Over the last couple of weeks, I have started my series of church building visits. Before I write them up, I thought I would write a little bit about what I am looking for.
My main aim is to see what the building says about Christianity in its presentation. These are the questions I am asking so far. I expect the list will grow as I visit more places.
- What is the first thing you see when you walk through the door?
- What do the noticeboards say? What impression do the notices give of the life of the Church?
- Are there interpretation boards or information leaflets?
- What do they say about Christianity?
- What pre-existing knowledge of Christianity do they assume?
- What features of the building are explained? Is there anything unusual left without explanation?
- Is there a link to a Church website?
- What does the website say about Christianity?
- Are there any multi-media resources?
- What do the various forms of interpretation invite you to do while in the church building?
- Donations boxes: what is the reason suggested for giving?