Christ Presbyterian Church
Edina, Minnesota
Seat Count: 1,000
Project Type: New Construction
Architect: Tushie Montgomery
Associates, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota
AD Scope: Acoustics, Audio and Video
Christ Presbyterian meets in a newly constructed sanctuary that provides a blend of traditional and contemporary architectural features. The footprint was kept small by incorporating a balcony seating area that wraps around three sides of the room. This aids significantly in acoustical and visual intimacy during services.
One of the primary challenges in the design for Christ Presbyterian was the difference in worship style between services. In the traditional service, the choir leads worship, and the musical selections include more congregational hymns using the organ. The contemporary service is led by a worship team that consists of singers with individual microphones and a full rhythm section that includes drums, guitars and keyboards.
When AD first met with Christ Presbyterian, the ministry leadership stated that preaching was a top priority. The church required a technical systems design which would allow a full range of movement for the pastor in the area of the chancel and an acoustical environment that allowed excellent speech intelligibility.
Congregational participation was also an important element of their ministry style. Although the style of congregational participation varies from service to service, its importance is high in all services. The acoustics in the main seating area were designed to inspire a high level of energy among the participants by allowing them to hear their own sound as well as the sound of others. The acoustics were also designed to support strong bi-directional communication between the congregation and the pastor and worship team on the platform.
Rear screen video projection is used for both sermon support and projection of lyrics for congregational participation in worship. The overall design of the platform integrated the video screens into the interior design of the room.
