CHURCH SPATIAL DESIGN PLAYBOOK
Well designed church spaces have the ability to tell a story, encourage community, and facilitate hospitality. In this article, I’m going to walk you through practical strategies in my church spatial design playbook. These are specific plays I’ve used often in my 7 years experience designing church spaces (informed by a decade on a church creative team and a MFA in architecture).
visualizE this scenario
Imagine you’re a first-time guest at a church. You don’t know much about this place besides what information you could find online and driving by their building. You haven’t visited a new church in years so your anxieties are high. You find a parking spot, get out of your car and grab your backpack. The backpack is heavy and uncomfortable, full of weights. One weight is fear of embarrassment, another is past church hurt, another is anxiety from cultural tensions around religion, and there are many others.
As you approach the building you notice some wayfinding signage on the sidewalk pointing out the sanctuary, kids check-in, and offices. The front glass doors have vinyl decals with branding and helpful info about service times, office hours, and web address. A friendly greeter opens the door for you and welcomes you in with a smile. You pull one weight out of your backpack and put it down.
Upon entering the lobby, you see a beautiful mural featuring the words, “You are loved”. Within seconds, it’s clear to you where the sanctuary is, where the restrooms are, and that there’s a free coffee bar in the corner. You pull another weight out of your backpack and put it down.
You grab a coffee and find a place to sit in the lobby with a few minutes to spare before the service starts. The experience of ordering your customized coffee was full of hospitality that felt genuine. The coffee is great and the seating area is cozy. Another weight unloaded.
Church is about to start so you approach the Sanctuary doors and notice even more signage confirming that you’re in the right place. Next to the doors is an eye-catching feature wall creatively displaying the church’s vision, mission and values. By just pausing for a few moments, you get a sense for the DNA of this community. You pull another brick out of your backpack and put it down. Before you’ve even sat down at your seat, the burdens you carried in have lightened. Your fears and distractions are minimized as the service starts and you begin to worship God.
As church leaders, this is the goal, right?
That every interaction someone has with your church would be a surprise and delight, full of genuine hospitality, clear communication, and engaging gospel storytelling. Our spaces have the ability to encourage community and help people feel expected and valued.
Here are 8 practical strategies from my church design playbook. These are specific plays I use often in designing inspiring church lobbies, themed kids spaces, clear wayfinding signage, and striking exterior facades for churches all around the country.
That every interaction someone has with your church would be a surprise and delight, full of genuine hospitality, clear communication, and engaging gospel storytelling. Our spaces have the ability to encourage community and help people feel expected and valued.
Here are 8 practical strategies from my church design playbook. These are specific plays I use often in designing inspiring church lobbies, themed kids spaces, clear wayfinding signage, and striking exterior facades for churches all around the country.
Play #1
Walk in the shoes of a First-Time Guest
As we just discussed, things like clear wayfinding and creating a sense of place go a long way in welcoming people in. You have a small window of time to make a first impression, but that impression can be long-lasting. The good news about designing your space around the experience of the attendees at the top of the funnel is that any improvements you make will usually enhance the experience of the committed member as well.
Play #2
Create spaces that FEEL good
We all have souls that exist within earthly bodies, so our experiences here on this earth are affected by our senses. When God designed the temple, we see considerations of this. So, what characteristics of a space make us FEEL a certain way? Things like lighting, materials, textures, proportions and color. The truth is the quality of our environment and the way it makes us feel has a very real impact on our moods and emotions. Spaces can make you feel good and actually subconsciously communicate that you are expected, seen, and valued. Churches can utilize things like biophilic elements (so greenery, wood, natural light…), textures, and color to immerse people in spaces that have a positive impact on their minds and bodies.
Play #3
Create spaces that PHOTOGRAPH well
I know this sounds vain, but HEAR ME OUT! This isn’t just for optics on social media… it’s actually evangelistic. Because if there are special events or strong relationships happening within your church, photos WILL be taken. So the goal is just for the backdrop of those photos to be a good and authentic first impression. Let your space be one piece of a puzzle that helps members of your community form positive associations with your church before they ever walk through the doors. Does your space give a true glimpse into what it’s like to attend and what you value most?
LET’S GET PRACTICAL ABOUT SPECIFIC SPATIAL ELEMENTS THAT FEEL GOOD & PHOTOGRAPH WELL
• Pops of color & high contrast
• Stylistic murals with patterns, color blocking or organic shapes
• Feature walls with bold typography
• Furniture that’s modern & welcoming
• Modern light fixtures with warm edison bulbs
• Built elements that carve out space
• Greenery
• Wood finishes (Don’t mismatch tones or use fake veneers. Use wood species with warmth and character like hickory, cedar, and acacia)
• Natural light & high ceilings (nothing makes a space feel sadder than low ceilings and fluorescent lights)
Play #4
Use your brand identity as a foundation
The colors, logo and typography of your brand identity should come to life in three dimensions. This doesn’t mean just slapping your logo on things. It does mean utilizing the pieces of your visual identity as a foundation for building out a variety of additional designs. Designers who are strong in both spatial design and brand identity will know how to expand a brand in a way that feels right for the particular scale and context of your space. For example, a designer might use the shapes from your logo to craft a pattern for a mural or its angles to align the edges of a finish material. Or they might use your brand color palette to select wood tones that will compliment, bring character, and brighten the space. The goal is to align with your brand so that people have a consistent experience. When messaging, branding, and experiences have a consistent thread, that helps people feel they know you, which in turn helps them imagine themselves fitting into your story.
Play #5
Value the Kids = Value the Parents
As a former church staff member of a large multi-site church I don’t know how many times I’ve heard a parent say that the church they attend is influenced by the experience their kids have there. Parents who have a strong faith foundation will put their preferences aside over and over to make sure their kids' church experience is engaging, safe, and impactful. The reality is if your kids ministry spaces are well-designed, that will win the kids AND the parents… and even potential volunteers. You see, when the kids' spaces are telling a story with vibrant murals and fun theming, you are excitedly declaring to the whole church body that you value kids! And that excitement shapes perception and creates buy-in all throughout your congregation.
LET’S GET PRACTICAL ABOUT DESIGNING KIDS SPACES
When it comes to Kids Theming, use door wraps, hallway posters, murals, and props to tell a story and immerse kids in a grand adventure. You might use your geographic location, or kids ministry name for inspiration. For example, a church near the mountains with a focus on equipping kids for mission, might adopt an outdoorsy, wilderness adventure theme. They could use pennant flags, adventure patches, rustic wood touches, hiking props, nature landscapes to create this world. Invest the most attention in the check-in/entrance area, making sure it makes an exciting first impression. In the hallways, create a sense of play with floor textures or wall graphics or themed door wraps. In each classroom, select one feature wall for a large mural or stage backdrop. (usually the most visible one from the door)
Play #6
Clear Wayfinding
I can’t think of a better thing to invest in than making sure guests know how to get to church. Clear wayfinding quite literally leads people in the right direction. It sends a powerful message to visitors that they are expected and that the path has been laid out for them. If you only have the time or budget to implement one of these plays immediately, this would be the one to really get right. You can love people by prioritizing accessibility, visibility and hospitality with signage like directories, overheads, blades, room IDs, window decals, pole banners, A-frames, &/or monuments.
Play #7
Carve out some spaces for connection
When I say carve out space, I mean that literally. Utilize lower ceiling sections, different floor finishes, and spatial nooks to “create space” for stopping and connecting. Avoid bottlenecks in your lobby by using areas that are set back from the main circulation path for coffee bar counters, kiosks, or seating clusters. Allowing for people to comfortably stop promotes interactions and facilitates community. Use textures, lighting, finishes and furniture to establish a cozy feel, where people want to stop and stay awhile. When you do this, you speak volumes about what kind of community and culture you’re inviting.
Play #8
Tell your gospel-centered story
Use your space as a blank canvas to communicate something that inspires and engages. A concise vision statement on a mural or an informative connect wall can go a long way in helping people get to know what kind of community this is. Think of your spatial design as an opportunity to celebrate something about the DNA of your particular local expression. Placemaking is the act of building a strong sense of place through designing spaces that people love and feel connected to. Telling your story with eye-catching design can encourage a sense of connection.
As church leaders I’m confident that many of you are experts at gospel storytelling and radical hospitality. Let me encourage you to think of your building as one of the pieces of the puzzle that help set the stage for gospel transformation. It can be a powerful tool for evangelism that can cast vision and invite people in. A well designed church space can help disarm the anxieties of visitors and spark deeper connections.
Ready to BEGIN YOUR CHURCH SPATIAL DESIGN PROJECT?
Contact The Honest Pixel to partner with church spatial design expert, Tiffany Kelly, who can transform your space into a powerful tool for ministry.
AUTHOR
Hi! I'm Tiffany Kelly, owner of The Honest Pixel, an independent graphic design studio in Winter Garden, FL. I've been a creative professional all my adult life. I have a Master's Degree in architecture from RISD and over a decade of experience in graphic design. I've learned so much about design, freelance, and owning a business since starting The Honest Pixel in 2022.
I aim to be a trusted and authentic coach for other graphic designers, freelancers, or owners of small studios. I share honest tips and wisdom about things I'm putting into practice within my own business. My goal is to encourage and build up other creatives in a real way that broadens your community and impacts your success.
I aim to be a trusted and authentic coach for other graphic designers, freelancers, or owners of small studios. I share honest tips and wisdom about things I'm putting into practice within my own business. My goal is to encourage and build up other creatives in a real way that broadens your community and impacts your success.
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