When church leaders envision their next building project, many are selecting interior and exterior styles that may deter the very people they're trying to reach—the unchurched—from visiting.

According to the Church Facilities Expansion Study, a joint research project in 2009 between the Cornerstone Knowledge Network (CKN) and Christianity Today International, church leaders consistently chose building designs that are the opposite of what the unchurched said they preferred in a prior study, Sacred Space, conducted by CKN and Lifeway Research in 2008.

In the Church Facilities Expansion Study, most churches that are planning to build within the next 18 months say they will go with a more modern look for their exterior, sanctuary, and foyer designs. However, Sacred Space respondents, all of whom are unchurched and do not currently attend a church, said they prefer churches with a gothic-like design.

Should churches base their building plans on what the unchurched say they want? Not necessarily. According to Jim Couchenour, director of ministry services for Cogun, Inc, a design/build firm for churches and a co-founder of CKN, a balanced perspective is needed.

"In reading through the anecdotal responses of the unchurched people from our Sacred Space research, some of them commented, 'This building reminds me of a church I went to when I was young.' The unchurched may identify, and be drawn more to, church buildings that remind them of whatever faith tradition they came from."

"Modern church design is familiar to those who attend church, but it may not look familiar to a person who hasn't been in a church for years. The big-box kind of multi-ministry space is only a 15- to 20-year-old idea," Couchenour said.

How critical is church design for the unchurched? According to the Sacred Space research, 22 percent said it would strongly impact their enjoyment of their church experience, and 32 percent said it would somewhat impact their enjoyment.

Will we see a return to the era of cathedrals and gothic-inspired designs? Probably not, given the high cost of architectural details on cathedrals and more ornate churches. But spending additional money to create a more artistic, traditional church might be worth the price.

When a church has an artistic design, both church insiders and outsiders see a building that stands out among surrounding buildings. And possibly they see a hint of what author Dick Staub reflects on what art can point to in The Culturally Savvy Christian: "a reality beyond the limits of their pedestrian daily lives." Staub continues, "Having been made by God, humans are designed for a spiritual experience and long for the transcendent...Art provides a path for such an experience."

Besides an intricate design reflecting God's artistic nature, people simply prefer what is aesthetically pleasing. "People place a high value on design and aesthetics," Couchenour wrote in Your Church magazine in 2008, after the release of the results of the CKN and Lifway research. "Church leaders must embrace the creative side of building design. Most buildings (not just churches) are boxes, and the defining elements are exterior and interior finishes. If you've ever been to Branson, Missouri, and seen the incredible finishes of the theaters, you know how 'boxes' can be turned into showplaces. A church may not be as elaborate, but it certainly doesn't have to look like a warehouse."

A variety of reasons could keep churches from building more traditional, or even cathedral-ike designs. It's worth taking the time to assess whether or not these reasons are valid for your church.

"Big-box space is less expensive to build compared to the very ornate cathedral types of buildings," Couchenour said. "You really can build a large square or rectangular building but finish it out so that it is appealing aesthetically, and meets the specific needs of your ministry."

Although the unchurched seem to value traditional church aesthetics, many churches often opt for designs that better reflect the culture we live in today. David Wells, in Above All Earthly Pow'rs, wrote that some churches assume "that the level of tension that is felt over and against the culture should be minimized if churches are to succeed. This is what is being visually represented in those churches which are trying to look just like the buildings people enter during the work week."

The gospel message preached in churches is mostly different than the work-week messages of deadlines and stress. Therefore, a question churches that are planning to renovate or build should ask is: Will our church design visually represent the stand-out power of the gospel? And, to what extent do we need to build churches that the unchurched say they will enjoy?

Michelle Dowell is an editorial coordinator at Christianity Today International.