However, Delgatty's practice had been growing so rapidly that he needed help in servicing his contracts. Together the firms have chosen to target growing congregations. Artist's rendering of New Beginnings Church, Portland Changing forms of worship pose special design challenges. Delgatty says any architect who seeks to design churches for growing congregations must recognize that these organizations usually depart from the traditional forms of worship. They tend to see themselves from a horizontal perspective, reaching out in unison to the larger community, in contrast to the traditional vertical orientation of the individual worshipper in solitary communication with God.
Worship is interactive.
Thus, the worship spaces must be designed to accommodate and promote interaction. For example, these new larger facilities tend to have some of the same characteristics as first-rate public assembly spaces, including highly sophisticated communications systems. One of the special challenges in designing relatively large sanctuaries is organizing the worship space to achieve the proximity and intimacy necessary for interactive worship. Another requirement of the large church is flexibility. Most of these churches plan to continue to grow, so the design must also accommodate future expansion.