There’s one reason though I attend that overshadows all those above, I love to see first-hand new products that can be used wonderfully in the world of church furniture.  I’m always on the lookout for products and values that will benefit churches across the country.  This year’s trip to Neocon produced several of both.  Over the next few days I’ll share some of those findings with you.  I’m looking forward to it!

Our church furnishing manufacturer can decide they’re going to be “Manufacturer Direct”.  In other words, churches across the country can call the manufacturer, learn about their products, purchase their products, and take delivery directly from the manufacturer of their products.  Sounds simple doesn’t it?  It also would seem to be the most cost-efficient for the church.  But is it?  Over the years I have come to believe it’s not.  Here’s why:

Our church furnishing manufacturer wishes to have their products purchased by churches across the country.  For those churches to purchase their products, they must first know about their products.  And this effort translates into huge marketing costs.  One church chair  manufacturer I work with that sells directly to churches has told me that 50% of the cost of each of their chairs goes to recover their marketing/advertising expenses.  They have their in-house sales force to compensate.  Their promotional materials cost major dollars.  Advertising expenses are substantial.  And the more expenses the manufacturer has in marketing their chairs, the more they’re forced to charge churches for their chairs, or to cut the quality of their chairs.  Neither option is to the advantage of churches.

As I stated earlier, I used to believe that buying direct was the most cost-efficient for churches.  I no longer do!  In my next article I’ll discuss the advantages of a dealer network for church furnishing manufacturers and their church customers.  Looking forward to it!

Over those same years I have been thrilled to see three of our staff members step out to plant churches! I have family members who are also planting churches. And as I interact with them on a regular basis, I experience again through them the importance of every dollar!

They and thousands like them are the reason for Save Your Church Plant Money coming into existence! Save Your Church Plant Money.com is committed to assisting church planters across this country by:

* Offering practical advice on church furnishings options for church plants and their unique environments!
* Leveraging the buying power of Save Your Church Money.com to provide at-cost pricing!
* Journeying with each church planter through each life phase of their church as growth and needs develop!

You can contact Save Your Church Plant Money here.

• Chair Frames: I believe the most attractive frames are still those made out of wood.  The problem of course is that wood frame church chairs are much more expensive than steel frame church chairs.  There are now a dozen or more metal frame finishes available for churches.  The ability to match chair frame to chair fabric has never been more available for churches.
• Fabric Choice: Every manufacturer now have standard lines of fabrics as well as upgrade lines.  The reality is that there are also thousands of additional choices from mills around the world.  Choosing from these mills may cost a bit more and take longer to access, but almost all are available.  Some premium fabrics in our day though can double the price of a chair.
• Chair Backs: The back of a chair is seen more than the seat.  When you’re sitting in a seat, you’ll be looking at back of the chair in front of you.  Do you want to see all fabric as you look forward?  We call this a “covered back”.  However, covered backs do cost more and if your chairs are going to be moved a lot, covered backs tend to provide less handholds and the fabric may wear more as a result.

Enjoy the process of choosing worship seating that perfectly compliments your environment.  And don’t forget, you’ll find great chair aesthetic choices at Save Your Church Money.

• More Padding does NOT Mean More Comfort:  One of the most common assumptions I see well-meaning people make is that a chair with three inches of padding will be more comfortable than a chair with one inch.  This is simply not the case.  Thickness is not as important as quality and contour.
• All Foam is NOT the Same:  There are many options manufacturers can choose from when selecting the foam quality levels they utilize in their products.  There’s not enough room in this short article to detail all of these options, but quality of foam cannot be overstated.
• Width of Chairs are Important Considerations:  I recently talked to a church that purchased several hundred chairs because a great price that was offered them.  It was only after the chairs were delivered and paid for, they realized the chairs were two inches narrower than the chairs they decided against.   Never purchase less than an 18″ wide chair for dining and a 19″ wide chair for worship (20″ for worship is the standard).
• Foam will Only Become Softer:  It’s a fact that foam will never become firmer after you purchase chairs, only softer.  Don’t be overly concerned if the sample chair you have seems a bit stiff.  This likely is a indicator that a higher quality foam is being employed that will serve you better over the long run.
• Don’t Overlook the Effects of Contour:  Many chairs are simply a flat piece of plywood with foam on top of plywood and fabric or vinyl holding the foam to the wood.  But the human body is not flat as we know so discomfort tends to develop very quickly.  Contour molded chairs with less padding and upholstery will often provide superior comfort.  Testing this principle out before purchase is very important.

As always, there’s much more that could be added to this principle of chair comfort.  I encourage you to work with a church chair provider like Save Your Church Money.  They can provide you not only great pricing, but wise counsel and sample chairs.

As I have assisted hundreds of churches over recent years with their church furnishings needs, similar thoughts to those that pastor shared have been far too common.  I believe there are seven main criterion that a church needs to consider during their chair search.  Too often, only a couple of these seven are taken into account, and the result is a purchase that is often regretted over the years following.

My next several posts will explore each of these seven criterion.  We’ll take them one by one and provide insights and recommendations about each.  I’m looking forward to this project as church seating, whether worship seating, classroom seating, cafe seating, or that of several other environments is a substantial part of the life of a church.  People will sit far more in your church than they will stand.  These articles will help the choices of seating we make not to be regretted over the years that follow.