According to Jim Swedenburg, associate for LeaderCare and church administration at the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM), the way churches are being built in the 21st century is changing.
“One big thing is that people are demanding more quality in church buildings — they want comfort, convenience and security,” he said.
Although this may trouble some who might protest that Christians should be humble and perhaps a little less demanding, Swedenburg said, “This seems to fly in the face of our values, but we must realize that we are trying to reach lost people. We must do a good job.”
And churches in Alabama are doing a good job, according to Swedenburg. Increasingly, churches are paying attention to how they look from the outside.
“Realtors call this ‘curb appeal,’” he noted. “Churches are adding better signs and more landscaping and paying attention to their general appearance.”
Swedenburg, who spoke about building for the 21st century at the recent church building conferences sponsored by LifeWay Church Resources and the State Board of Missions, noted that the trend is also toward more space per person in attendance at church.
“Classrooms used to be about 8 square feet per adult. Now, we plan for about 12 square feet,” he explained.
“The seating in the classrooms, too, is more comfortable. The old cane-bottom, ladderback chairs are gone, and the folding chairs are going away. Now, we’re using stackable, more comfortable chairs,” Swedenburg said.
In the worship center, spaciousness is also the key.
Choir and music spaces are being enlarged to include organs and orchestras, and aisles are getting wider.
Even the space between pews is considered carefully — but not just for comfort, he noted.
“Narrow aisles affect evangelism,” Swedenburg said. “People won’t step out if the space is too narrow.”
Churches are also building for technology use, both now and in the future.
“Churches are planning worship centers with media in mind — and not just big churches,” he said.
“They are also putting conduit in walls for future needs. They often consult sound engineers while still in the planning stages,” he noted.
It takes more land to build the 21st century church, not just because of the demand for more interior space, Swedenburg noted.
Current Alabama regulations require all classrooms for children birth to grade three to be on the ground floor.
Senior adults also need to be on the ground floor. So, Swedenburg pointed out, churches are building more space on the first floor.
“And there’s also the parking crunch. The suggested number of parking spaces recently changed from one space per two persons attending church, to one per 1.8 persons.”
With all of the attention to appearance and extra space, Swedenburg believes churches are doing a good job with cost containment.
“Churches are making maximum use of the space they have,” Swedenburg explained. “They are building multiuse structures and planning carefully.
“Of course, more dollars are needed to purchase space, but they are spending the money wisely.”
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