I have the pleasure of working with Bill Stanfield, CEO of Metanoia, the nonprofit that I am partnered with this semester that focuses on youth leadership, affordable housing and community development. In getting to know him, I’ve come to find that he also serves as the assistant pastor at the St. Matthew Baptist Church of North Charleston, where the Reverend Calbert Brantley is the senior pastor. Metanoia is housed in the educational building of St. Matthew. In speaking with Bill, he shared with me a vision that Reverend Brantley had for his church: turning this large traditional sanctuary into a multipurpose building that can better serve its community in 2023. It makes complete sense when you think about it; a sanctuary that has the capacity to hold 1,500 parishioners (I told you it was large), yet the average weekly attendance on Sunday morning is only around 100 people. Clearly there is a need to utilize this space for more than just 100 worshippers on Sunday morning.
So, what do you do? How can this church effectively reimagine its massive sanctuary as a multipurpose space that functions on an almost daily basis, as opposed to a Sunday-only basis? This is where the architectural mind comes into play. I will be virtually meeting with Bill, Reverend Brantley and the church leaders on Tuesday to help foster some ideas that can benefit the community at large and fulfill the pastor’s vision. Those of this faith have indeed heard the biblical phrase “write the vision and make it plain.” In preparation for Tuesdays meeting, I went to St. Matthew to take pictures of the sanctuary and to get an idea of the scale of the building. One major consideration of this potential project would be to understand the activity patterns of the community surrounding St. Matthew. I do have some ideas in mind of how this space can possibly be used by the community, such as a basketball gym (of course those giant stained glass windows would have to be protected somehow), yoga and dance studio, performing arts stage (they do have a pulpit), exhibition space, etc. If the outdated pink carpet is removed, would hardwood floors be found underneath? And removing the in-place pews, replacing them with modern seating would provide even more flexibility for the space.
Given the sheer size of this sanctuary, there are many possibilities of how this traditional edifice can be transformed into a vibrant, thriving community cornerstone that serves more than just on Sunday morning. Many of todays churches face this predicament, especially in the aftermath of the pandemic. This is another opportunity for a historic renovation project that can ultimately advance the mission of St. Matthew in effectively ministering to and serving the needs of its community.