Everyone knows that a church is more than the building where people dressed in their “Sunday go to meetin’” clothes congregate.
- The true Church is the congregation, but the church building is an important community asset as well.
The main sanctuary sets the tone for the Sunday service. There will probably be a side chapel for an “early service” as well as several classrooms for Sunday School groups and weekday meetings for 12 step support groups. There is usually a nursery for infants who would otherwise disrupt the sermon. Youth ministries will have chaperoned overnighters and let’s not forget the kitchen and dining area for that cherished event called the carry-in dinner. The church office is where the business of the church takes place. One aspect of church business is the costs associated with the heating and cooling of the different areas. The sanctuary is especially challenging with typical high ceilings and stained-glass windows. Obviously, a window AC unit will not work here. One reason some “old-time religions” failed is that the comfort of the congregation was ignored and, in some places, the stark setting with hard wooden pews and no HVAC was an atonement for sins both real and imagined. I am of the opinion that it is hard to accept Christ into one’s life with a sore butt and a sweaty shirt clinging to one’s back. Fortunately, there are HVAC systems for church buildings that are efficient, run quietly, and do not detract from the unique architecture of the sanctuary. Options like variable speed heating and cooling will prevent noisy on/off cycles. Larger systems can have energy recovery systems for ventilation and energy savings. Best of all, comfortable churchgoers might be a bit more generous when the collection plate is passed around.