My mother-in-law sent me an article the other day, and I thought it was incredibly interesting. It seems that a recent online survey of 1,684 people claiming to be "unchurched" found that, at a 2-to-1 ratio, they preferred churches with Gothic and cathedral-type architecture over and above the modern, contemporary style of church architecture. This is intriguing to me because, as my friend Dave Hickman (founder of CharlotteONE) and I have periodically discussed, there is an undeniable sentiment in our culture that our generation of both believers and unbelievers, as a general rule, is tired of having church in movie theaters and school auditoriums. The meeting place for CharlotteONE, incidentally or intentionally, is in the uptown sector of Charlotte at the First United Methodist Church, a building that fits the gothic, cathedral style to the T. And we're finding that the place is packing out every Tuesday night during the school year.
Ed Stetzer, a missioligist and the director of Lifeway research (and a great blogger, by the way) commented on the survey saying, "Quite honestly, this research surprised us. We expected they’d choose the more contemporary options, but they were clearly more drawn to the aesthetics of the Gothic building than the run-of-the-mill, modern church building."
Here's some more of the article:
Stetzer suggested that the unchurched may prefer the more aesthetically pleasing look of the Gothic cathedral because it speaks to a connectedness to the past. Young unchurched people were particularly drawn to the Gothic look. Those between the ages of 25 to 34 used an average of 58.9 of their preference points on the more ornate church exterior. Those over the age of 70 only used an average of 32.9 of their 100 preference points on that particular church exterior.
The Gothic style was preferred by both unchurched Roman Catholics and unchurched Protestants, according to the survey. The average unchurched Roman Catholics gave the design more than 56 of their preference points.
"I don’t like modern churches, they seem cold," said one survey respondent who chose the Gothic design. "I like the smell of candles burning, stained-glass windows, [and] an intimacy that’s transcendent."
Here's the article. Thoughts?
6 comments:
Hey Josh, I'm Fred Broome's aunt, so I have heard many great things about you and your family.
The survey results don't surprise me because in coversation with dozens of twenty-somethings I sense a longing for what is real rather than relevant, for doctrine, not drama-- and perhaps the perception that the ancient/more traditional churches are more sacred. Maybe they sense somehow that these places are more "inhabitable" by God?
In general, I think the trend reflects a search for the sacred, something that is possibly perceived to be missing at the warehouse or movie theater.
This trend encourages my prayers as I believe this could be the generation that leads the revival/awakening that is so desperately needed.
I am praying for your ministry and praise God for your devotion to His kingdom!
Hey Josh
One thing people are attracted to with cathedrals and Gothic architecture is the transcendence or "bigness" of God. To quote John Piper, people go to the Grand Canyon not to feel big about themselves but to be overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of it! (my paraphrase). A lot of modern churches do a pretty good job (using architecture and liturgical forms) to communicate the immanence or closeness of God but they are not doing a very good job communicating the transcendence or even the holiness of God for that matter.
Good post brother!
Chris
Chris, I think you're exactly right. There's a sense of smallness you feel about yourself and a greatness you feel about God when entering a building or atmosphere like that - a smallness and bigness that feels right.
Sandy, I love that line, "longing for what is real rather than relevant, for doctrine, not drama!" That's awesome! I might have to borrow that sometime. And I too hope that this generation is the one to see a great awakening! Thanks for the comments you guys!
Dude, I didn't need Stetzer to tell me that. Once again, he speaks the obvious and gets paid for it. What a great job..,
You Know Who This Is
I obviously represent the minority then. I attend Journey which is located in a rented warehouse/office space. We use to meet in a school cafeteria and "upgraded." But knowing that the church shows up to the building and not the building being the church I could care less where Journey meets. On Bugala Island, Uganda the church meets under a tree for lack of a building. So much for ornate...
Timmy,
I feel ya, man. I know exactly where you're coming from. Journey appeals to you because it removes the fluff that so much of Christianity got caught up in the last century. I totally dig what's going on at Journey. Love it, actually. I think what this survey shows is that there is something actually "unorthodox" in our culture about meeting in a place that looks "orthodox" in the traditional sense. Does that make sense? So, what you find as refreshingly unorthodox about Journey, others are finding refreshingly unorthodox about having relevant church in a place that looks 18th century. At the heart of it, I think the same things are desired and being found. But that's just my opinion!
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