Over the past several weeks, we’ve been sharing examples illustrating various church building trends. With this post, we will conclude our series of church design photos with a trend that is a surprise to many people: a return to traditional worship spaces.
Why People Seek a Traditional Church Design
At first glance, a return to traditional church design would seem to fly in the face of earlier trends in our series, like third place design. However, the key reason for any church building project or renovation is to support your church’s mission to reach people in your community. What we’re finding today is that the oldest and a segment of the youngest people in many communities are seeking a traditional-looking church design.
Why is this? For those older, the answer is easy to understand. Most of them grew up worshipping in a traditional church and hunger for something that’s familiar, especially as they age and face the challenges that come with it. A traditional church building brings them comfort and hope.
For unchurched millennials, the answer is a bit more complex. Many of them have not been raised in church, but they seek a spiritual life and a connection with something deeper than what social media and work provide. Millennials also seek a sense of history. This is evident in the popularity of genealogy research and DNA testing with young people today. When this group is exploring worship options, they often look for a church experience, and church design, that reflects traditional images and connects them to the past.
Examples of Traditional Church Building Trends
This trend is so new that we’re going to share some 3D rendering of church designs we have recently completed rather than actual photos. In this first example of a traditional worship space, you can see that the traditional look brings with it white walls, white pews, federal windows, wood trim and a very bright, light feeling.
Since couples getting married, especially millennial couples, often want a traditional feel, 
churches with this type of worship space will use it extensively for weddings. Millennials are also more likely to return to a church where they were married, so having a traditional worship space is a good way to draw them into your church community. In fact, some churches are building two worship spaces, one contemporary and the other traditional, to meet both types of needs.
Keeping Multi-Ministry Options Open with Traditional Worship Space
In this second church design example, you can see a more flexible traditional style church building option. Here, as in the first example, the space is painted in a bright, neutral color and the floors are flat. In addition to making it easier for people to get around, flat floors (and the movable chairs instead of pews) allow this worship center to be a multi-ministry space. Dinners and training events can also be held here, while not sacrificing the more traditional, historical feel for Christian worship.
We hope that this series of church building trend examples has been helpful in your own church design considerations. To learn more about the latest in church building trends, sign up today for our free i3 webinars. If you have specific questions about how your own church building can support your mission for ministry, contact us today at 800-625-6448 or request@mcknightgroup.com.