When you drive or walk past a church, there’s a good chance that the building will have stained glass windows. You might not think much of it, but stained glass windows have been an important part of religious architecture for many centuries. You may wonder why do churches have stained glass windows in the modern era? Why do we still see them today even in some newer churches? There a quite a few reasons, So, in this post let’s have a look at a bit of the history and significance of stained glass windows and why many churches still have them, and others abandon the tradition.
Stained glassed windows in a church can serve as a beautiful part of the architecture of traditional churches. They exist today primarily out of tradition. That doesn’t it’s mean it’s a bad tradition. It simply means that a church is neither better or worse for having ornate stained glass windows. To incorporate them into a new or refurbished church building is a matter of preference, adherence to tradition, or just the style of the building that is being constructed. They can be very beautiful. However, they are not practical for many churches today and many modern congregations of churches being built will push back on the idea of having ornate stained glass.
Stained glass windows have been an important part of religious architecture for many, many centuries. The history of stained glass windows in churches can be traced back to the Early Middle Ages. Some of the early stained glass windows and still some today were used to tell religious stories featuring characters of the Bible in very ornate stained glass. These windows would serve as a reminder about God and certain Bible passages. Over time, popularity of stained glass windows became more popular in church decor so thousands of churches were built to included stained glass. One of the oldest examples of a church with prominent stained galss windows is Augsberg Cathedral in Germany,
Here you can see stained glass in the Augsberg Cathedral that illustrates the figure of King David.
Why Do Churches Have Stained Glass Windows? Pros and Cons-
1. Why Do Churches Have Stained Glass Windows?Beautiful Design and Color
Stained glass windows can provide a beautiful and colorful addition to the inside of and outside of a church. The skill and craftsmanship that were and still are put into the art of these stained glass wonders can be absolutely gorgeous. They add an ornate touch to the traditional look of a church.
Churchgoers who have grown up accustomed to the craft and colors of stained glass consider it as a wonderful and comforting element of a church building. To the most traditional Christians, they can somewhat mark the building as a house of God.
2. Why Do Churches Have Stained Glass Windows? For Biblical Story Telling
The more intricate levels of the stained glass design can include images of biblical characters that are crafted to represent biblical characters and stories in the Bible. These serve as imagery to pass down through the various generations of a church if the windows are well maintained and kept safe. However, these types of windows can be very cost prohibited and may be found in larger churches where the budget may be much higher than smaller churches.
They can also act as a way to bring in natural light and make the church feel more open and airy. Although we may not think of it this way today, we are told that in ancient times the ornate visual effect of massive stained glass would serve to show off the wealth and power of the church. However, one would hope that this is certainly not the motivation of most churchgoers today.
3. Stain Glassed Windows Provide a Positive Tradition To Those Who Love The Art
There are no Biblical mandates or anything of the sort in terms of churches needing to put in stained glass. However, there are hundreds of traditions that churches have added over the years that aren’t necessarily instructed in the Bible, nor or they prohibited. I certainly think stained glass windows fall into that category.
Personally, I have probably seen hundreds of churches with prominent stained glass that served as a beautiful reminder of the heritage of the church and most of all or their faith. As to whether more modern church structures should be built with stained glass windows, you will find that topic very debatable.
Why Do Churches Have Stained Glass Windows? Another Viewpoint.
In a modern church that is reaching a contemporary or urban group of people, you might very well find a substantial debate on this topic if a new church was being built. While those who may have been in churches for much of their lives may have an ingrained passion for the look of stained glass. They may actually believe that there is a substantial spiritual aspect of those windows that can’t be overlooked.
Is there a true spiritual aspect of stained glass? Certainly not in the glass itself. However, the imagery may contain spiritual elements that can evoke pleasant emotions from a congregation. So, for those who are not fond of the stained glass look, it still might be wise not to be critical of those who are fond of them or receive joy from their imagery.
Is It Good Stewardship?
There are others who think of stained glass windows in differing ways. Some see them as a grandiose and ornate part of a church building that isn’t necessary. Money that would be spent on such opulence that might be found in the stained glass should be diverted to feed the poor, someone might say.
However, through church history, you can find that the congregants of many cathedrals and other churches built sacrificed their belongings. even the very poor might donate what they had to help raise the funds for some of the ornate fixtures of the church. They believed that the structure in which they would meet for the teaching of god’s word and singing songs to Him should be rather lavish.
Do Stained Glass Windows Serve The Purpose That They Once Did?
There is a debate to be had in modern churches as to whether they want or need stained glass, Not let me preface. When I say modern I do not mean biblically out of touch or spiritually shallow churches. I simply mean modern church buildings that are designed to serve people in the 2020s and beyond. I served in a church that had two fairly large sanctuaries. One was built in the 1950s complete with the type of stained glass windows that you would have seen in those days.
However, in 1998 when a new auditorium had to be built because of the growth of the church, there were no stained glass windows to be found. It was a very practical building – not very ornate to cut cost, and, although the stained glass in the old building (that became the chapel) was maintained, I never heard any talk or complaints about the new auditorium not having stain glass. In terms of the design of the building, it would have been impractical if not very unwise to try to force stained glass windows in the new building’s design.
Stain Glass Windows: Pricing Can Be a Drawback
One thing that can serve as an impediment to getting and maintaining stained glass windows is the initial cost and the maintenance or repairs that will be required. Unless you are involved in a very traditional church that is more liturgical in nature, you may want to stay away from the stained glass if you are on a tight budget.
Especially if the aspect of stained glass windows is not really important to your members or attendees then it is probably advisable to go with windows that are more budget-friendly. The initial cost of stained glass can be an extremely expensive investment and the high cost to repair those windows do not even compare to a normal window that the average window repair service can handle.
The price of stained glass can have a wide range in scope depending on the project and the size of the window. If you are after customed stained glass you could find yourself running into the tens of thousands of dollars and higher for the design and installation of large windows.
One church in which I was a staff minister eventually paid quite a large amount to have plexiglass coverings installed over all of the stained glass windows. In my mind, this takes away just a bit from the look of the stained glass.
I was also in a church where one of the pastors quite accidentally and innocently broke a stained glass window for the inside while we were working on a project in the chapel area. So, a church should keep in mind the high cost of stained glass.
Pushing Back On Tradition
When people ask why do churches have stained glass windows, it really comes down to tradition in the main sense of the question. Up to the 1950s and beyond, many new churches would not even question the fact that they did want stained glass as a part of their primary worship center or sanctuary.
However, when more contemporary-style churches began to be built in the 80s and beyond, they opted not to go with stained glass because many were breaking away from a traditional church look and wanted to appeal more to individuals who might be unfamiliar with the church. Many modern evangelical churches that put an emphasis on reaching the unchurched and bringing them into a relationship with Christ started opting for the non-traditional route.
To the more contemporary-leaning individuals and churches, getting away from the liturgical and traditional look of stained glass was very intentional as they wanted to differ from the traditional and give a more modern look for those who had formerly been unchurched.
I was a part of a contemporary movement of pastors and churches who chose to build buildings in which stained glass was not involved. I loved the imagery and beauty on the old stained glass that I would see from time to time. However, in the later churches in which I was involved, it was an unnecessary feature and we also wanted to break away from the older traditions.
As there is nothing scripturally incorrect in making those choices, unless it is financially unwise for your church, then it comes down to the choice of what you want your building to look like.
To sum it up, stained glass windows are an architectural feature that became popular and that look became somewhat synonymous with traditional churches. The beauty of thousands upon thousands of churches with those colorful windows remains and probably will for generations.
It is a stylistic preference upon which a congregation and their leaders must decide as they are building and/or remodeling a church facility.
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