Going to church is an important religious and community activity often ruined by uncomfortable furniture. You’ve probably sat for hours in pews that hurt your back, making it hard to focus on the sermon or hymns you’d prefer to focus on. It’s not like you can furnish a church with futons and beanbags, though. Most congregations have a certain aesthetic and atmospheric standard in mind that can get in the way of comfort and efficiency.
It’s important to maintain the furnishings in a church as elegant as possible while ensuring their use and comfort. For example, the chairs should be easy to move around to accommodate a larger sermon; the partitions should look in the right place when rolled out for an event.
Whether you’re looking to replace all your chairs and tables now or are interested in what might be wrong with your current setup, here are five items you’ll need to furnish a church.
1. Long-lasting folding tables
Of the items in a catholic church, good folding tables are a must-have. Whether someone’s using the church to host an event or there’s a regular sermon going on, a fold-out table or two will probably find itself at the end of the room. It’ll hold pamphlets and bibles for the entering congregation to pick up on their way in, or it’ll be used to present the items in a potluck.
Either way, there will rarely ever be a moment where someone won’t have to kick a fold-out table open. A broken or flimsy choice will bite you later. Buying a longer-lasting table will pay off.
2. Stylish folding chairs
When furnishing a church with a folding table and chairs, it’s often hard to keep the place looking like… well… a church. Some churches can look a bit boring or empty when not constructed like a historical cathedral. However, that doesn’t have to be the case! Choosing folding chairs that compliment your church’s energy and color palette will keep people engaged.
3. Functional stacking chairs
When constructing your own pews with stacking chairs, you want to focus on both style and functionality. Pew seats by ComforTek, for example, are styled to emulate the aesthetic of church pews but are ultimately built for comfort and easy storage. In addition, the versatility of stacking chairs helps upsize your seating for the more populated services (i.e., Easter, Christmas) without making the church look unnecessarily empty on your regular days.
4. Temporary partitions
Partitions can do a lot to manipulate a larger space. You can use them to block off certain areas and obscure them from view (helpful if your Sunday School is putting on a Christmas play, for example). Or, you can make new, smaller rooms in a larger space for small meetings or sermons. Make a little lobby outside the main area for latecomers to arrive without interrupting. You can also create a daycare for toddlers or disruptive little
ones that let parents still keep watch of their children. Overall, temporary partitions are a must-have for any church, especially if you host many different events.
5. Comfortable dining chairs
Church dining chairs likely aren’t the first piece of furniture you thought of when looking at this post, but they’re way more important than you think. If a church is hosting a wedding, for example, the reception will make use of those dining chairs. When people enjoy a meal, they don’t want to feel uncomfortable and anxious. They should get to savor the moment and the conversations they’re having just as much as they savor the meal.
Conclusion
At first, church furniture doesn’t seem like a complicated subject. However, for a place with frequent, large groups of guests sitting for a long time, the furniture is integral to the experience. You want the congregation to be as comfortable as possible without breaking the atmosphere. In addition, some churches primarily host older people, so the seats should accommodate their bodies and joints.
The line is more difficult to tow than you’d expect. Sure, couches are comfortable and great to sit on, but they are hard to arrange and don’t fit the energy of a church, where people should sit up attentively. Some folding chairs are efficient, but they do a number on the sitter’s back.
Hopefully, this article gave you an idea of what to search for when furnishing a church. Have ideas for other must-have church furniture? Comment your thoughts below.
