Not Sure About Using Space in a Church or Synagogue?
Three Things You Should
Know about Congregations
by Paul D. Numrich
Methodist Theological School in Ohio and Capital University
“There were
some initial
hesitations
associated with
the venue being
a church.”
—Sean Agnew
R5 Productions
with a congregation, this article may help
you understand your host better. If you are
a church or synagogue, I encourage you to
share this article with a potential space-
sharing organization that may not under-
stand congregations.
The three distinctive features of con-
gregations are (1) their religious purposes,
(2) the significance they give to their
space(s), and (3) how they approach conflict.
As we shall see, congregations vary in ex-
pressing these features.
1. Religious purposes
R5 Productions, a Philadelphia show
promotions agency, books alternative
bands that challenge belief systems into
clubs, halls, warehouses, basements, col-
leges, universities—and First Unitarian
Universalist Church in Center City Phila-
delphia.
The opening quote from R5’s owner
Sean Agnew captures the reluctance that
some outside organizations feel when con-
sidering the use of space in a church or
synagogue. According to “Sacred Places at
Risk,” a report published by Partners for
Sacred Places, only three percent of the hu-
man service organizations that share space
with a congregation initiated the relation-
ship. This suggests that avant garde music
agencies may not be the only organizations
reluctant to partner with a congregation.
If your organization or one that you
know falls into this category, this article
identifies three distinctive features of con-
gregations that will help support an in-
formed decision about whether or not to
share space in a church or synagogue. If you
are already in a space-sharing arrangement
8
Perhaps R5’s reluctance to use a
church’s facilities stemmed from a per-
ceived mismatch of purposes. Alternative
bands challenging belief systems would not
sit well with many congregations. But First
Unitarian Church’s mission includes af-
firming and promoting a free and responsi-
ble search for truth and meaning, which is
compatible with R5’s purposes.
The Protestant theologian Paul Tillich
famously argued that religion has to do
with “ultimate concern.” “The religious
concern,” he wrote in Systematic Theology,
“is ultimate; it excludes all other concerns
from ultimate significance.” He based this
on the commandment to love God with all
our heart, soul, and strength, found in both
the Hebrew Bible and the Christian New
Testament. Thus churches and synagogues
may see ultimate significance in every deci-
sion they make, no matter how seemingly
trivial or inexplicable to others.
It is hardly surprising, then, that
sometimes a congregation will deem a
group to be an unacceptable space-sharing
SACRED PLACES • AUTUMN/WINTER 2018-19
partner. Some congregations limit partner-
ships to groups within their own denomi-
nation or religious tradition. One church I
studied will not allow fraternal organiza-
tions or non-Christian religious groups to
use its facilities. Another church welcomes a
Jewish congregation to worship in its sanc-
tuary because they see the Jews as God’s first
chosen people.
2. Significance of space(s)
R5 stages shows in First Unitarian’s
main sanctuary, a smaller chapel, and other
rooms. A recent pastor at the church be-
lieved that congregations should not dis-
tinguish between sacred and secular space,
but rather share their entire facility with
the larger community.
Like First Unitarian, many congrega-
tions do not limit their sanctuaries or chap-
els to specifically religious activities. Heart-
song Church in suburban Memphis has
never considered the room in which it wor-
ships a “sacred space,” preferring instead to
call it a multipurpose space or the celebra-
tion room. Pastor Chris Eaves says, “This
space is no more sacred than the rest of the
planet. If Heartsong burned down tomor-
row, we would have amazing worship out in
the parking lot.”
When the neighboring Memphis Is-
lamic Center asked to use Heartsong
Church for Ramadan prayers while their
mosque was being constructed, the pastors
reasoned that if Zumba classes can meet
there, Muslims could pray there. But the
church lost members over the decision and
some Muslims questioned why another
local mosque wasn’t used for the prayers.