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February 20, 2009
"Sacred Space" Research
Architectural styles that attract the unchurched.
Cornerstone Knowledge Network with Lifeway ResearchA recent survey probed nearly 1,700 unchurched American adults, putting photos of four different church exteriors in front of them. Respondents indicated their preferences for designs by allocating 100 points across the four images, giving more points to those they liked and fewer to those they didn't.
The medieval-style cathedral averaged 48 points, more than double the next-highest finisher, a white-steeple-and-pillar exterior that averaged about 19 points. The other two churches, possessing more contemporary, suburban-plex feels, averaged 18 points and 16 points, according to the study, commissioned by Cornerstone Knowledge Network and conducted by LifeWay Research.
So with increasing attention paid to evangelicals who are drawn to liturgical church styles, should church leaders weighing new building designs opt for traditional approaches as a way to attract the churched and unchurched alike?
Download a copy of research results.
posted at 3:15 PM on February 20, 2009 |
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Great to see this research out there. I've been tracking dechurchification (stripping of sacred space) locally here in Chicago for a little over a year. I've chronicled some of it on my personal blog. We have been doing Restarts (revitalizing of urban sacred space) here in Chicago for 8 years (6 different sites). We see it as a coming wave for church planting and urban renewal.
Posted by: Kevin Bruursema on February 23, 2009