The oft-described cultural shift of the 21st century has caught part of the church flat footed. This cultural shift unhinged traditional religious patterns but also provided a call for renewed clarity in the message of Christ and greater authenticity in Christian congregations. A growing number of congregations have responded to the call for renewal by redefining their success from exclusively measuring their internal growth to measuring success externally in terms of people served in the community. The emphasis on reaching to the community has made a big impact on how church facilities either impede or accelerate mission. Churches are taking seriously the need to answer the fragmentation of society.

According to urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg, "What suburbia cries for are the means for people to gather easily, inexpensively, regularly, and pleasurably-a 'place on the corner,' real life alternatives to television, easy escapes from the cabin fever of marriage and family life that do not necessitate getting into an automobile."

This shift from internal to external focus, or from building walls to building bridges, or from ministering in a congregation to ministering in a community has had a significant impact on how churches view the functionality of their buildings and, by extension, how they furnish them.

Churches Use Fixed Seating for a Variety of Reasons
Jim Couchenour, founder of Cogun Inc., regularly notes that the church's relationship to the community belongs to four different spaces at any given time-public, social, personal and intimate. Use of theater-style seats was introduced at the end of the 19th century in America in a fairly radical attempt for the time to introduce informal intimacy in the worship space.

New Life Community Church in Chicago, Illinois, uses theater seats in their satellite congregations for much of the same reason. They moved to a multi-site strategy to keep the intimacy of a mid-sized congregation and the synergy of a mega-church. Fixed seating helps them ensure compliance with fire codes and keep a closer congregational feel while also utilizing efficient seating.

Crossroads Christian Church in Corona, California, has designed a church campus with a large variety of relational spaces. They wanted their 3,200-seat sanctuary to meet a variety of criteria. It had to provide an easier way to manage special events, including seminars, conferences, concerts, drama, etc. It had to feel intimate. It had to provide for ease of egress and meet stringent Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines. Fixed seating was the best way for them to meet all of these needs. They numbered their rows and seats for special events. They used a randomly selected mix of fabric colors to give promote the feeling that the sanctuary is always full of people.

It is not just mega-churches that are drawn to fixed seating. Center of Praise Ministries in Rancho Cordova, California, runs a couple of services in their 500-seat sanctuary. Better people flow management from one service to the next was one of the issues foremost on their mind after the comfort afforded by fixed seating.

Fixed Seating Is Not the Only Option
Cross Point Church in Chino, California, had another take on seating. They love their stackable chairs. When they built their new sanctuary, they went right back to stackable chairs because of the flexibility they provide in altering their worship space for different kinds of uses. The fire marshal, however, would not allow them to place stackable seating in the balcony.

"We went right back to the same company without even looking at others," according to Arlan Vanden Bos, executive administrator. "This was because we knew and appreciated their quality and service."

They placed fixed seating in the balcony and met the applicable fire codes without a hitch.

What Decision Factors Where Most Important in Selecting Fixed Seating?
Pastors shared several important factors when I asked them how they came to their decision to use fixed seating.

First, they considered comfort and flexibility-longer rows gave them more seating room. Theater-style seats are very comfortable, even for long periods of time.

Second, they mentioned design synthesis. They wanted what looked best and functioned best in the overall design objectives of their specific building.

Third, company reputation was an important consideration. Pastors and administrators did not want to hassle with poor quality or poor service. They had too many other things to think about.

Fourth, quality was universal, especially in churches using a multi-location strategy. These pastors wanted a product that would be durable and proven, in addition to one that could put into each of their satellite locations without worrying about maintenance.

What Are the Most Important Lessons Learned in Purchasing Fixed Seating?
Pastors and business administrators reflected on three basic themes. First was the budget. They had to justify the expense of going with fixed seating. For these pastors and administrators, the design of their building and their long-term goals provided the basis of justifying the price. They built with the next 100 years in mind. They seemed to think about leaving behind a heritage of faith and an inheritance in the building.

The second lesson was related to ministry goals. Several church leaders report that their architects really got them thinking about how they approached their community. Fixed seating gave them the flexibility to run large programs in the sanctuary that are designed to reach the public. They wanted as intimate a public space as possible while also using a seat that would meet the level of service and excellence in public events.

Third, having accurate installation drawings made it easy to work through the inevitable changes that occurred in their construction projects. Having a company willing to make adjustments to their installation drawing based on construction changes in the sanctuary kept many of them from facing expensive delays in completing the building.

Here are some of the frequently asked questions regarding fixed seating.

1. What are the different seat width sizes available?
Twenty-inch, 21-inch, and 22-inch seats are the most commonly available and are usually all used together in a single installation in order to have smooth aisles with row ends lining up. Naturally, the more of the smaller widths that are used in an installation, the more chairs will fit. Fit is important, as churches tend to put in theater-style seating because of the additional seating capacity it provides. This is due to egress codes that allow theater-style seating rows to be longer because the seat retracts automatically when someone stands, providing more egress between rows. The end result is the need for fewer aisles and shorter row-to-row dimensions, which translates into more seats.

2. Are the seats available with or without arms?
Most fixed seating products are available without arms for about the same price as those with arms. Churches considering fixed seating would do well to have a mix of both, preferably in sections. This gives more preference flexibility to those who attend their services.

3. Are options available?
Most options needed for a worship application are available. Options to consider are fabrics, book pouches, card pockets, communion cup holders, cup holders, pew-styled end panels, and seat and row identifiers, to name a few.

The history of church buildings makes it clear that the church has routinely sought to present a space that enhanced its mission of reconciliation. It takes planning and forethought to consider how space works to enhance ministry, not just in terms of the metaphor a building exhibits in its own right but in terms of how the unique DNA of a congregation is best expressed through its facility.

The type of seating used in a worship facility is part of the entire process of developing an effective space. Fixed seating is a powerful option for creating an intimate public space in which people can encounter God's love and grace through authentic relationships. Quality fixed seating is built for years of worry-free durability and beautiful aesthetic appearance. It is not the only option, but if your congregation is now planning new construction or a remodel, it should be a considered option.

Ray Wheeler is the director of special projects at Bertolini Sanctuary Seating, www.bertolinidirect.com.