That question was asked of me recently by a pastor we were working with. He’d contacted us concerning the worship seating needs of his church, he was operating breathing chair with an extremely tight budget, and he wanted a church chair that featured a high degree of quality. Even as we conversed, I suggested one chair solution that individuals have placed in several churches that performs well, possesses high quality and is easy on the budget. The pastor though, although he loved the price and was happy with the specifications of the chair, uttered what above…
As I reflected with this pastor’s statement, a few thoughts came to my mind. One is that his statement was an extremely personal one which indicated a desire which was important to him and was a benefit I had a need to honor. One more thought though was by what actually makes a couch a “church chair” ;.Here’s an expansion on those thoughts with three observations in regards to what in fact is required for a couch to be labeled a “church chair” ;.
A church chair is really a chair that gives those in attendance at a worship service the ability to concentrate on the service itself versus continually dealing with discomfort due to the chairs they are sitting on. The truth is that whenever people attend a church service they want to be able to see what is going on, hear what is going on, and be able to elect to participate in what is taking place. But when the chair they are sitting on is uncomfortable, all of the above are affected negatively and can become a diversion for them throughout the worship service, versus a thing that enhances their overall experience. Please know the above mentioned truth 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 couch that is in compliance with any and all legal requirements which are in force in this jurisdiction where your church is located. We find that numerous churches are unaware that whenever a room reaches a certain amount of people occupying it (you will have to contact your local officials to ascertain this limit for your area) rules can enter effect for your seating. For example, in some areas your chairs might be needed to be “affixed” the floor. In other places, the ability to effectively connect your chairs to one another might be non-negotiable. The fire-retardant requirements for the fabric and foam which make up a component your chairs might be stricter in some localities than others. The straightforward truth is that your chairs should be in compliance with those codes in force in your location. Please know again that this truth 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 couch that works for your church in the worship space it is put in. For example, you can find churches that due to a limited amount of square footage in their worship area want to squeeze as much chairs as possible into that area. It might be a worship chair somewhat narrower than the standard 20″ wide chair is one that works for them. Another church that could be holding their worship service in a room that also serves as a space for other purposes throughout the week has a need to stack their chairs at least once each week. It might be a worship chair that is lighter in weight, handles easier and stores compactly is the chair that works for them. And yet another church needs chairs which will work both in auditorium style seating in rows and around tables. It might be a “hybrid” chair is 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.
