The end of the pew? How stacking chairs and seating are favoured in churches today

For the first 1500 years of the Church’s life, pews were extremely rare. In most medieval Churches for example, people stood or sat on the floor with only a narrow bench around the edge of the building for eating. Some Churches never even got around to installing pews and in Eastern Orthodox Churches in Russia and Greece worshippers still stand today!

Pews render the space in Churches virtually unusable for anything other than two hour long events a week. A recent survey found that pews effectively exclude 90% of people who are not regular attendees of services.

Churches today are now removing pews in favour of stacking chairs and seating that is smart, comfortable and flexible in use, but how do you go about choosing the right ones? Our 3 top tips will help you personalise the perfect seating layout for your Church:

1. Colour And Pattern

Choose a combination of colour and pattern for your Church chairs that perfectly fits your current decor. Remember your chairs must be able to withstand heavy wear and tear and therefore you should look at durable and easy to clean materials. Polypropylene chairs such as the Jasper are a popular choice because they're strong and durable yet light and easy to wipe clean. A light colour polypropylene seat such as Sandstone will reflect light and create a bright and tranquil place for worship but a darker colour such as Black won’t be as bright but is likely to require less cleaning, so choose your colours accordingly.

2. Frame Finishes

Consider seeking ultra-durable coatings that protect against wear and tear in your metal frames, not just looks. Metal finishes should be saltwater tested for a number of hours, and you should get verification of how the frame finish was achieved. Thermally fused coatings such as the chrome plating on the Jasper chair in our range are good as they will withstand the test of time. Customise your Church chairs with different shades and colours to create a welcoming effect for your worshippers.

3. Accessories

If your budget allows you may choose to customise your Church chairs with accessories. If you still want the benefit of fixed seating for example, you could opt for a clip on linking device that keeps Church chairs together in a pew-like line. It your congregation prefers to worship in small groups, then the push on linking clip for the Jasper chair allows the chairs to be placed in a curve. Church chairs with arms could also have plastic or in the case of the Urban, wooden arm caps. To help maintain an aisle-like appearance, chairs on the end of a row could be upholstered and fitted with arm rests. You could also consider adding card or book racks to the underside of your chairs for the convenient placement of guest cards, envelopes or hymnals but it's worth noting that this will prevent the chair from stacking unless the rack is removed.

Church chairs are a very important investment and you need to pay attention to details when making such an important decision. Always consider quality and price and look into the manufacturing technology and quality of materials used. Our wide range of flexible furniture from folding chairs to stacking chairs is designed to withstand long years of use and is a great alternative to pews.

To find the right sort of chair for your church browse the range on the website www.mogodirect.co.uk