Architecture to the Glory of God

Most church builds are focused on ultility. A friend of mine was recently called to Covenant Presbyterian (PCA) in Nashville. They built a facility, but their primary value was not utility but beauty and awe. Researching online, the cost was actually comparable to many megachurches that look like warehouses. We often think that what we do speaks about who we are: in writing, painting, working, playing, etc. Why not architecture?

Check out the Video:

http://www.blueskyfilmworks.com/covenant/Sanctuary_Video.html

Architecture and the Glory of God

According to this survey, having a "church that doesn't look like a church" is actually a hinderance to the unchurched. If your church looks like a medieval church, the unchurched are actually more likely to want to go to it. This survey actually angers me. The church growth experts came in and stripped our services of Christian liturgy and architecture and said just put the gospel in the sermon and that's all you need and people will like it. WRONG! The high ceilings that draw our eyes upward, the cross shaped buildings that remind us of our being in Christ, and the crosses and stain glass that communicate the gospel in picture - NEVER NEEDED TO GO. Now, by principle and pragmaticism, we have to relearn that the gospel can be told through art, liturgy, architecture and more than just a sermon, and that worship is more than "music." We must learn again how to incarnate the word, within the bounds of Scripture - avoiding idolotry, but subjecting all things to the reign of Christ.