Upgrading Your Church Furniture? Things to Keep in Mind
Church methods, services, and products are always changing. You will notice a difference in the common, wooden church furniture that is used in many places of worship today. The wooden benches provide easy and convenient seating for many people. They may also be padded for optimal comfort. The design of today?s church differs from hundreds of years ago, when church goers may have been forced to stand or kneel at wooden tables along the church. As the times change, so do church seating and furniture standards. Consider keeping your church?s furniture updated or repaired for the following reasons.
Comfort With so many options for worship today, churches need to cater to their member?s needs and comfort. This will keep them satisfied with the church and will encourage them to come week after week. The more frequently that a church member comes to service, the more money that the church is likely to receive in donations. Also, people who attend church more often are usually more involved in other aspects of the church, such as volunteering and organizing church events.
Safety Some church pews have bench like cushioned seating, and hassocks or footrests, while others are simply affairs made of wood. Although the more simply version of the wooden pew may be acceptable to you and your church, ensure that they are consistently repaired. Wood, over time, can fray and cause splinters. You do not want your church members to get splinters when running their hands over the church pews. Church pew and steeple repairs should occur every year.
Functionality Consider the service needs at your particular church. Do people tend to stay in their seats for much of the service? Do they tend to get up and move around to better interact with other church members? You will want to design the functionality when you buy church pews around your churches specific movement needs. For example, the first church pews were introduced in the 13th century when removable stone benches were placed against church walls. These stone benches gave church members a place to sit, but also allowed them to easily move around the church area.
Functionality will also play a part in where you will place your portable baptismal pools. Portable baptismal pools are used to provide baptism services. However, you will not need them for every service, so permanent installed ones may not be very functional. The portable baptismal pool, however, allows you to easily move around the pool, for when it is needed. You can set up the portable baptismal pool prior to service when you will be doing the baptisms.
Overall look The overall look of your church is also important. Church members want to be proud of the church they are a part of. Your church will also make sales for events for things like weddings, rehearsals, and baptisms. Although church members are likely to book these events with their home church, outside members will base this decision on the overall look and accommodations of the church. Attempt to choose a look for your church and then go with that look.
If you want the classic and timeless church look, consider antique church pews and antique church steeples. If you want something more modern, consider changing out the wooden benches for cushioned, colorful seating. Some modern churches even place stages for live entertainment or musical bands during the church services. Until the early and mid twentieth century, it was common practice in Anglican, Catholic, and Presbyterian churches to rent pews in churches to families or individuals as a principal means of raising income. Today, booking the church for events is a common source of premium income.
Churches have evolved with the times. Church sessions once took place in private homes or public gatherings with stones used as benches. Oftentimes, there was no seating for the members. Church furniture has become more comfortable and more convenient to church members. If you are a church, consider comfort, functionality, overall look, and safety when choosing to upgrade your church furniture items.