Chapel Revivial
Do you have a chapel or room in your church that sits empty most of the week? What if it could become a place of prayer once again?
Where do people go to pray?
For centuries, churches were places people knew they could go to pray. They would stop by early in the morning before work, visit on their way home, or find a church when they needed quiet, comfort, safety or solace. The church was not only a place you gathered to meet with others - it was a place you could go when you needed to be alone with God.
In our modern world, this is often no longer the case. Most churches are only open on Sundays, and even if the church is open during the week, the sanctuary or chapel often is not. In a world filled with noise, distraction, and constant demands, where do people go when they need somewhere to step away and meet with God?
The spaces still exist. Many have just been forgotten.
Many churches still have beautiful chapels, historic sanctuaries, and smaller worship spaces on their property. Over time, congregations grew, larger sanctuaries were built, and these original spaces became secondary, used only occasionally or left empty for much of the week.
But what if these spaces are not finished serving the church?
What if, instead of sitting largely unused, they were opened again as places for people to pray, be still, and meet with God? What if these chapels could become … chapels again?
“My house shall be called a house of prayer”
The desire of almost every activity or service that a church puts on is to help people connect and grow closer to God, and creating a space intentionally designed to help people connect with God is an amazing way to do that. So what space do you have available to you?
A small chapel?
A side-sanctuary?
An old choir rehearsal room?
An extra classroom?
A library?
An unused corner?
Preserve the beauty, Restore the Purpose.
You don't need to turn your chapel or room into something unrecognizable. The stained glass may still be there. The pews, the kneelers, the cross, the history. Chapel Revival is not about stripping away the beauty of these spaces. It's about helping them fulfill their purpose again by breathing new life into them.
Imagine walking into your chapel and quiet music is playing. You walk slowly around the space and see an area to post prayer requests on a bulletin board. You pick up a prayer guide and sit and pray through the words with your journal. You write scripture in a shared journal on a table to encourage others, and add a testimony to the book of remembrance. After that, you head over to the art corner and create a painting of thanksgiving and then pick up the guitar and start worshipping God in your own way.
It’s not about creating a new space, but simply breathing new life into the ones you have.
“When I was in college, there was a chapel with a small prayer room on campus that I went to almost every day. It was a place where I learned to meet with God, and I loved being there. When I graduated, one of the hardest things for me was realizing that I no longer had a place like that to go to pray. While I knew I could pray anytime, anywhere, I desperately missed having a space set aside for prayer - somewhere I could go to focus and be alone with God. I began to wonder- where do people go to pray? Then one day I was driving down the road and passed church after church after church, and I realized- the spaces already exist. Maybe they simply need to be revived.”
-Kirsten Mount
Ready to bring your chapel back to life?
If your church has a chapel, prayer room, classroom, or quiet space that could be set apart for prayer, you do not have to figure it out alone.
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