Sanctuary and Facility Space Planning
Foyer
Your church foyer, or narthex, should be the warmest, most welcoming, and accessible location in your entire facility. It is an important transitional area, a place for spiritual preparation, expectation, and fellowship. Your design must say all of that. We recommend the foyer handle 20% of the sanctuary space.
Sanctuary
No matter what culture or denominational variances exist, the sanctuary serves one purpose. Worship. To that we add teaching, evangelism, celebration, and yes, even entertainment.
Make seating a priority: Access into the sanctuary should be easy. Aisles should lead people to the altar. Seating should be comfortable, convenient to get to, and aesthetically pleasing.
Allow 10 to 12 square feet per person for a reasonable sanctuary allowance.
Plan for Worship: Rectangular seating may hold true to “tradition,” but it works against acoustics and uniformity. The platform is the focal point and seating should be designed to transfer everyone’s attention there. Seating that fans around the platform create participation, hearing, seeing, easy entrance and exit, and the ultimate desired feeling of participation.
Balconies: Balconies can alienate your members from the “feeling” of participation. One of your sanctuary’s main goals should be to eliminate the spectator-performer syndrome. Balconies are not recommended unless the congregation seating exceeds 1,000. The gallery concept, seating that starts on the same level as the main sanctuary and goes into the second floor area, eliminates the separation created by traditional balconies.
Overflow: Balconies provide good overflow space, but if your church is growing at the rapid pace you hoped for, you must provide even more space on the lower level. Fellowship halls, removable partitions, and additional classrooms should always be designed to provide closed-circuit television systems and a church leader for personal touch, if you are out of room in the sanctuary
Platform: The center for ministering, and focal point. The platform should be at least nine feet from the front row, elevated above the congregation for good sight, and large enough to accommodate musical instruments and choir.
Pulpit: Designed as the place for ministry and exhortation of God’s Word, the pulpit should be in close proximity to the congregation.
Altar: The most sacred part of the sanctuary should be large enough to accommodate the move of God your Sunday service expects.
Choir and Instruments: Your platform should allow for all the instruments that your style of worship requires, and provide good visual communication between the minister of music, choir directors, singers, and musicians.
Multi-media, Lights, and Sound: These three have become a tremendous part of the worship service. They work hand in hand to make the presentation of the worship in song and preached word more effective. Eight to twelve percent of your budget should be dedicated to these technologies. The innovation of multi-media allows for tremendous exposure at minimized costs, (i.e. web casting, web design, and graphic print).
Make sure your sound system is designed for your style of worship. Acoustics that eliminate echoes and reverberation are a must for effective sound presentation.
Lighting: Illumination must avoid contrasts and claustrophobia, while at the same time is conducive to concentration. Avoid glare and reflection from any surfaces, windows or light fixtures. The sanctuary’s total design should include specialized stage lighting for music and drama productions. Television broadcasts or video recording systems also require theatrical lighting and direction. For larger sanctuaries, it is important to have high ceilings to create effective and aesthetic lighting designs.
Visual performance increases with object brightness. People believe what they can see. Investing your money wisely with an electrical lighting designer who will maximize the visibility of your sanctuary will provide a return of your congregation’ s attention.