I was asked to write a 200+ sidebar for an upcoming issue of Church Solutions magazine. The article was to feature how CCV's design elements focused on the male audience, rather than the female. Here is the sidebar text:
Reaching the Men
While many men feel uncomfortable attending a traditional church in America, Christ's Church of the Valley (CCV), located in Peoria, Arizona, recognized this trend and decided to shake things up a bit when designing their new campus. During the design stage, architects deliberately created an environment where men would feel comfortable attending church on any given weekend.
“Most men are intimidated by stained glass. We try to make our campus look friendly so they don’t feel out of place,” stated CCV’s Pastor Don Wilson. The elimination of traditional stained glass, uncomfortable wooden bench pews, and feminine color schemes are just a few examples of design elements that were taken into consideration when planning the Auditorium that was completed in 2004. Since then, a new Children’s and Youth building have been built to reflect a modern style while incorporating state-of-the art technology.
The CCV campus, including the main Auditorium, closely resembles a business center or resort. “We try to make our campus look friendly and familiar,” Wilson explains. “We always strive to provide an environment where a man can feel at home and be himself.” In addition, the hiking-style prayer hill, sports dome, and athletic fields add to the male-oriented ambiance all located on the church campus. CCV wants to show men that they can be challenged and changed through an adventure with Christ and that they can feel comfortable while doing it.
Since making these deliberate design changes, the church has grown with considerable measure. More than 13,000 people attend CCV every weekend and call this church home. And while the gender balance is off scale in most churches today, it is almost even at CCV.
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