FARMINGTON — Tables replace pews and a basement hall has become the sanctuary for the congregation of Henderson Memorial Baptist Church over the past three months. The new format for worship is called Coffee Church.

There is more music, some interaction between the pastor and congregation within the sermon and time for people to share about when they felt God’s presence in their lives, Pastor Susan Crane said.

When the idea of leaving a large, beautiful sanctuary and a traditional service with organ music for a more informal service was first proposed, it was met with resistance, Crane said.

“For the sake of the whole church and some younger members, everyone agreed to try it for the month of January. At the end of January, everyone said don’t stop it, it’s wonderful,” she said.

Always a close congregation, an even greater closeness and togetherness has developed, Crane said. The music is strong and powerful where voices fill the space better than in the sanctuary. It’s more spontaneous and the congregation has an opportunity to interact and share with each other, she said.

The congregation has also developed a new spirit, one that includes opening up to new options, the pastor said.

The church intends to move the service back to the sanctuary on Palm Sunday, April 1, but will continue with the more informal service, she said.

Members gather for coffee and pastry between 9:30 and 10 a.m., the service starts at 10, and at 11 a.m. some members remain for Bible study in small groups.

The seeds for Coffee Church were planted three years ago when a missionary presentation included a picture taken in Denmark where all the pews were removed and replaced with round tables. People were sitting around drinking coffee and enjoying the sermon and music, she said.

Last year, deacons of the church compared an informal setting for services found in the book “Simple Church” to the more formal, traditional service, she said. They decided some small-group opportunities to help people grow spiritually was missing and formed several groups last summer. 

Those were successful, she said. Last fall, surveys indicated some members wanted some changes and the idea of trying Coffee Church developed.

While some churches leave the sanctuary for smaller spaces to save on heating costs, that wasn’t the reason for Henderson Memorial Baptist. The church is heated by steam and to turn up the heat in one location requires heating the whole building, she said. New interior storm window panels in the basement hall have helped keep the thermostat lower.

January also seemed like a good time to try something new, because some members spend the winter in Florida and the smaller basement hall is a more intimate setting for those remaining.

When the congregation returns to the sanctuary, the same format will continue until the church decides to change it, Crane said.

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