Charles D. Cashdollar

The subject is Presbyterian churches (rather than Reformed), but the conclusions are broadly applicable to mainstream Protestant churches in this country: in 1830, "a congregation engaged in little except worship, pastoral care, and mission; by 1900 a fully functioning church included sports teams, literary clubs and organized groups of every sort." With the change in function, the physical nature of the church had to adapt, which usually meant a larger church, specialized rooms and considerably more comfort. The author draws on a large number of churches for his generalizations.… (altro)