Promoting Church Fellowship through Thoughtfully Designed Space

Church architecture and building design are important to promote communal worship and fellowship. Consider how shopping malls built in the last 10 years are thoughtfully designed to promote a warm, friendly gathering place--they offer a shopping experience that you can't have on-line. Gone or nearly extinct are the straight shot halls of store after store after store. All the new malls are built around a social space where kids play in the indoor playground, families sit and eat together--each with a meal from a different restaurant, business people sit in booths conducive to zoom meetings, teens run back and forth. (I forget what author first pointed this out to me.)

Many church buildings seem bent on ushering people in and out, without considering space that is needed to promote fellowship. The first steps into the building ought to be into a warm, open room full of sit-down tables, stand-up tall tables (bar tables), living room furniture, and coffee/snack area. Browsing tables ought to be available, offering opportunities for people to casually look at books (etc.) while moseying around. Some game tables for youth ought to be set off in one corner, and an open nursery area. This room is designed to promote conversation and fellowship, perhaps with lovely music playing in the background.

Adjacent to the fellowship/welcome area should be a small chapel where people might pray or read the Bible as they are so moved. Often I have seen two people conversing very seriously, and then bow their heads in prayer. The chapel encourages this kind of spontaneous, personal prayer that arises out of private conversations.

From the greeting and fellowship area, worshipers move into the sanctuary. Blessed is the congregation that is seated in rounded pews (or chairs) arranged in a semi-circle so that they may sing TO ONE ANOTHER psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. The pulpit should not be raised so high that worshipers get a stiff neck looking upward. While building architecture should direct the congregation to the wonder of God's glory, there must also be a sense of community--together we minister to one another and render our praises in one voice to God.

Election in 1 Thessalonians: Assurance for Persecuted Believers

 Praise the Lord for his election! (1 Thes 1:4)

Paul's preaching ministry in Thessalonica was cut short due to intense persecution. Indeed, when Paul fled Thessalonica, the new believers became the object of persecution. As a group, they were newly designated the scum of the earth, worthy of disdain and contempt. In this context, Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians, assuring them of their election ("God has chosen you" τὴν ἐκλογὴν ὑμῶν). This term "election" (ἐκλογή) gets Calvinists all excited, and causes many-an- inadequately-theologized sermon to go awry. Election is not about Calvinistic determinism, not about an arbitrary divine decision prior to the founding of the world, not input or irresistible stimulus provoking a mechanical response in automatons, not an impersonal process. No, none of this. Election is about God conferring a special status to believers--and herein lies the glory and praiseworthiness of election. These believers whom society berated and designated them as scum, are reminded by Paul that to God, they were elect. Paul could have chosen some other term of salvation in v. 4 (e.g., "For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has redeemed/saved/rescued (etc.) you..."). But he purposefully chose the term "election" precisely to counter the opponents' derision of the Thessalonian believers and to convey that, of all peoples on the earth, the Thessalonian believers were precious, beloved, and privileged by God. Praise the Lord that, despite what the world thinks of us, God has bestowed upon us this privileged status of election. And this privilege is for all who believe.