Yesterday at SoHills' Refresh worship gathering, our talented worship leader, Sam Souder, had what I thought was an inspired idea. As we were concluding Refresh, Sam asked those of us in the front half of the auditorium to stand and face those in the back half of the room... and we sang "How Great Is Our God." At the end of what had been a morning where God had moved in a mighty way during Refresh, it was a cool way to conclude.And it got me to thinking... about how encouraging it was to see each others' faces as we sang praise to our God. It also got me thinking about that piece of furniture that keeps us looking at the back of each others' heads: pews. So I decided to do some research on where pews came from.
Those who study such things tell us the church did not use pews for over 1,000 years. The first-century church met in homes, so the feeling was family—a community looking at one another and interacting with one another. The first formal church building was built in the post-300 AD time period and modeled after the Roman Basilica, and in these buildings people stood the whole time. There were no seats at all. So standing allowed interacting and the freedom to walk around. In the 13th century there were backless benches made of stone placed against walls. They were arranged in a semi-circle around the meeting room, and then eventually fixed to the floor.
In the 14th century pews, as we know them, were introduced... but pews did not become popular until the 15th century. Remember, in this time period the Reformation was happening and the pulpit was introduced as the focal point of church architecture. So pews became the place where people took their seat to focus on the pulpit and the sermon. People didn't have Bibles of their own... they didn't read for the most part... so church buildings had rows of seats for people to sit and listen to someone talk.
How we sit when we gather reflects what we believe is important in worship. The early church met in homes, it was communal... looking at each other in small rooms, discussing and teaching Scripture, praying for one another and eating a meal together. You could walk around, engage in dialogue.
Then the church moved into buildings where the communion table was the focal point, and we stood, moved around the room, interacted. Later we moved into buildings where the pews caused people to sit in stationary positions, not looking at each other, but looking at the pulpit and all facing the same direction. This drastically changed the culture and climate of how people view the church and worship. It became more of a sit/watch/listen meeting, rather than an interactive, community gathering.
It seems like an odd thing to invite someone into our church family, only to bring them into a room and have them sit for over an hour on benches looking at the back of heads staring at the front of the room. I wouldn't invite you into my home and seat you this way. I'm having a hard time trying to imagine Jesus and his disciples sharing the Last Supper meal while sitting in rows of pews.
Well, there you have it--a glimpse into my brain as I ponder the oddness of pews.
So... where do you stand, or sit, on the subject of pews?
