Summary of Presentation
by

Jim Langford, Architect

January 28, 2007
Bethel Lutheran Church

Note/Disclaimer: This is a summary prepared by myself and attempts to reflect the main points given by Mr. Langford. In going through this information, please also note that nothing that was presented has been voted on as final plans, but was given to keep the congregation abreast of the general direction that we are headed. Any depictions of the building are then reflective only of current thought and not final plans. This is to be viewed as a work in progress. (DCE Randy)

Bethel Lutheran Church Goals Create a new church campus that represents what we as Lutherans believe. Create a place of worship to attract new families. Create a new sanctuary where we can worship. Create a realistic and economical plan that makes the highest and best use of our new site. Create a new church campus that presents a clear and welcoming entrance. Must look like a church.
Martin Luther, through his work with the Reformation, helped change the shape of worship in the church. Much of our design of church sanctuaries can be traced to this time period. Part of this presentation helps trace the "evolution" of the space the church uses for worship.
The site Bethel has purchased offers us a great opportunity to develop a new church site in a highly visible, favorable location.
The first consideration is where to place the physical plant on the property. One option would be as shown to the right, placing the campus in the middle of the property, with parking in front and behind. While this does offer easily visible parking, the negatives include: Having to eliminate nearly all the trees on the property Making the church building less visible from the highway, as the elevation "drops" as you go farther to the back of the land
This view of the property gives some insight about the features of the land. Note the existing "fence/tree line" - a long string of older, larger, desirable trees that are a feature worth preserving. Also note that there are few if any noteworthy trees to the left of the tree line. One way to preserve these trees would be to put the church buildings as below. On the one hand, this does allow us to maintain the older trees. On the other hand, this model tends to almost hide the church building to the back of the property. Later in the presentation a third option will be explored. As we continue to look at the development of our new church site, we also consider the shape and layout of the building. There are differences between buildings built for Christian worship as compared with non Christian worship.
The Greek Temple Temple was the dwelling place of the god who lived in the most holy place. Only initiated priests were in direct relation with god. The holy place was reserved exclusively for them. Congregation stayed in the court. Congregation entered into communion with god only through the mediation of priests.
In the early Christian church there began a trend to separating the clergy from the congregation. The Altar becomes a "holy place." The attribution of ritual privilege, increasingly exclusive, to a priesthood which became more and more important, and more and more distinct and separate from the community. Later Gothic Cathedrals continued this trend. Worshippers bowed down before the altar reminded of the bloody sacrifice of Christ which they had to gain pardon (rather than by free grace) Priests were completely separated expressed by the architecture of the building.
Martin Luther, through the Reformation, changed how worship was viewed. Restored the Biblical truth of the "Priesthood of all Believers." 1 Peter 2:9 Based on Jesus Christ being the "one mediator between God and man." 1Timothy 2:5,6 There were some implications for architecture. Clergy were no longer the mediators. The chancel reserved for them was misleading. The separation between the clergy and the lay worshipers had been taken away. The place reserved for the choir had to be eliminated or emptied.
The shapes of Lutheran churches reflected these beliefs. Note how in this church the pulpit is placed in a midway point in the nave. Castle Church 1544 Torgau, near Wittenberg
To the left are some other examples of how the clergy was no longer separated from the people.
Church architecture continued to no longer separate people from the clergy. One shape that became historically important for Lutheran was octagonal, as above. These churches were almost "in the round."
Luther's four "solas" centers us in God. Sola gracia - Grace alone - Contrasts to man's working, earning, deserving. Sola fida - Faith alone - Trusting in the mercy of God. Sola Christas - Christ alone Sola Chriptura - Scripture alone One implication for us is that Luther's concept of centering moves us to the larger mission of Bethel Lutheran's role in the community - it should be the symbolic center of the community.
The architectural implications are that Architecture should give prominence to the preaching of the Word - close to the pastor, the pastor able to see the people, they him. Hearing must be without effort or strain, nor should the pastor strain to be heard. The altar from which the prayers are spoken and from which comes the Lord's Supper should be given a place of prominence so to remind the congregation that Christ gives His body and blood which He gives to sustain their life with Him.
So what do these things say about our work. How does Luther's concept of centering relate to our planning? The Sanctuary needs to be at the center of the property and should be in the most prominent position on the site.
If a strong consideration is given to a prominent location for the church building, we consider our church property layout.
Driving west on HWY 158, the front of our property is visible dead ahead, at the crest of the hill.
Driving east on HWY 158 gives the same view from the other direction. If we want our church to be highly visible, these views would support a location toward the front of the property.
The long term Master Plan would then reflect a prominent sanctuary toward the front of the property, with visitor parking just off of HWY 158, a covered drop off on the West side with the main parking also on the west side. This plan retains the larger trees (tree line), makes the church highly visible to passersby and allows for the construction of supporting buildings behind the church, connected by an enclosed walkway to the main building as well as being close to parking.
The initial phase would allow for a sanctuary and supporting Educational space. Other buildings (Family Life Center, larger Parish Hall, additional educational space/school) would be built as needed later in time. The picture to the right as taken from a scale model built by Mr. Langford, and suggests what our first phase might look like.
Here is another drawing of this initial phase. Again, the final shape of the sanctuary is work in progress. This rendition does reflect a focus on the altar as well as connecting the pastor to the people. This would also give room for growth as a balcony would wrap around the main seating area, allowing f or more seating to be added later. The eventual capacity for this building would be just under 700. The first floor of the Education wing has areas for adult classes (to the left) adjacent to parking. Sunday School rooms are on the right, with the middle section serving as a Parish Hall type meeting space. The end wall would be glassed in to take advantage of the view our property offers. The hallway around the sanctuary itself serves as both a way to get around the building as well as a place for meeting and greeting. /TD>
The second floor has a music room to the side as well as a large youth room over the "Parish Hall" s pace. Of course we would have an elevator to help with movement between the first and second floors. The Youth Room would also feature a glass wall overlooking the property. This room will be large enough to partition off for classes and other youth room equipment. This drawing also gives an idea of the expandable balcony around the sanctuary. Access to this will be via the elevator or stairs to the second floor. It is to be noted that this balcony will be fairly low so as to continue with the goal of the sanctuary being a more intimate space.
The main thing to gain from this picture is that the church will have a steeple on it, and that the building will have quite a bit of elevation to help mark it's prominent place on the property. The Building Committee is also looking at featuring brickwork and archways around the outside of the church which is not depicted here. To the right of this building is also a hint of a well landscaped garden area. In addition to this more "adult" area we also hope to have a visible yet secure playground that would appeal to younger families. The goal is to make our church look as inviting as possible to the passerby, to be a place that you want to stop and check out.
This is another picture taken from Mr. Langford's scale model. It shows the entryways in the front and side as well as the garden area to the right/front of the building. The sidewalk leading out the back of the first phase would eventually lead to other buildings and would be weatherized and offer quick access to the "inside" from the parking lot. TD>
This picture gives a cross section of the building and some idea of the elevations. One last drawing give a conception of how the hallway around the sanctuary might look. There is to be an emphasis on light and openness, again to make this building as inviting as possible.