom's room and a similarly elegant bridal suite—is one of Fresno's hottest wedding choices.
  
"These (special touches) are things that don't cost a fortune, but create such excitement," noted Darrell Howe, whose firm, Darrell Howe and Associates, designed the chapel, as well as the church's music suite and main worship center.
  
Howe's firm, located in Woodland Hills, California, was originally selected to renovate the music suite for the church, which is known for its strong music programs. This $2.3 million music suite connected to the main building's north lobby, which also underwent renovation. The lobby was transformed with towering ceilings, recessed lighting, warm and inviting colors and lots of glass to create an open and inviting feel.
  
Next came the redesign of the 2,000-seat worship center, which included orchestra-style seating; large, rear video projection screens; a recessed orchestra pit; and soft lighting.  Sand-blasted Plexiglas was installed as a modesty panel above the orchestra area, covering up all wires and speakers and such, yet keeping the area light and airy. 
  
Right in the center, on a rounded pedestal, is the pulpit from which Pastor Johnson delivers his weekly sermons.
  
"Whenever I design a church, I think of it like a movie production," said Howe, who previously worked in movies and television. "The church is the producer and I am the director."
   
He asks that churches send him video of the pastor preaching, as well as of the choir, orchestra or any other special performance ministries the church uses often. He takes all of this into consideration when designing the perfect showcase for each particular church.
  
"A church needs to reach out, to say, 'Come in.  We want to love you,'" he noted. "It has to have warmth and excitement. You cannot be afraid to think out of the box."
  
Howe said he was one of the first designers in California to put fireplaces in church lobbies, just to add to the warmth and comfort people feel when they enter the doors.
  
"Churches face a fine line when they set out to take care of the elderly and minister to young married couples," he said. "Church is not a private club, and all people have to feel welcome when they enter its doors."
  
Howe himself is not an architect, but simply realized early on that he had a gift for design. He employs a staff of architects who make his creations come to life.
  
One of those creations is the 400-seat, Vermont-inspired G.L. Johnson Chapel, located on the Peoples Church campus. The church wanted to create a small, intimate chapel facility, but had in mind that it might be located at the rear of the main church building or somewhere off to the side.
  
Howe, however, envisioned the chapel sitting adjacent to the main worship center, the two facilities a lesson in contrast. The imposing, ultra-modern worship center would be jettisoned with the quaint, old-fashioned charm of the chapel, with its tall, traditional, white steeple.
  
"I really fought to have the chapel there," recalled Howe. "At first, they didn't like the idea, but they finally gave in. Everyone has been pleased with the result. It's eclectic and has a good feel. It just works."
  
Howe believes the warmth the chapel adds to the church's exterior is a welcoming sign for guests.
  
"In today's world, we're all in the fast lane, with fast food and fast everything else," he said. "When a guest comes into a church, he's got to feel the warmth. A church has to get to him, to peel his heart down like a grape. He's got to be opened up like a sponge to receive the message."
  
Howe said that is his intention to create a space that fosters this sense of warmth. He believes the churches he designs set the mood to inspire people to be open to the message they will hear in the services inside. And, he said, no two churches are ever the same, so their facilities should not be the same. What works for one church will not necessarily be right for another.
  
That's why he treats each project like an entertainment production, to help each individual church showcase its strongest points—be it a charismatic minister, a world-class choir, or a rocking, contemporary music program. But the idea is not to highlight the minister or music program for its own sake. Rather, the idea is to highlight the ministry in the way that will make it most appealing, in order to bring the most people to Christ.
  
After all, people come to church to hear a message and be inspired. The right setting can make a big difference in whether or not that happens.
  
"The design of the church can either attract the seeking heart, or close the message forever behind its doors," Howe said. 
  
Darrell Howe and Associates, www.darrellhowe.com, is a church design firm located in Woodland Hills, California. For more than 20 years, Howe and his staff have been involved in designing churches, including Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, Tennessee. 

In a Nutshell

Church: Peoples Church
Location: Fresno, California
Denomination: Non-denominational, Independent Christian
Project: Design new music suite, worship center and chapel for this existing church
Size: 60,000 square feet
Cost: Approximately $13 million
Construction Time: 18 months
Challenge: The biggest challenge was deciding where to place the new, Vermont-style chapel, which is in stark contrast to the large, contemporary worship center
Solution: Place the chapel right next to the worship center to highlight the contrast