While the spiritual message remains the same, the physical church continues to evolve. Certainly, we have seen some of the biggest changes over the last 20 to 30 years in worship seating.
There has never been more diversity in churches than what we see today. There are both formal and casual, as well as traditional or contemporary, worship opportunities. Thirty years ago, church seating was almost exclusively pews; however, there has been a strong shift as churches remodel and/or build new facilities.
There was a time that the concept of theater seating started to take hold as an alternative to pews. However, today’s churches tend to gravitate strongly to church chairs. This shift stems from many reasons; cost, comfort, and flexibility are paramount for most churches.
Cost
Cost is always a determining factor in any project. Church chairs offer some of the best price points because not only do you have the ability to select the specific features that meet the needs of your congregation, but you also get rid of the expense of costly installations of both pews or theater seating. Many churches find the higher price points of those options prohibitive or unnecessary. Chairs offer the ability to customize the features for the church, as well as offer a continuous seating appearance through ganging the chairs together. Chair styles, features, and upholstery options can make every church both appealing and unique.
Comfort
Churches are aware that not everyone was brought up attending church, and there are many that were but have a negative association for various reasons. It is incredibly important to reach these individuals. They want today’s church environment to be different, welcoming and comfortable. Churches typically refer to this as seeker sensitivity. People often find the autonomy of chairs more comfortable rather than pew or bench seating, as they have a defined seat even when sitting near/next to strangers. Additionally, higher quality chairs are manufactured with better ergonomic support and comfort than other types of seating.
Flexibility
Flexibility speaks to so many different scenarios for churches today. Chairs offer mobility that makes cleaning and/or new flooring easier without the added work or cost associated with fixed seating. Additionally, churches with chairs have the ability to alter their seating layouts as needed for special events or just as a way to refresh their worship space. The unequaled transitional ability of church chairs means you can always add on additional seating as needed.
We frequently have clients that tell us they are “ready to upgrade their chairs in the sanctuary space, so the existing chairs will move to the fellowship hall or educational spaces.” As a church grows, chairs also have the advantage of being able to simply move with them to their new facility without any special equipment or installation. Many of today’s churches view this flexibility as a key component of good stewardship of their resources.
Quality seating is not a disposable commodity. Regardless of what seating company you select, research the company to make sure they will be there in the future for any add-on orders or warranty issues.
The last several years have been challenging for both business and churches. Many companies closed their doors permanently. Churches grappled with how to minister to their congregations on a virtual platform during lockdowns. As the lockdowns have passed, we continuously hear how much everyone is excited to worship and be able to fellowship together again. We are so grateful that the worst of the pandemic is behind us, but ripple effects are still being felt.
As with any project, we recommend you start early and provide ample time to make selections and get exactly what will best fit your church’s needs, because it should be a lasting part of the church for many years to come.
This article is courtesy of ChairsForWorship by Uniflex, which pioneered in the design and manufacture of chairs specifically for the worship community and has continued to be an industry leader for almost 30 years, www.chairsforworship.com.
