Relaunch Church Q&A

A: Many churches are facing a new realization: their building isn’t designed with spaces to accommodate groups of 10 to 50, the range for church gathering sizes in the initial reopening phase for many states.

Churches with large sanctuaries or multipurpose rooms that are designed to seat 200 or more can be used for a gathering of 10 to 50. But hosting 50 or fewer in a room designed for hundreds affects the group’s social interaction and impressions of intimacy, warmth, and safety in the space.

The relational dynamic in groups of 20 to 50 is different from groups of 100-plus. It allows people to connect more broadly than in personal space, but also more deeply than in public space.

Here are some potentials ways you may be able to gain medium-sized gathering space for your ministries to meet in:

Sharing Space: Some churches might consider teaming up to co-lease spaces, like at a retail strip center, and meet at different times in the week. A larger church may even purchase a space like this and lease it out to smaller congregations. Some churches may choose to continue live-streaming Sunday morning, but offer medium-sized gatherings for ministry use for their congregation throughout the week. Collaborative churches can share spaces in new ways and refresh their spaces with innovative ideas that match the creative potential of their new ministry approach.

Shape the Community: Consider leasing and outfitting medium-sized retail spaces to expand the footprint of the church and help communities. Even as the church thinks creatively about medium-sized spaces, we may simultaneously have the opportunity to help the community renew the thousands of retail spaces that will become available in the economic aftermath of this year.

Outdoor and Temporary Spaces: Churches often overlook the property available to them outside their church building. Outdoor spaces, such as parking lots or green space that surrounds the church building, may provide a high-impact, low-cost opportunity to expand available space and spread people out.

Read more about how to adapt your church facility for phased-in gathering sizes here.

A: Here are four ideas for how to rearrange seating layouts to adapt large gathering spaces into spaces for smaller groups with social distancing in mind:

Table worship groups
Tables are a great way to gather in groups at safe distances. These tables could accommodate a family or small group. The floor around the tables could be marked with a circle of tape to provide a “zone” or visual cue for keeping at a safe space, as well as creating traffic patterns for navigating the room. This idea could also be a strategy for connecting newcomers who have never been to your church building.
Worship in the round
In this layout, the speaker is positioned in the center of the room. The chairs are arranged around the speaker in several segmented zones to allow for smaller audience sections and maintain safe distances. The number of chairs can be increased or decreased according to regulations set by churches' local municipalities.
Maximizing comfort vs capacity
Usually, when we are providing seating in a worship space, we are trying to maximize comfort and capacity. In our current season, comfort is the main consideration. Creating different seating options within the same space will allow people to choose an option they feel most comfortable with. You can experiment with different layouts based on your specific needs.
Stage seating for medium-sized groups
Stages usually can accommodate medium-sized groups and provide much more space than our typical classrooms. Consider temporarily converting the stage in your worship auditorium or sanctuary to host a small gathering where people can have ample space and not feel cramped.

Read more about how to adapt large gathering spaces for smaller groups here.

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