4 Options for Seating or Not Seating Your Congregation
When you first open a church, unless you are buying or renting a building that already was a church previously, you will likely have to buy just about everything. You’re probably on the look out for church steeples for sale or used church pews, etc. In light of that, think about the main section of your church; the seating. Where your people sit is important. You should be thinking about that before you look for church steeples for sale or even a sound system. If you don’t have anywhere for people to sit, they likely won’t stay. There are a few different options for where the congregation sits. Let’s take a look.
Pew Seating
This is the traditional seating arrangement for many churches. The long wooden benches that stretch across the whole room with a break in the center for an aisle are still used in many churches. The good thing about pews is that they do give you that traditional church feel and atmosphere if that’s what you are going for. However, they can tend to be very uncomfortable, being made of just wood. You can compensate for that if you get cushions for the pews. Although, you’ll want to make sure that you get zip off covers so you can wash them periodically.
Metal Chairs
The metal folding chairs are what many new, small churches opt for simply because they are inexpensive. They are probably the cheapest kind of chair that you can buy. Sure, this will save you enough money that you can start looking for microphones and church steeples for sale and altar carpeting but they are extremely uncomfortable. If you are going to use these chairs, you want to make sure to keep your service short and sweet. Nobody is going to want to sit in them for very long, no matter how anointed the preacher is. Another downfall is that they can very cold in the winter and very hot in the summer. You wouldn’t be able to use them outside very well because of the temperatures. On the other hand, other than being cheap, a good thing is that they are very portable so if you are only temporarily in your current building, they will be easy to move once you get into a permanent place.
Cushioned Chairs
This are the comfortable cushy backed chairs that more established churches invest in. Now you can have your long service because your congregation won’t be getting bed sores and back pain from sitting down. There are a few down sides to cushioned chairs, however. For example, cushioned chairs aren’t cleaned easily. You either have to have them steam cleaned or scrubbed one by one. You can’t just wipe them down or throw them in the washing machine. With all the different people that sit on those chairs, you’ll want to clean them regularly so either get a good deal with a steam cleaner that will come to the church or keep looking for a different kind of chair.
No Chairs
If you are a super modern, updated, trendy type of denomination, you may go for the concert, standing room only feel. The idea behind this is that it will encourage people to get into the music. Dancing and jumping and lively engagement is highly encouraged at this kind of church. Keep in mind however, that while you might save a bundle by foregoing the chairs, you likely won’t have older folks coming in because they can only stand for a limited time. You probably wouldn’t have many families either because the children would need chairs. Sure, they could sit on the floor but the parents might be concerned that they would get trampled on. If you aren’t going to get chairs for your church then you can expect to draw a more college age, single people audience, which is fantastic if that is what you are going for.
So, whether you are looking for pews and church steeples for sale or skinny jeans and wireless mics, consider your congregation and what they would be most comfortable doing. If you do not yet have a congregation, think about who you want to draw and this will help you make the right choice.
