to think that pews should remain in churches?

Interesting conversation.
I presume that most of you either go to church or help in keeping the building and church yard in good working order.
You may not know that even the smallest church costs more than £300 per week to keep open. That’s even if they only have half a dozen services a year. So you all understand that PCC’s have to do whatever they can to keep solvent. If that means getting rid of the pews then so be it.

If parishes were prepared to support their local church then the pews could be retained if so desired. Our parish wants to use their church, and it IS their church, for weddings, funerals and baptisms but our villagers don’t get that it needs money to continue.
If the support isn’t there then the inevitable result that many will close, weather they still have pews will be totally irrelevant.
I support the church, although I don’t believe in God, because it’s there and someone has to. I wouldn’t be campaigning to build one.

There is an anglican church near to us that has has removed thie pews . The atmosphere is more friendly,
There are lot of big old probably victorian churches that do not have much architectual merit and do not not have many congreations any way.
Many of the old churches really must be left as they are and are listed.
Where I live there are a lot of nonconformist chapels .
Far more than than the big Anglian monstrosities.

Funnily enough my parents had a church pew in their garden. We all regularly sat on it.

No idea where my father acquired it from

Our mid 12th century church has pews - not very comfortable and not very old, but I like them better than chairs. They all stand on a wooden plinths, attached by dowels.

My suggestion is to remove the plinths so that the stone floor is exposed and to put the pews on lockable casters so that they can be moved around. We might need to get rid of a few just so that there's room to move them.

We also have a stone altar, probably the original one, hidden under the floor when they were banned in c. 1571. It was discovered during later renovations and reinstated. Moving that so that the celebrant can stand behind it is likely to be interesting!

Most of the pews I have ever sat in were fiendishly uncomfortable. Chairs are often better, though not always.

They can also be moved around, making it possible to have other kinds of services than the traditional ones where we all sit facing the alter and pulpit and with our backs to each other.

Our church has a wood block floor and it looks as if the blocks have shrunk because there are quite large gaps between them.

I did wonder whether or not to suggest that, instead of getting on knees to pray, we could all get on our knees and shove the blocks together again.

In our (small) church we replaced the pews with chairs and put down carpet. It was built in the mid 19th century as a dual purpose building, school during the week and church on Sunday. We now have a regular coffee morning, meetings, concerts etc. and this weekend we have a Christmas Tree festival. We wouldn't be able to do these things if the pews were still there and as a result we have had many more people into church than we would have had just having services with the pews there. In this way we, as a church, are reaching out to the community. It seems the right thing to do.

I'm not sure about golf etc. It was the MESS I found so awful. I'm not the tidiest of people but even just putting a few things away and straightening a few pews would have helped. As it was the last straw was a giant stuffed bear sitting in a pew surrounded by a pile of jumble. It is a unique iconic church ad should be packed with visitors, it isn't. Didn't mind the cafe it seemed well attended and not intrusive. I like churches and when I visit I sometimes light a candle and usually leave a donation. But churches abroad seem to be much more open and welcoming to visitors.

Church authorities do what they do in order to keep going. Always have, always will. Gotta spread the meme.

I don't think you're being unreasonable to think that pews should be kept in churches but I do think it unreasonable to expect it.

What about the mini golf course and the helter skelter set up in a couple of cathedrals, trisher?

I went to a great café at a church in Hereford . I wouldn't think God minds even if some atheists may object because atheists are only interested in the architecture, the fabric of the church.

I've seen people sit on them all afternoon mumofmadboys.
I will say that if some chairs or some space is needed in a church I wouldn't object to some pews being removed, but I would like to see it done thoughtfully and well, with pews retained to keep the historic and heritage of the buildings intact. What I really don't think should be permitted is the mess I saw in the church I visited. The pews had been moved but were stacked at the sides. The chairs were set out but were overshadowed by a large exhibition which was not really connected with the church. There was a nice cafe area in one corner but other places were filled with clutter, the remains of an art class, what looked like jumble sale goods and other stuff. The church itself has many interesting and unique features including a medieval tomb but it was imposssible to see anything properly. It really wasn't a good advert for moving pews.

Except you would rarely sit still on a garden bench for an hour or so!! I think YABU Trisher!

If it is wooden it is probably similar to sitting in a pew and perhaps as uncomfortable.

Yes I have a garden bench. Why?

You can squash more people into pews

Very useful when it is Christingle or the nativity for instance and everyone wants to see their little darlings.

No

No

I do wonder how many people posting have a garden bench they regularly sit on.

Pews do tend to give you ants in your pants, especially if sitting through a long sermon.

In view of the fact that pews were deliberately designed to be uncomfortable (partly penance for cloistered orders, partly to keep them awake) I'm glad they are going.
They serve no useful purpose now.

Our church had no cushions, just bare, polished wood (I polished the dratted things every week) and they were deadly after sitting 15 mins and torture for an hour-long sermon.

In some mediaeval churches, they had 'mercy seats' (misericordia) and the monks-nuns would sit on the edge of the upturned seat (similar to old lift-up cinema seats but no padding) and if they fell asleep, the seat and they, would crash down and wake them and probably everyone else in church.
The older monks were given these seats, poor old things.

Ordinary pews had no mercy - but they looked good when a bit of elbow grease and some beeswax had been used on them.

My DH would be very grateful for any church that offers chairs rather than pews. He has had to sit through several performances of the St Matthew Passion, the St John Passion etc. and has come out with a sore backside. I'm OK, I'm standing for most of it as part of the choir.

We are regular churchgoers, and love visiting churches but I can see no reason to keep the uncomfortable pews. Hassocks are not a 'thing' here in Germany.

I think exactly that attitude was taken by town planners at one point PECS when they tried (and succeeded sometimes) to destroy old towns and buildings. As I said entirely the opposite approach seems to be taken in other European countries. You rarely find a church which has been changed.

I suppose my response is yes YABU as you suggest you don't attend a church! If congregations choose to change their seating arrangements that is their choice! Churches are primarily for worship and to support the church community. The fact that I like to look at them and admire architecture/art etc. does not mean I can get cross if the folk who use it regularly choose to change it!

I have yet to meet a church that is unwilling to share the space with others who may find spiritual comfort

Some have to be locked at times because of the high danger of vandalism, theft or desacration, but most are open all day for anyone who wants to visit. Church visiting is a family obsession and I have never been made to feel unwelcome anywhere.

When pews are removed it is usually, to make the church more flexible and welcoming, to enable it to hold concerts and theatre events, to hold social events and provide a welcome ministry for everybody.

There is a difference between a church welcoming visitors, who wander in, walk round vaguely and walk out and make no contribution to the upkeep of the building that is helping them pass their leisure hours in a pleasant way and a church that wants to be a social hub to the community it serves. You cannot run amother and toddler group in a church with pews.

Some churches do have church halls and the like, but not all. These are the ones most likely to keep their pews, but pews are merely furniture tat help a church meet its real purpose to life and if they come between the church community and its mission they are expendable.

I attend a Quaker Meeting where we have chairs, with cushions available for anyone who needs extra padding. Our Meeting House is relatively new so is comfortable.
I don’t expect to visit a theatre, cinema or any other venue and sit on a hard straight backed bench. So I welcome the replacement of pews with cushioned chairs in churches which make church services a better experience.