Details

This session considered a church building as being part of, and contributing to, the neighborhood that surrounds it. We explored how a building connects to a neighborhood in terms of scale and style, helping to shape the public realm, and how threshold points operate between the church and the public.

Some congregations think too little of their buildings, and see the walls and property boundaries as containers of square footage for program and parking spaces for cars. Other congregations think too much of their buildings, seeing them as iconic sculptures bearing witness to beliefs and values in contradistinction to those of the surrounding community. In contrast to these views, this session considered a church building as being part of, and contributing to, the neighborhood that surrounds it. We explored how a building connects to a neighborhood in terms of scale and style, helping to shape the public realm, and how threshold points operate between the church and the public.

Presented at the 2007 Calvin Symposium on Worship.

Listen Online

Recent Media Resources

Preaching and Peacemaking

What is the role of preaching in situations of deep conflict and division? How can preaching participate in the Christian call to peacemaking? This panel will explore the connections between gospel preaching and peacemaking efforts.

June 30, 2024
Receptive Ecumenism in Neighborhoods, Soccer Fields, and Workplaces

This session will explore how to talk about differences in Catholic and Protestant worship. Every time we talk with a neighbor, teammate, or coworker from a different Christian tradition about what we do in worship and why, we are practicing liturgical theology. 

June 30, 2024