By Terrence O’Casey
Can we design our church buildings to catch the interest of those doing spiritual “drive-bys?” Can our architecture be evangelistic for the unchurched, or should it be only a rich symbol reminding believers of their purpose?
Someone once said, “Let”s not construct a building for ourselves, but for our friends who do not go to church.” But why not create art and architecture to glorify God and reach the unchurched? After all, we are created in the image of a creative God. Can”t aesthetics be functional and evangelistic?
Our rural congregation, Seaside Christian Church, chose two symbolic buildings to emphasize our mission and outreach. We have been blessed with 10 acres on the major coastal highway, so our buildings are very visible, especially at night!
Our Worship Center is patterned after an actual lighthouse. We can seat 250 but still look small and intimate from the outside. Our statement to the community: We want to be a light that prevents shipwrecks and also points the way home.
Our Christian Education Building is patterned after a Coast Guard lifesaving station. Our statement to the community: We care enough to risk our lives to launch the lifesaving boats.
It is one thing to be called a lighthouse. It”s another to find a functioning model that works for worship. Fortunately, not all lighthouses look like giant farm silos. We built a replica of a 1904 Victorian building that once graced the Oregon Coast. A church member”s father drew a watercolor painting of the proposed octagonal lighthouse-church on nautical chart paper. Church members got excited. Once they caught the vision, they saw the light . . . house. Both the lighthouse and the lifesaving station have nautical steeples, “towers.”
Here are some considerations:
“¢ Touch the heartstrings of the community. Do not build something that looks like a replica of a battleship, a World War II bunker, or an area funeral home.
“¢ Find the right symbol. Ask, “What will best communicate the gospel in our area?” You shouldn”t build a lighthouse in Casper, Wyoming. But a smaller replica of Yellowstone”s Old Faithful Inn, where many a family rendezvous happens, would be magnificent, meaningful, functional, and . . . OK, expensive. Rather than being a trendy design it is one that will stand the test of time. In California, consider using a design similar to the 200-year-old Spanish missions with a courtyard/garden-fellowship area in the center of the complex. People harassed by the noise of freeways and sirens could come to the courtyard and recharge. Or as one church did, buy an old Sunkist orange packing plant and “convert” it.
“¢ Carry the theme from outside to inside. Draw the hesitant to, and into, the building. Our church door handles are large brass boat mooring cleats. The classroom signs are lettered on canoe paddles. In the center tower of the auditorium an authentic lighthouse Fresnel lens is lit at all times. (Remember, however, there is a fine line between carrying out a theme and distracting people with a cluttered museum-like feel.)
“¢ Bring the outside into your auditorium. Our auditorium is filled with natural light from windows looking out to wildlife-filled woods and wetlands. Our winter”s 80 mph storms outside emphasize the sanctuary inside. The spring”s floral displays are right outside the double-hung windows.
God is our Redeemer through the cross. He never stopped being our Creator Rembrandt. We revel in his creation outside while we worship our Savior inside. Besides, if the sermon is bad inside, the multimedia presentation outside will make up for it!
“¢ Work with a professional. Hire a church architect to morph the design so it works. The architect can determine how powerful your video projectors need to be, the proper acoustics, and how the building fits into the master plan, aka the big picture.
“¢ Write a self-destruct clause. If the building ever becomes an idol, give the future congregation permission to sell, remodel, or demolish it. It is a means, not the end.
Is your church thinking about building? Try evangelistic architecture that also serves as a mission statement to the church family.
Terrence O'Casey ministers with Seaside Christian Church in Warrenton, Oregon.
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