Churches and Architecture

Here is an interesting photo essay of mega churches and architecture. I especially appreciate his comments on some of the photos, having a hint of humor and sarcasm.

This does raise an important question. What role, if any, does art and architecture have in corporate worship? Can the design of a church help create an atmosphere of worship?

When I was in a choir in college, I became keenly aware of the importance of architecture and acoustics. I vowed that if I ever had a voice during a church building project, I would seek to incorporate an acoustics engineer in the design process.

Our choir sang in numerous types of churches, most of which were very dead acoustically. The most common acoustically poor design was what one would find in most modern large-church designs; lots of carpet, comfortable padded seats, etc. What was lost in acoustics was made up for in electrical sound systems. The churches that held the best acoustics were typically cathedral-styled. We would often stop at a cathedral just to tour them and before we would leave, we would gather to sing, and it often sounded incredible. One particular time nearly every member of the choir had tears in their eyes. The beauty of the sound mixed with powerful lyrics created an incredible atmosphere for worship, and worship we did.

I was also often impressed by the artistic nature of some of these buildings. Art can create opportunities for worship. The problem though is familiarity. I believe it is possible to become so familiar with certain pieces of art that they loose their impact.

But are these things ok? Or are evangelical churches right in steering away from beauty in architecture? In the reformation process, people began to seek piety even in church structure. They departed from the Roman Catholic tradition of building majestic cathedrals and moved toward simplicity. Now many are seeking even more "piety" by removing any form of religious symbol from the church structure. Is this a positive move? Or is there another choice. Can we include art in church structure without going too far? Can our quest to build something beautiful be God-honoring?

These are not easy questions to answer, and I have yet to take a position. I do lean toward including art in church architecture, though not in an elaborate sense.