No matter the size of your worship hall or congregation, today’s wide-reaching online marketplace gives you a huge advantage when it comes to choosing a set of new church chairs. But how do you know where to start? And what exactly are you looking for?
If you’ve never purchased church chairs before, you may not know about all the options available to you.
Chair Type.
There are three basic types of church chairs.
Metal Folding Chairs are arguably the most cost-effective, durable choice. Their strong metal construction means you’ll be able to fold, move, and store them away without having to worry about breakage or damage.
Multi-Purpose Stack Chairs are great for churches that want a more elevated look. They also stack up high – which can be a huge blessing if your storage capabilities are limited.
Wood Church Chairs are heavier and more costly than other types of church chair, but most feel their warmth and style more than make up for it. They are best for semi-permanent placement.
Comfort.
Once you’ve chosen the type of chair you want, you need to give some thought to comfort. There’s a reason unpadded pews and chairs have largely gone out of style – over the course of a long service, they become increasingly hard to sit in. At the very least, your church chairs need a padded seat cushion. A padded seat and back combination works best. Many chair companies will advertise their chair padding with different thicknesses. While it would make sense to simply choose the thickest padding, the truth is that the ‘give’ in chair padding and the actual comfort of the chair may vary widely from model to model.
Options. You may decide your church chairs don’t need any extras, but they may be worth the investment in the time saved.
Book Racks. These are located in one of three places – at the side of the chair, underneath the seat, or on the seat back. They are a good choice for churches who want to be able to provide the congregation with easy access to guest cards, programs, worship books, and hymnals. If you do choose chairs with seat back book racks, you may want to keep in mind that your front row will not have easy access – seat back book racks are meant to be used by the row behind.
Armrests. If your worship hall is tightly packed, armrests can help everyone feel like they’ve got a little more breathing room. It’s important before choosing a church chair with armrests to find out whether they can be stacked or not. Some armrest designs interfere with stacking capabilities.
Ganging Brackets. Probably the least understood of church chair options, ganging brackets are the small hook-like pieces at the sides of church chairs that allow you to attach one to the next. These are a must for any church with multiple services per day. Instead of having to constantly straighten rows, ganging brackets ensure that your chair rows will stay in line.