Space For Worship: A Baptist View

In addition to concerns raised in earlier articles, Baptist churches are designed in order to facilitate communication among worshipers and to serve as settings for evangelistic services. It can be generally said that most Baptist churches are characterized by certain building features that are determined by Baptist theological emphases: An emphasis on the centrality of the Bible means that the pulpit is usually centrally located. The emphasis on believer's baptism and a regenerate church calls for the baptistry to occupy a prominent place in the building. The importance of the public invitation, or the altar call, means that the congregation should be close to the minister and the pulpit; the evangelistic emphasis also means it should be easy for people to move forward to make decisions. The emphasis on intimacy and immediacy is also causing some younger ministers to use pulpits that are slender stands. Allowance for the choir to help in the evangelistic invitation means it i…