Among other things, Westwinds Community Church in Jackson, Mich. has a committee that decides what the church should smell like, according to an Audio Collective podcast. That may sound a little fruity, but as pastor Ron Martoia says, “The facility defines the experience.” Paying attention to the little things, like the lighting or the tile or even the smell, has a big payoff when it comes to how people experience your church.
Read an interview with Martoia about their building and check out the photos (and a few more photos).
scott hodge
April 7, 2005
Is Ron still the pastor of WW? It doesn’t show him as the pastor now and it looks like they are looking to hire a new pastor. Any idea what he is doing now?
david
April 8, 2005
http://www.velocityculture.com
cryptblade
April 8, 2005
I don’t get what a church should smell like. What does a church smell like? Musty, incense, dank, woody, or flowery? I think that’s a little silly.
What difference does a church smell make if the pastor’s message SUCKS? If the pastor doesn’t teach the Word and make it applicable to your life, what good is that church? Therefore, what good does it do for it to “smell” like church?
Personally, I’d feel better at a church that welcomed me with open arms, went out of the way to be friendly to me, and smelled like wet dog than a church that smelled churchy but everyone is too caught up with the smell to pay attention to me.
trey
April 9, 2005
i am not sure if their smelling tecnique is working out, but their decor would certainly and quite literally scare the hell out of visiting pagans with any sense of style. . .
: )
scott
April 13, 2005
hard to relate to churches who can spend millions of dollars on such a pretty facility. yes of course i’m jealous but also cannot imagine going that route anymore. too many hungry people.
kevin
April 14, 2005
I think the bottom line here is that the physical church building and the atmosphere are important. If the church is smelly, cryptblade, I don’t think people are going to stick around.
I don’t ever want to say that the physical structure or atmosphere are more important–the message, the people, the welcome arms–those are all way more important. But we can’t completely ignore the building.
And scott, I understand your point, and have often agreed with you (in college I questioned the crazy copper roof my church added), though I’m not sure if it’s that simple. I remember the story of the expensive perfume being used to wash Jesus’ feet. I’m not saying the church is on the same level as Jesus, but there is a lesson there. If we’re building a massively expensive building and not feeding the hungry, we’re probably missing something. But we can also feed all the hungry in the world and still miss the point. I don’t really have an answer here, I’m just saying it’s not that simple.
YoursbecauseHis
April 14, 2005
I majored in architecture, so may I weigh in here? My opinion is more based on teaching from the Bible than teaching I got in college, so it may not be what you’d expect from a building designer.
When the Bible talks about building a church, it speaks in terms of living stones–i.e. people. The only reference to fragrance is that of our message being a sweet perfume to those who are being saved and the convicting stench of death to those who are perishing. There is NO New Testament reference to a church building in the physical sense. While God was honored by temples and tabernacles in the Old Testament, they were a picture of what He would do in lives and relationships later. Overall, He said, “Where is a house you will build for Me?”
Whatever the physical structure with which we attempt to honor Him, it is ultimately based on that which appeals to man’s tastes, opinions, values, and comforts. What God has assigned value to is a church of living stones joined and knitted together with Christ as a firm foundation. Christ is the architect of our faith and has entrusted the role of “master builder” to gifted men who will follow His plans. This is the type of church where God has promised to tabernacle among His people. Anything else is completely peripheral.
Nathan
April 15, 2005
I started attending Westwinds last fall after moving to the area, so I had to weigh in. If all you hear is that they have a committee that decides on smell, it sounds a little fruity. Having been there, it makes perfect sense.
One thing that they do well there is to create an entire atmosphere, from lighting to smells to soundscapes. I have seen few instances in my life of any place or group focusing so much artistic vision and talent on something. That it is all focused on praising God and getting people to experience God only makes it better. That scent is a (small) part of that planning is only logical.
And about spending money on the building… Westwinds is surrounded by a community of dead faith, where the main goal of building a church building seems to be making it look as much like an unused pole barn as possible. Westwinds has an appeal to those who are aesthetically inclined (a part of what drew me, I must admit.) It’s all about not giving people one more reason to at Christianity as a religion for ‘backwards’ people.
kevin
April 15, 2005
Hey, thanks for your perspective, Nathan. We often blog based on our own experience and the few resources we can find online, so we often don’t get the whole picture. What I love about the web is that we can get multiple perspectives and begin to fill in the gaps. Thanks!
Carol
April 11, 2007
Scott- You need to get out more…maybe to WW? Ron hasn’t been at WW in 2 yrs or better. And I think you’re all missing the point. To “smell like a church…” is a metaphor not asking for a literal answer. A church can smell anything you want it to.
Carol
April 11, 2007
OOPS! That should have been addressed to Kevin