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Home > About Us > Collaborating Institutions > SCS > Luce Seminars > 2002They Will Know We Are Christians by Our Land:
A Christian Landscape Aesthetic
"There has to be (in our new concept of history) an interim of death and rejection before there can be renewal and reform. The old order has to die before there can be renewal and reform. The old-order has to die before there can be a born-again landscape." J.B. Jackson, "The Necessity of Ruins," 102
When I first read this quote last year in an essay by the cultural geographer John Birkenstone Jackson, I was intrigued by the use of language with such strong Christian implications by someone who gives little indication of religious motivation for his writing, although Jackson has shown some interest in the relationship between religion and landscape, most notably in his essay "The Sacred Grove in America." But beyond Jackson's words, I began to wonder what a "born-again" landscape might look like? Are there Christian principles that should guide the way that we understand our landscapes? And from my professional perspective as a designer, how might I help a church to design a "Christian" landscape?
In his 1999 book, Beyond Maintenance to Mission: A Theology of the Congregation-a title which I thought might be appropriate for this presentation-the Lutheran theologian Craig L. Nessan presents a model of Contextual Theology which is a helpful framework for the discussion of the potential of a Christian landscape aesthetic. In this work, he argues that the ancient church concepts of diakonia/service, koinonia/fellowship, and kerygma/proclamation are best understood in light of their influence on two basic characteristics of a congregation: its mission and its identity. Mission and Identity are, according to Nessan, what makes a congregation into a church body and not just another social club. Although I want to consider landscape design issues specifically, I believe the model I set forth might also prove useful to the consideration of visual culture in general within the church-its architecture, vestments, paraments, banners, and so on.
Nessan defines Identity as the self-understanding and self-definition of the local congregation. This Identity is expressed at the local level through four areas of congregational church life: its Worship; its Teaching Ministry: its Fellowship; and its Stewardship. The second characteristic of the congregation-its Mission-is for Nessan the very reason for existence of the congregation and is the living out the joy of salvation through Jesus Christ. He says that mission is visible in a congregation in four areas: its Evangelism; Inter-church relations; Community relations; Global awareness. I would like briefly to address each of these eight total areas and a way to suggest practical ways that this theological framework for understanding a congregation might also be useful as a tool for designing and understanding the landscape around the local church facility.
The first characteristic of Identity is worship practices. A practical and simple way that this can influence the grounds of a church is through the building of an outdoor worship space. This worship space could be formal or informal and might have a permanent podium or altar or even permanent seating of some sort. Another less formal worship area might be a meditation garden with a covered bench as a quiet area for prayer and reflection. With the continuing interest in practices of the ancient Celtic church, a prayer labyrinth might be installed in the ground as part of this outdoor worship space, too.
The next aspect within the characteristic of Identity is Teaching Ministry. With this broader concept that the landscape can be theologically understood and justified, the grounds themselves might be a teaching tool for a congregation, for example, through teaching an attitude of stewardship of God's creation Additionally, outdoor areas might be set aside, where Sunday school classes could meet when appropriate. I also believe that this area of teaching ministry is where a burial ground might be understood as belonging in this discussion. Although maybe not thought of as a teaching tool, but rather as a memory tool or a memorial, the internment of our dead among us teaches important lessons to the church-among them, that Christ and his church are historical facts, and that we as the local church are but part of a greater body of Christ, which existed before us and will continue after our own passing.
As a form of Fellowship, the landscape offers an opportunity for the creation of gathering spaces. Areas adjacent to the worship hall and to an interior fellowship hall offer a chance for fellowship activities normally held inside to flow out into the yard. Creating intentional spaces-sheltered from sun and wind, makes such outdoor fellowship easier. Another fellowship activity rooted in the church's landscape might be the creation of a sort of Garden Guild, much on the model of the Altar Guild that exists in some denominations. These people would commit their time to caring for the church grounds beyond just cutting the grass and sweeping the parking lot. They would use their gifts as gardeners to help make the grounds serve greater purpose to the glory of God.
The final aspect within the congregation's Identity is Stewardship, an area where the most practical aspects of landscape planning might be discussed. Churches that neglect to care for their grounds are as bad as stewards as those who neglect their buildings or their congregations. God has entrusted to each of us a small portion of his creation and we are to do our best to care for it in the time that he has chosen to let us be here on earth. We must cherish this responsibility and help to make the world better, even if in only a small way.
In Nessan's discussion, Evangelism is first among the four aspects of Mission. Whether we understand it or approve of it, first impressions do matter, and how the church building and grounds look does influence those around us, including those unchurched, whom we would like to reach. Having a thoughtful attitude toward the land and demonstrating that in how we care for our landscapes may be a powerful tool for reaching new people. Providing grounds that feel welcoming may help the uncertain to come onto the yard as a first step toward joining the church community.
Inter-church relations is the second aspect of mission. An active "garden guild" might visit other churches once a quarter, to provide basic maintenance to neglected church yards or just sweep their walks and parking lots and plant some flowers. In addition to this, inter-church activities might be organized into wider community level activities, much like churches working together on houses for Habitat for Humanity.
Many of these inter-church activities might also be part of the third Mission related aspect-Community relations. Our churches are highly visible members of the community, and our activities are oftentimes judged by the wider community as indicative of the sincerity of our beliefs. Our activities relating to our communities are often pivotal to the Christian faith is being understood-or misunderstood-accurately. Caring for our grounds to be better neighbors is an important part of this.
Nessan's final aspect of Mission for the local church is its sense of global awareness. Most clearly this awareness can be seen in the proper use of natural resources. The planting of trees and shrubs to reduce heat gain in buildings and in parking areas can reduce energy consumption year-round. Controlling run-off from parking lots and buildings can improve the quality of local rivers and streams. The reduction of the amount of lawn on the church property that needs to be cut and trimmed by powered machinery can reduce the amount of pollution-both air and noise-that the church produces. Finally, selecting planting materials that are most appropriate to the macro- and micro-climate of the site reduces the amount of water used by the church for grounds maintenance, while still providing beauty in the community.
What follows is a brief consideration of two landscaped properties: one a Presbyterian church and the other a nearby Medical Arts Center (MAC) building. Both buildings are located at Sturdy Road and Evans Avenue in Valparaiso, Indiana, catty-corner from one another. The buildings are similar in size, as are the sites they occupy, with the medical building slightly larger with more parking. The only other notable difference is the medical building is completely surrounded by the campus of a manufacturing building and its parking lot, while the church is adjacent only to residences. Although I do not want to claim that the landscaping around the MAC was designed to be a "Christian" landscape, I believe it is closer to such a thing than is the nearby church campus, and therefore may serve for a church as a model of a more fitting approach to landscape design.
 Presbyterian Church along Sturdy Rd. |
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These four images show the two sites along Sturdy Road and Evans Ave. (The two properties are catty-corner from one another.) The Presbyterian Church has an entrance to rear parking on both streets. There are no planting along the façade facing Sturdy or Evans, only an expanse of lawn. The parking is visible, too. The MAC also has a parking lot entrance on Sturdy Road and Evans Avenue. The Sturdy Road entrance (above) appears to access staff parking and is intentionally not very visible. It would not be hard, however, to add a marker for this entrance, like the one shown below at the Evans Avenue entrance.
 Presbyterian Church along Evans Ave. |
 Medical Arts Center along Evans Ave. |
 Presbyterian Church, main entrance |
 Medical Arts Center, main entrance |
These two photographs present the most striking contrast between the sites and their landscaping. The Presbyterian Church has located its parking in a very rigid manner, probably for economic reasons (getting the most spots in the smallest area). What is most interesting though is the view from the parking towards the main entrances. The door of the MAC seems no less welcoming, and I would assert it is more welcoming. The trees planted throughout the parking area of the MAC making the lot seem less harsh, even though it is still noticeably the larger parking lot. The environmental impact of a few trees in a parking lot can be quite dramatic after they reach maturity, leading to a reduction in storm water run-off and heat island effect of the paved areas.
 Presbyterian Church at Corner |
 Medical Arts Center at Corner |
These final two photographs show a view of the properties at the corner they share-Evans Ave. and Sturdy Rd. Although the Medical Arts Center is hard to see in this photograph, in actuality it is very visible from the adjacent streets. In spite of the unattractive poles and overhead lines in the image of the MAC, it is still without question a more attractive lot, due to the rich and dense tree cover.
Although it would be impossible to claim that a particular landscape is Christian while another is not, the site around the MAC in the photographs above is more clearly in keeping with the framework extrapolated above from Nessan's thesis. It is easy to imagine the more verdant site to be used by a church to support its Identity and Mission: fellowship gatherings in the green areas, a garden guild to maintain the plantings, an outdoor worship space, and teaching opportunities of the church as an environmental steward. This development and use by the church is a potential for Christian expression. But how can an individual church, already in a facility, proceed to redeem its landscape?
One possible source for direction may be found in a secular source. Since 1995, the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) has sponsored a program called "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design" or LEED. LEED sets out benchmarks for environmentally sensitive construction and building operation. Although originally conceived for new construction, LEED has been expanded to include existing buildings as well. Although the church should never completely rely upon a secular model for its actions, LEED provides a fine basic model for a church to improve its facilites. At least one church has embraced the LEED model for a renovation project.
In the April 2002 issue of
Individual churches have a responsibility to proclaim the gospel message of grace, love and redemption to the world. As our civic communities struggle with contemporary urban problems of sprawl and traffic congestion, the churches have an opportunity to cry out with the voice of their landscapes that Christians are the conduit of a great and irresistible love that will redeem the world. Quentin Schultze wrote in Habits of the High-Tech Heart (2002) that "Responsible stewardship is our relationship to creation as well as our effort exerted on creation. (90)" Together, we can move "beyond maintenance to mission" and make our church grounds part of the much needed redemption of our ruined landscapes and the communities that struggle to survive within them.
(The original idea for this paper began during the 2002 Calvin Summer Seminar, "Arts, Aesthetic Theory and Christian Worship," led by Nicholas Wolterstorff and funded by the Henry Luce Foundation. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Art and Soul Conference, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, in March 2003.)