I can offer a few comments from a liturgical perspective. The idea of church architecture is to draw the eye towards the ideas you want emphasized. I'm assuming that's the cross, in your sanctuary, along with the pulpit/ambo. That means everything else is de-emphasized. So this means things like plants, banners, chairs, music stands, etc. need to either find an unobstrusive home, disappear, or gain greater emphasis so they have a coherent present. If there will be plants, they should be huge for that space, so they look deliberate and can be seen from the back of the sanctuary. Same thing with banners. Note that the removal of the curtains will change the sound in the sanctuary (for good or for ill) and it might be nice to take them down for a while just to hear what the difference will be. The pulpit looks like it's the same wood as the cross, which is nice, but I would actually suggest removing the extra little cross that's on it - this would simplify the lines and makes it clear what you want people to see. The idea is one cross, one place of preaching, etc. - simplicity speaks strongly to people in our over-stimulated age.

Presence, not present! :)

Nicely put speckhen.

Speckhen, yes we want to emphasize the cross. Most of the other stuff on the pulpit will be removed -plants, hangings, etc. The smaller cross is only there for Easter in front of the “tomb”.

Others, the drapes are definitely going. There are plans for sound panels of various abstract prints covering the sound panels which will be installed on both side walls in the upper half. These panels will provide the “art” work. Also, the wood is staying and will not be painted.

Most of the complaints from parishioners is the blah color. They definitely don’t want White or beige....so the dilemma continues.

We cannot afford to hire a professional decorator which is why I came onhere. I got some great advice, which I took, when we renovated our home last year.

Lindsey, your point about size is taken. I can see where the dark may be to much. Onward!

Felizlady, of course I’m listening to all input. The details I mentioned here are not all my ideas.

It's been my experience that when people are being lead into a spirit of worship or are captivated by thought-provoking ideas they aren't noticing the colour of the walls.

As speckhen pointed out, the exterior furnishings should direct congregants to the focal point. That direction should be very subtle. And then their attention needs to be held by the service that is happening.

I do have to be honest, if I walked into your sanctuary as it is I would not be critical of it. If people were kind and the officiant taught along my basic beliefs, I would come back. If I walked into your inspiration picture I would be quite wary of "all style no substance." That may or may not be a fair estimation but I've had enough of those experiences to mistrust.

The preponderance of gym-based churches (and the fact that those congregations are predominantly people under 50) shows that the outside trappings of beauty don't matter as much to the upcoming generations. At least in my area.

That's not to say you can't or shouldn't update. If the impetus for the update is complaints that it is "blah" the problem might not be confined to the walls. That is said in Christian love, truly. Sorry if its too personal :-/

Lindsey, I appreciate your honesty. There is no “blahness” in what’s happening in the pulpit or church. It’s more alive than it’s been for years. The congregation has been more senior until the last few years. There is much work being done to offer programs & studies that attract all ages. We are seeing younger people coming and the church is growing. The church has not been updated in 30 years except for one coat of beige paint and new comfy chairs about 5? Years ago.

I am hearing all of you and appreciate your input. Back to the drawing board with the search for a lighter palette. Please Keep the comments coming.

Painted drop ceilings look like doo-doo, and unless you remove the panels and paint them and reinstall after they and the frame dry, you're going to have white showing randomly all over the place.

@tatts I was curious if the ceiling could be painted. It didn't seem like it would work well.

I definitely agree with lindsey. I have never cared about what the church I attended looked like. It's about the message. Rich looking churches always make me a bit wary that the leader of the church is making a bit too much off the congregants, which has always really bothered me.

That said, you want it to look nice and there is certainly nothing wrong with updating. You want people to feel comfortable and, like others have said, direct their focus to the cross and pulpit. I think clean, comfortable chairs are one of the best improvements. A clean, neutral color palette may seem boring, but people feel comfortable in it and it isn't distracting. It also doesn't have to be blah. Your current colors look old, but an updated neutral palette wouldn't be. Something like Irene's first color palette posted would be perfect for an update. I don't think the blues would look dull and I would use the navy sparingly.

Hi tatts, we definitely plan to do a good job on painting the ceiling tiles and frame. We plan on taking them down, priming & painting before reinstalling.

What an exciting and stressful task! Cobalt blues go very well with the wood you’ll be keeping, gorgeous with golds and tans but the blue needs to be pure and bold. If you think of it as a “sky” element it makes it easier to know how much blue to extend down the walls. You could soften the edge with a rich velvet like curtain in a gold or tan, I’d prefer a rich gemlike gold. Pail blue could be pretty with the tans, very relaxing but perhaps a bit bland. Another option is an emerald or forest green. Would go well with the wood you’re keeping and inspire celebration of nature. Green also makes it easier to decorate around for Christmas and Easter. Floor plants would add additional texture and softness but still keeping the alter area respectful. Once again, the green needs to be bold, gemlike and rich (Velvet) to give dimension. Who wouldn’t want to pray under a starry sky or in a deeply wooded forest? Places invoking peace and a reminder but not a copy of, what He has created.

More than anything else, the lighting on the ceiling needs to be changed. Doing that will change everything below the ceiling. It will automatically darken the ceiling.

"We are seeing younger people coming and the church is growing"

I'm happy to hear that. I have to believe that people are responding both to the teachings of your church and probably also to the spirit of authenticity they sense there.

I think if your stay true to yourselves and your community's culture you'll make the right decision.

And I'm relieved that I didn't hurt or offend you.

Thanks Lindsey, hug to you

:-) That lifted my heart! Really, I have the biggest smile on my face! Your hug is most definitely returned!!

The lighting is not changing.

i agree with feliz lady

i saw your post and thought why are you sounding so desperate to fix this place up by yourself?


its like you want to get ALL the credit and not include your "committee" because youre the "head" and want to show that you can lead.

well maybe you should tell them about houzz and bring them on here too, or at the minimum get their ideas too.....cuz oh you know thats the right thing to do


if you told them, they could help too and it wouldnt be so one sided with you

DH, that’s quite the bunch of assumptions. I hope whatever causes you to be so angry & negative improves for you.

Hi Betty - I wanted to say I think you are doing a fabulous job trying to find what will work best for your community of faith. I'm glad you're choosing options for good sound, and that you are quite conscious about what key elements of faith you want to emphasize. My sense is that if you keep that foremost, even as you struggle with colour choices, it will be fine. I wish I could offer advice in that area but I think other Houzzers are far better at that than I! I would offer one tiny caution - that more money does not equal more worshipful. I've seen congregations choose looks over mission, and that's not helpful. First things first. I am glad you are looking to find ways to have the sanctuary help people worship. Blessings to you on the journey!

Hi Betty,

New to this thread! Oh boy, this is taking me back to countless Sunday School carwashes, bake sales, everything.

Can you surreptitiously snap a pic this Sunday? I'd love to see what your church/altar looks like in full swing as opposed to down time. Guessing the look and feel is very different than this picture.

Are the lights on dimmers?

Are you having Maundy Thursday service tonight?

@Janie, not sure about pics with people. Lights are on dimmers. No service tonight. Looking forward to Good Friday service with open house potluck afterwards. All our potlucks are open house. We live in a very small community in western Canada. We are a small church.

Just so you know, this whole thread will be read & discussed at our next committee meeting. Also, the other ladies are not familiar with this app and because they both work full time declined to join Houzz. They are looking forward to your input! I truly appreciate your ideas and suggestions, and I’m sure they will too.

Betty, determine what your budget is and then do some preliminary research on the choices you've made so far. Price the sound panels you behind the altar, they can be expensive and the price might throw all of your plans out the window and if you can't afford a professional designer, you probably can't afford the panels.

I think the navy ceiling won't come out as planned. And the picture you posted with the dark sanctuary walls seem to lose everything into a big, dark chasm.

If you think my comments are angry and negative, well then paint it whatever color you want. This is a place where people come to get opinions and if you ask for them, then that's what you'll get.

@Carolina, I didn’t find your comments negative or angry. Yes we have a budget. Yes we have priced out the sound panels. I take no exception to suggestions or comments based on redecorating ideas. I have seen the wisdom in not painting the ceiling navy blue because of the size of our sanctuary. How I’m leading this committee or how this committee works isn’t what this dilemma is about. Thank you for your input.

How much to the sound panels cost in relation to your whole budget? That seems to be the most important and most expensive part of this. You may want to get that in place and then make decisions about the rest of the project. Church congregations don't always take to new ideas quickly.

About 20%

Betty,

This would be my inspiration picture for you at this point. No windows, neutral carpet, etc. You could copy the side walls with inexpensive paint, get the teenagers to do it.

When you take communion do you kneel? Or do you line up and stand the whole time?

@Janie. Nice inspiration.
For communion we do neither. We are served in the rows by ushers.

I like the calm colorings of the blue/beige up top and Janie's inspiration picture every much.

Our prior sanctuary was the old fashioned burgundy and golden oak. In our new building we currently use the gym space, complete with the dark ceiling and blue walls patterned, blue runners for services.

For your mid-sized space, I like blue carpet for easy care and neutral walls. The two fabric panels could be a project for a team at the church. (Our pastor's sister made some beautiful vibrant panels for our building.)

Add three live peace lily plants on each side of the stage and a bigger podium that will hold a bottle of water behind.

Betty,

Would your fellow parishioners be interested in a kneeling/altar rail and take communion at the altar as an alternative? That would be easy for you to do in your design!

@Janie, I think not. We have over 40% seniors.

We have both at our church. The rail is usually set up and people kneel or not as they are able/see fit. Lol, we have 80% seniors and probably 10% under 12 and we have open communion so it is absolutely as the Spirit/flesh leads!

I know that's off-topic...

Betty, another fun thing to consider is a Hymn board and a Donor board of sorts..something taylored for your small congregation of course.

@Lindsey, we do too, some kneel and some stand at the rail, some senior citizens stay in their seats and the clergy come to them.

I don't think I've ever been in a Protestant church where the congregation came to the front to receive the communion. It was always passed by the ushers.

I grew up in the Episcopal Church (junior varsity Catholic) and we went forward to take communion. That was in Chicago. Then we moved south and they all do the pass-around thing down here.

It was explained to me that this type of communion puts the pastor in the role of servant, which was the role that Jesus took on.

tqtqtbw I've gone to Lutheran churches all my life and we have always gone to the front. Might be regional?

I was trying to find a way to explain the servant role that the ushers & Pastor prefer. Because of our elderly population it works best for all of us.

That may explain it. I'm in the south and have only been to one Lutheran and one Episcopal church as a visitor. (Weddings or funerals, maybe?) At our United Methodist church, the pastor serves the communion stewards at the altar, then they serve everyone else.

When you do paint, I recommend painting out the wood vertical corner pieces and whatever that is above the cross. I think having the corners blend in will make the front space seem larger.

How interesting!

I was taught that the altar rail is an extension of the altar, i.e. the banquette table, and our Pastor was serving us "at the table." and that the altar rail is not just divider from the sanctuary.

In my church in NYC, everyone brings their dogs to church as we walk everywhere, they come to the altar rail with us, the Pastor gives the pups a quick blessing. My sister nearly died when she saw!

It is so fun to hear about everyone's customs :)

I'm all for well-behaved dogs in church or anywhere else.

Think about widening and raising the main door entrance also (from the foyer). It will provide a dramatic view of the stone and cross as people enter. "Dramatic" is probably not the right word for a church, but you know what I mean. I agree with the others that the front space with the cross should be the focus, not the walls or ceiling. Best of luck with your project!

Happy Easter everyone. HE IS RISEN!

He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

One more comment about communion methods: Many people have gotten more cautious about germs and it may be that the individual servings of wine is much preferred for that reason. I went to a church where the pastors first step in serving communion was to take a small bottle of Purell from the altar, hold it up briefly and then squirt some into the hands of everyone who was serving communion. Then the officiants all held their hands up as they cleaned them with hand sanitizer. Much better than everyone drinking from the same cup.

This is an old post. The redecorating is probably already finished. What did you do or are you still in the planning stage? If so, you are thinking of too many colors, and a dark paint will make the room feel like a cave. The beauty and focus should be in the area of the cross. There is no altar, but there may not need to be one. No rock wall behind the cross. If you change the red drapes and carpet, don’t go too light on the new color because the cross will fade into/blend into any beige. The red seems perfect to me. Decor should not be the focus here. It is a simple room with a higher calling.