Space For Worship: A Brethren View

Noting that the New Testament does not advocate retaining the elaborate rites and liturgical spaces of Old Testament Judaism, the Brethren tradition emphasizes simplicity in its design of the worship space. The Table, with its bread and cup, are the only symbols present. Christian Brethren assemblies heartily agree that worship is congregational, that architecture must not draw a distinction between "us" and "them," and that all too often Protestant worship has been more of a talent show than a remembrance of Christ. Emphasis on symbolism in church architecture and in the form of worship will promote rather than attenuate both clericalism and sacramentalism. The emphasis on symbolism is appropriate enough for Old Testament worship, as evidenced by the detailed instruction given to Moses regarding the tabernacle and the priesthood (Exod. 2531). If the goal of church architecture is to incarnate the meaning of worship in space, as some have claimed, would not the Old Testament analog…