Church Improvement Ideas

The Christian church has been around for centuries. This is not just in reference to the institution, but to the physical building itself that we have all become accustomed to referring to as the church. It’s very easy to know when you’re in a Christian church, but you may not have ever stopped to actually ponder the reasons why. The design of various structures has gone through massive changes over the centuries, but Christian churches have maintained a level of consistency that has helped people to familiarize themselves with the concept of the church, which lends in large part to how we know for sure when we’re in one.

While the emphasis on what we hold important or even valuable within the actual physical structure of a church may naturally shift throughout the years, consistency of design remains. It was not unusual, in medieval times, for a church to be plundered for it’s stain glass windows, as these were held in great value, and treated like treasure in those days. Today, of course, they are not quite the focus of foul play that they may have once been, although they certainly still are considerable in cost to put in.

Consistency of design, however, is no accident when it comes to the church. There are several actual rules that must be followed when building a church. One of the main staples of the church is what is commonly referred to as the “Stations of the Cross”. Take a walk through any Christian church, and you will see along the walls, several scenes depicted one way or another that invariably tell the story of Jesus’ crucifixion. These scenes, pictures, or however they end up being displayed, must be shown in a particular order so as to give continuity to the story.

Altogether there are 14 Stations of the Cross. Each of these 14 Stations comes with a simple description from the Church itself. The 1st stage is always “Jesus is condemned to death”. Naturally, what the viewer will see is a scene depicting Jesus’ condemnation by the Romans. The stations themselves may sometimes appear as stained glass windows that line the church, but frequently will be depicted as elaborate and ornate plaques that hang on the walls of the church.

Another fixture that you’ll find in every church is the altar. It is most commonly made out of marble. Other churches may have altars made of wood, but more often than not you will find that Christian churches are stocked with marble altars. You absolutely cannot have a church without an altar, so count on it being a critical aspect of church design. Along with the altar, you can also be sure that you’ll find a tabernacle. This is the area of the church that holds the ritual bread and wine that is used for communion. Tabernacles can vary greatly in design, going from being a simple box while others can be incredibly elaborate pieces. Regardless, they will most often be found sitting behind, or next to, the previously mentioned altar.

And of course, no church is complete without it’s traditional rows of pews. Most are familiar with the concept of a pew. It is a long bench, most often with a padded place to kneel at the foot of each row. Traditionally churches do not have individual seating. The pew has been a mainstay of the church for centuries, and is not likely to change anytime soon.

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