There are many reasons church leaders and congregations begin thinking about renovations for their places of worship. One obvious reason is to restore furnishings, walls, floors, windows, etc. that show age or deterioration. Another not so obvious in appearance is that the functionality of the church may no longer meet the needs of a growing congregation.

As a church family grows with its surrounding environment, the facility needs may change. Space becomes an issue when trying to house church members comfortably and with ease of access. Accessibility for church members with disabilities is now being introduced and may warrant redesigning the seating layout. Lighting and sound deficiencies may compound the functional aspects. Whatever the reason, churches will usually hover over decisions to renovate or restore existing church pews and structures in part because of budgets or because they lack experience in church renovation.

The phases of undergoing church renovations demands time and effort from many individuals in the church to get the ball rolling. The key is getting everyone all on the same wave length in thinking so all can roll together.

In many cases, there is no right or wrong way to go with pew renovations. The difference is that everyone has their own opinion. Sometimes this can go on for several months or longer and information gathered early on in the process can become stale or no longer an option. Or due to leadership or committee member changes, the project may once again find itself sitting on hold waiting for another member to pick it up again and continue forward.

Once a decision is made to make a change, churches will usually look for professional help. It is a welcome relief to have a professional step in at this point. But the real work lies ahead in finding the right company to bring it all together. Being able to find someone not only with experience in church pew renovation, but with foresight into the dynamics of decision-making is crucial to keeping everyone focused. It also requires someone with good people skills to help manage the myriad of questions and ideas that will be presented.

Some churches may desire to restore or replace their pews to change the overall look from traditional to more contemporary. But how will the changes affect the functionality of the church? Will the congregation embrace the change? Project proposals often take on many changes before the final contract is written.

As you examine your own church pews to determine if now is the right time to restore or replace them, examine the structural condition of the existing pews. Do they need repair, refinishing and reupholstering? Is restoration the most cost effect choice? Many times, the original idea of replacing existing pews with new pews can be replaced by bringing in upholstered chairs.

Adding church chairs not only allows for more flexibility, but they can also increase actual seating space and open up areas for wheelchair access. Fluid lines of upholstered chairs create a visually uniform look and add contours and curve to large open spaces. In addition to the increased comfort of new chairs, church members also typically welcome the ease of navigating between the aisles and rows.