Church Design Re-Mix?

I just received a rough draft copy of research that Cornerstone Knowledge Network sponsored with Lifeway Research. Amazing! We asked over 1,600 people who don't go to church, things like where they hang out and why, where they find their "sacred space" and what they like (and don't like) about church buildings.

I can't give much of the results here because we're going to unveil them next week in Indianapolis at the Cornerstone Knowledge Network conference. But there is one thing I didn't expect: traditional church design is preferred by the unchurched much more than I realize! When we gave them pictures to choose from, the more traditional, cathedral-type photos were ranked the highest in every case.

So what does this mean for those of us who help churches that are designing buildings that engage people who don't go to church? Are we designing buildings that only represent what we think will appeal to those folks?

Given my previous blog about multi-use space, I'm wondering if there is a balance between keeping the building flexible and still appealing to the unchurched.