That question was asked of me recently by way of a pastor we were working with. He had contacted us concerning the worship seating needs of his church, he was operating with a really tight budget, and he wanted a church chair that featured a top degree of quality. As we conversed, I suggested one chair solution that individuals have put in several churches that performs perfectly, possesses great quality and is straightforward on the budget. The pastor though, even though he loved the purchase price and was pleased about the specifications of the chair, uttered the words above…
As I reflected on this pastor’s statement, a couple of thoughts stumbled on my mind. One is that his statement was a really personal one that indicated a desire meditation chair that has been very important to him and was a price I had a need to honor. One more thought though was in what actually makes a chair a “church chair” ;.Here’s an extension on those thoughts with three observations about what really is necessary for a chair to be labeled a “church chair” ;.
A church chair is a chair that gives those in attendance at a worship service the ability to focus on the service itself versus continually working with discomfort due to the chairs they’re sitting on. The truth is that whenever people attend a church service they wish to be able to see what’s going on, hear what’s going on, and be able to choose to participate in what’s taking place. But once the chair they’re sitting on is uncomfortable, all the above are affected negatively and will end up a disruption for them throughout the worship service, versus something which enhances their overall experience. Please know the above the fact is not linked to the look of the chair. Instead it’s everything to do with the comfort the chair provides.
A church chair is secondly a chair that is in compliance with any and all legal requirements which are in force in the particular jurisdiction where your church is located. We find that numerous churches are unaware that whenever an area reaches a particular number of individuals occupying it (you must contact your neighborhood officials to determine this limit for your area) rules can get into effect for your seating. Like, in a few areas your chairs might be required to be “affixed” the floor. In the areas, the ability to effectively connect your chairs together might be non-negotiable. The fire-retardant requirements for the fabric and foam that make up part your chairs might be stricter in a few localities than others. The easy the fact is that the chairs should maintain compliance with those codes in force in your location. Please know again this the fact is not linked to the look of one’s church chair. Instead it’s everything to do with honoring authority.
A church chair is then finally a chair that works for your church in the worship space it is positioned in. Like, you can find churches that due to a limited amount of square footage in their worship area need to squeeze as much chairs as you are able to into that area. It could be that a worship chair a little narrower than the standard 20″ wide chair is the one which works for them. Another church that may be holding their worship service in an area that also serves as an area for other purposes throughout the week has a have to stack their chairs at least once each week. It could be that a worship chair that is lighter in weight, handles easier and stores compactly could be the chair that works for them. And still another church needs chairs that will work both in auditorium style seating in rows and around tables. It could be that a “hybrid” chair could be the chair that requires to be purchased. Please know the truth yet again is this has little with the look of one’s church chair. Instead it just has to do with what chair can serve multiple purposes for your church.