High-Church-Low Church (part 3)

 First Thursday of Advent

Thanks to Jennifer for her question. Jennifer, I have been in your church, Christ UMC Chapel Hill, but it was about 10 years ago. I don't remember it well.  I just now looked up the website and got a good look at much of the sanctuary from a U-Tube of a worship service. First, let me say that you have a beautiful church, both inside and outside. It is a divided chancel although modified from the norm. The sanctuary is based on what is called the Akron plan, which works in semi-circles, rather than rectangles. I see a pulpit stage right and a communion table/altar in the center. This is as divided chancel. I don't see a lectern on the left, which would be the norm for divided chancel. I see what would appear to be something of a high altar on the back wall. The nave is in a semi-circle. I can't quite tell, but it looks like there are two aisles rather than one center aisle. Two aisles is in keeping with Akron plan. Center pulpit is the norm for Akron plan, but not in your church. It appears that you choir faces the congregation in semi-circle. This too is Akron plan. The model for the Akron plan is the Greek amphitheater. The first Akron plan church was First Methodist Episcopal Church in guess where--Akron, Ohio. It was built in 1892. 

There are several things I like about Akron plan churches. The pews are gradually elevated from front pew to back pew, which makes for better viewing. The curve of the semi-circle gives congregational focus on the center of the chancel, which in most cases is a center pulpit. The Akron plan allows congregation members to see each other better. This brings a greater sense of intimacy and unity among the congregation. 

There are a couple of things I don't like about the Akron plan. Most Akron plan churches have two aisles that go diagonally in keeping with the semi-circular pews. This makes the opening procession and closing recession awkward. The usual solution is to have no procession and recession, but even then, you have to have procession and recession at weddings. The solution then is to process down one aisle and recess up the other aisle. This has always seemed awkward to me. The other thing that I don't like is that the choir members face directly at the congregation. This results in distractions, particularly distractions from the sermon. A choir member feels ill or needs to go to the bathroom. The congregation focuses on that choir member as he or she steps over the feet of other choir members to get to the exit. The congregation then wonders what is wrong with that choir member and loses focus on the sermon. Or a choir member starts yawning or falls asleep or whispers to another choir member. In a more standard divided chancel church, the choir faces perpendicular to the congregation and with some choir members on one side, others on the other.When they sing, they turn diagonally to face the congregation. When they're not singing, they are unobtrusive. 

Akron plan works better for low church worship than high church worship, though either is quite possible. In some ways Akron plan works better for contemporary worship than anything else. 

 

This may have been more of an answer to Jennifer's question than either she nor any of the rest of you readers wanted to read. I hope not. Everything in worship is important, including many things that we may not even consciously notice. 

I'll continue this high church-low church series for two days next week, and for two days in weeks to follow. Like everything else, the more you get into it; the more complex you realize that it is. 

 

Tomorrow we'll return to profiles of important figures in church history. I've only done one so far, Erasmus of Rotterdam a few weeks ago. Tomorrow we'll talk about a saint whom I regard as the most brilliant woman who ever lived, Hildegarde of Bingen.

Faithfully,

Christian