"Knowledge is power, if you know it about the right person." - Ethel Mumford

This is day two of the conference. It didn’t actually start until last night, so during the day I got some work done for Sunday, but mostly it was about connecting with people. Just before the evening’s activities started I went over to see Rob and his new car. He’s had it for a few months but this was my first look at it. It’s a 1969 Pontiac 2+2 convertible with a big block, one of only 10 made, and they all came out of Canada. He got it in pretty good condition from the original owner but he’s correcting things that were done improperly or poorly over the years, restoring some tired interior features and doing the kind of maintenance a 40-year old car should have done. Beautiful ride!

I’m a little disappointed in my setup for the conference. I have half a table over in the far corner, away from the entrance and all the other tables. And whoever is supposed to have the other half apparently didn’t show up. So I’m trying to come up with ways to attract attention. A disco ball? Midget wrestlers? Sign twirler?

This conference is being held in a large church here. The sanctuary (that term fits this particular space) is a combination of traditional and contemporary architecture. The platform is up at least six steps, maybe eight; very high. Seating is upholstered pews on either side of a center aisle, and wood is stained a darker brown (walnut). The ceiling is probably 40’ high, and from the back of the room to the front of the platform is, I’m guessing, 70-80’. The visual effect is a very large room with an imposing front.

I don’t know what their normal Sunday set-up is, but I didn’t see an organ. They have a small grand piano on the stage, so I’m assuming they normally also have a band up there. (We did last night.) They project song lyrics on the walls either side of the platform, but those too are noticeably high. You really feel like you’re looking up.

Because of the size of the room they’ve added cameras. When the lyrics aren’t being projected a video feed from one of two cameras located halfway back the two side walls goes up in that space. Because I sat in the back on the center aisle I could look at the speaker almost head-on, or see his much larger image projected on either side. If I looked at him directly I couldn’t make out his facial features because of the distance. But because of the cameras’ location, the video view was from a 45-degree angle. Disconcerting.

We’re a very young church, but so far we’ve already met in a living room, a dance studio and a resort. Next month we’ll move into an older elementary school, Deo volente. Each of those spaces was designed for something very different from church services, but they’ve all worked reasonably well. It’s about what goes on inside the space that counts.

Nonetheless, architecture is important, even if its effects are usually subliminal. For example, facial features aren’t distinguishable from beyond about 45’. More than that distance and you don’t feel connected to the speaker. (Hence, their use of the enlarged video image.) A speaker on the same level as the listeners feels a sense of connection with them, and visa versa, whereas a speaker significantly higher than the listeners carries a sense of authority over them. There’s a reason the judge sits higher than anyone else in the courtroom. Pews facing forward, arranged so that the only faces people can see are those of the leaders in front, says those leaders are the sole focus of the activity. If I can see the faces of at least some of the other worshipers the result is a sense of connection and community with them as we worship together.

The living room, the dance studio and the meeting rooms at the resort have all had a few things in common. Even though they weren’t designed for worship they worked reasonably well for that purpose. There’s been no stage, so we’ve have a strong sense of connectedness between the leader - whether it’s Matt leading songs, the morning’s Scripture reader or the preacher - and the people. We’ve been able to arrange chairs in a semi-circular fashion so that we feel like a group of folks doing something together. And of course the spaces have all been small enough that we haven’t needed a video feed on the wall.

Yeah, I pay attention to things like that, because they matter. I’m convinced a church can worship and learn in almost any space if they determine to. The Holy Spirit is not limited. But space is one of many factors that make it easier or harder for people to come together. So I’d rather have a dance studio with a wall of mirrors and stretching bars than a platform 5’ in the air.

How does the space where your church meets affect the nature of your services?