ALL THE CHURCH IS A STAGE

More than 25 years ago I attended a conference “Designing the Worship Environment” sponsored by the University of Florida College of Architecture and the Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art and Architecture. It was a tremendous event. The best features were presentations by the late Nils Schweitzer, probably the number one church architect in Florida, and an intriguing lecture on historic synagogue design by Benjamin Hirsch. One presentation was slightly disturbing to me: “Worship–Evangelical Distinctiveness.” I wasn’t aware of what bothered me until the panel discussion that followed, but looking back even these many years later, I can see what troubled me.

One topic covered in the presentation dealt with elements of Evangelical worship.  First off was “The Centrality of the Spoken Word.” Had it said the Centrality of the Word, I as a Lutheran would have agreed immediately. In Lutheran understanding Word means first of all Jesus Christ. Secondly, it means the Scripture. Thirdly, it means the proclaimed Word. Because of the first meaning we Lutherans would included the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion as expressions of the Word. They are sometimes called visible Words. Both Sacraments were instituted by Christ, commanded by him, and have a promise attached to them. If only the spoken Word is central to worship, my feeling is that the worship is impoverished.

Furthermore, while it is not impossible to have public worship without music, Lutherans would feel that such worship was quite strange, missing something almost essential.  There is the famous quote from Martin Luther: “Next to the word of God, only music deserves being extolled as the mistress and governess of the feelings of the human heart.”  And often the lyrics to what is sung during worship is taken straight from the Bible so that the Word of Scripture is sung as well as spoken.

This different view of what is central or important to worship dictates different expectations for design of the worship space.  The triple foci of pulpit, altar, and font have to be taken into account. Provision has to be made for music, especially singing which leads to the architectural nightmare of designing a space that is dry enough acoustically for speech and lively enough for music. (Haven’t you noticed how much better your voice sounds singing in shower that elsewhere in the house? That’s the advantage of a live acoustic.)

During the panel discussion following the presentation, someone made a remark suggesting that the church building itself in some way communicates what worship was about. The presenter objected to this idea. I understand why. He was very much fixed on a rational understanding of the Word, so the possibility that the Word would be communicated non-verbally was foreign to him.

This brings me to something that has come up in several blogs lately, church as theater. This refers to both a concept of what the people of God at worship are about and what kind of building communicates what they are about. Let us say for a moment that worship is theater. Who is the audience? This is a critical question. If the audience is the congregation, then worship is primarily an activity in which some people perform while others watch the performance. But what if in worship God were the audience? Wouldn’t then the whole congregation (not just a select few) be the performers? Of course, that cannot be literally true because God does not need to be entertained. Maybe it would be better said that worship is an act (still a theatrical term) performed in the presence of God. If this is true about worship, then none of the people at worship are mere spectators. They are all performers, and the whole church building is the stage. That reminds me a bit of Jaques’ speech in As You Like It

    All the world's a stage,
      And all the men and women merely players.

This is why I am sold on liturgical worship; the very word “liturgy” means “work of the people.” Worship is not something that is done on stage by a few, but is done by all who have gathered. When I was a choir director, I insisted that the primary task of the choir was not to perform anthems, but to support congregational song. The instrumentalists do not lead the singing, but support it. The pastor does not lead worship, but merely presides at it. I cringe when a worship leader invites me to join him or her in singing as if they were doing the singing and we are welcome to come along for the ride. The attitude that worship is being done “up front” arises in traditional and contemporary worship, in free worship and even in liturgical worship, although in that case I would insist it has ceased to be liturgical–the people’s work–at all.

What does this concept say about the worship space? For me it means that the worship space should communicate that worship is indeed the action of all people. One of the best examples I have seen of that is the Benedictine Mission House in Schuyler, Nebraska, designed by Astle, Ericson and Associates.

The congregation sits in a semi-circle around the altar and pulpit so they can see each other. The cross over the altar forms a focal point so that even when no one is in the building, one gets a sense of what this space is for. The whole design suggests community at worship. Of course, this is only a small chapel, but the basic plan can be used in a larger setting.

Here is St. Nicholas Church, Venlo, Netherlands, designed by G. J. Van der Grinten.

Straight off, I admit it is an ugly interior. It looks like a warehouse, but it is the seating that interests me.  Here is the floor plan.

This building seats 800 people with no one more than 60 feet from the center. Maybe the greatest short-coming is the dreadful partial partition wall behind the altar. It reminds me of a badly done theater flat that makes you wonder what’s going on back there. Nevertheless, it isn't bad at including everyone as part of the worship

Why am I so concerned about how people worship and what the space is like? I’ll give you the Latin explanation. lex orandi, lex credendi, the rule of prayer is the rule of belief. How we worship shapes what we believe. If worship is done by a few people with everyone else as a spectator, then Christianity itself may become a spectator religion. It implies that a few people are supposed to be the “real” Christians while everyone else watches.

Well, this has gone on far longer than I originally intended. It’s something to think about next time you are at worship. Am I worshiping God or only watching others worship God?

May the Lord bless you on your journey and greet you on your arrival.

Wayne








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