Holland, Michigan
2020
To study how the physical design and layout of a worship space influences the experience and reflects the religious identity of the congregation that worships there.
Researcher(s): Benjamin Meagher
Academic Discipline: Psychology
Project Summary
The proposed project is an interdisciplinary, empirical investigation of how the physical design and layout of a worship space influences the experience and reflects the religious identity of the congregation that worships there. This research will provide insights for faith leaders seeking to design, build, or renovate their church's physical space in ways most likely to enhance community and facilitate positive worship experiences for their congregation.
What questions have you asked about worship in the past year? List at least two questions that have generated theological reflection and have helped shape your project.
- How are people’s conception of God expressed in their worship space? As a setting congregants will associate with God, I am interested in how their feelings about the church ultimately reflect their own theological beliefs and motives.
- How does the physical worship space influence people’s experience during worship? Although people often have strong feelings about the preaching, music, and social ties in a church, how does their attachment to the place itself also impact their worship?
In what ways has or will your project strengthen the worship life of congregations?
My hope is that this project will help churches become more aware of the role of the physical worship space in shaping the spiritual lives of congregants. Even though worship settings are typically thought about primarily in terms of functionality (e.g., where will the choir be?), the results of my project demonstrate that how people conceptualize this space and how they conceptualize God show fascinating overlaps. Faith communities therefore need to reflect seriously about how their space communicates and reinforces certain attributes of God to their congregants. In disseminating our findings, I plan to highlight some of the key environmental variables that appear to impact people’s psychological and emotional experiences in this place.
What have been your greatest challenges (or challenging opportunities)
Unsurprisingly, the global pandemic dramatically altered how and when congregations used their church building to worship. In order for my research team and me to get access to both the physical spaces and the sample of participants needed for our survey, this required pushing back our data collection period substantially. Moreover, with interpersonal contact severely limited, recruiting participants for our study also became much more difficult. Nevertheless, the period of separation everyone experienced from their traditional worship space has highlighted the role of this place in people’s spiritual lives. I am interested in exploring our data more closely to see how people’s sense of connection with God has changed during this time.
What advice would you like to share with other Teacher-Scholars?
My primary piece of advice is to do your best to build actual relationships with the local faith communities in your area. This is particularly important for social scientists who want to collect data, but even in a more general sense I think it is critical to build mutual trust with the group(s) you are working with. Some communities may be understandably suspicious of an outside person coming in to “study” them, so it is important to communicate your goals and share conclusions with them in the most accessible way possible. A basic tenet of research ethics is to make sure that those who voluntarily contribute to your project receive the most benefit from it. I think that is something to keep in mind throughout the period of your project.
What products will emerge from your project?
As an empirical study, I will seek to publish results from this project in scholarly, peer-reviewed journals (e.g., Psychology of Religion, Journal of Environmental Psychology). I will also be providing all participating churches with a summary report of our conclusions and offer to speak with and answer any questions from their congregation and leaders.