Is It Appropriate to Build a Church in Our Residential Neighborhood?
Practically all religious sanctuaries around the world celebrate their faith in their architecture. Many incorporate tall steeples and towers. Others use domes, seven-tiered roofs, or carvings of divine figures. Each design is intended to express the message of that faith. Churches rarely look like residences, nor are they expected to. Churches are not residences. They are houses of worship, and by their very nature, they have a different architecture than do houses in a neighborhood.
We respect everyone’s right to have a personal view on our design and the appropriateness of churches in residential neighborhoods. However, in America people are entitled to design their churches to reflect the principles of their faith and to locate their places of worship near where they live. As noted elsewhere, we have made great efforts to minimize the height of our sanctuary and to veil it with attractive landscaping so it will not be visible to those who prefer not to see it.
A tour around Contra Costa County shows many unique church buildings located in residential neighborhoods. Churches are commonly erected in neighborhoods because people naturally want to worship where they live. Here are some pictures of churches located in residential neighborhoods in different parts of Contra Costa County.
Note the different designs and heights of these local churches. Unlike these churches, ours will not stand out because it will be unusually low, set back from the road, and veiled by lovely gardens.
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| St. Catherine's Catholic Church, Martinez |
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| Church of Christ, Pinole |
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| St. Joseph Catholic Church, Pinole |
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| St. Mark's Lutheran Church, Pleasant Hill |
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| Another view of St. Mark's Lutheran Church, Pleasant Hill, seen from a neighborhood street |