Churches should leave their doors open throughout the week, making use of their facilities for more than just Sunday worship, the Archbishop of Wales says.
Dr. Barry Morgan is scheduled to speak to church delegates Monday at the Transforming Communities and Congregations conference in Llandudno, North Wales, to encourage them to "think creatively" about how their buildings are used.
An article in the Christian Post this morning reveals that the Church in Europe may be having the same re-think-about-how-we-use-our-buildings discussion as many local churches on this side of the pond.
"A church that is closed Monday to Friday is the worst possible advertisement for Christianity," he said, according to BBC News.
Making the most of church buildings includes opening it up for use as conference facilities, for school groups and for counseling services, among other things.
Conference attendees will be introduced to Church in Wales churches that are already adapting, including St. Hywyn's at Aberdaron, Gwynedd, which has been renovated to serve pilgrims making their way to Bardsey Island, as well as local visitors. St. Maelog's at Llanfaelog, Anglesey, built a meeting room above the church for wood and glasswork by local artists, and hosts concerts and classes, as well as worship, as reported by BBC News. And at St. John's in Llangollen, Clwyd, pews were taken out to create a flexible space for intimate or contemporary services.
The idea takes on a slightly different flavor in Europe, it seems, where churches meet in centuries-old feats of architecture. It's more difficult to remove pews or create multi-purpose space in that setting.
But still, the conversation continues: In our increasingly post-Christian, isolated societies, what should a church building be?
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