Unchurched Prefer Cathedral-style Rather Than Modern Buildings

Unchurched Americans prefer cathedral-style churches to contemporary church structures by a ratio of 2 to 1, according to a new survey.

[04.10.08] Unchurched Americans prefer cathedral-style church buildings to contemporary church structures by a ratio of 2 to 1, according to a new survey conducted by LifeWay Research for the Cornerstone Knowledge Network (CKN).

The survey, which included 1,684 unchurched adults, provided participants with the choice between four photos of different church exteriors. The most traditional and Gothic options were by far the most popular choices.

“We may have been designing buildings based on what we think the unchurched would prefer,” said Jim Couchenour, director of CKN. “While multi-use space is the most efficient, we need to ask, ‘Are there ways to dress up that big rectangular box in ways that would be more appealing to the unchurched?’”