Replacing Your Antique Church Pews

Antique churches are often revered for their beautiful architecture and craftsmanship. Antique church pews may even have intricate designs carved into the wood. However, after years of wear and tear, it may be necessary to replace the antique church pews with new ones.

Within any parish, the local church is often the oldest building. In addition, the local church is generally is larger than any pre-19th century structure except maybe a barn. Church pews are a mainstay in parishes across the nation, except perhaps in Orthodox churches. However, many antique church pews reach the point where the wood is rotting, damaged or just simply falling apart.

In your parish, you want people to feel comfortable and inspired by all that is around them. With worn out antique church pews, both these goals become hard to obtain. Here are some ideas on how to raise money for new church pews for your parish.

Finding the Means to Finance New Church Pews:

• The most simple way to raise some money to replace antique church pews is by holding a second collection. Explain to your parishioners the total cost of the pews and why this purchase will benefit the church and its visitors.
• Research shows that until the early/mid 20th century, renting church pews to families or individuals in Anglican, Catholic, and Presbyterian churches was often a principal means of raising income. While you don’t need to rent your antique church pews out anymore, you could find people who want to buy church pews. Many private homes have used church pews for bench seating or at the base of a personal shrine to a religious figure. Advertising “church pews for sale” can be a good way to generate revenue to fund new pews.

Once you have the funds to replace the antique church pews, you need to find somewhere to get new church pews. Finding a furniture store that has experience in selling and installing church furniture is a great place to find one of a kind pews that will make your parish look great. If you don’t have the money all at once, many stores are willing to work out a payment plan that works for both parties.

If you aren’t looking to buy all new pews, however, there is always the option of having them refurbished. Look into local furniture workers who can come in and assess the damage on your antique church pews; they may be able to restore them depending on the degree of damage. Compare prices at different stores to see the cost of refurbishing the entire set and talk to the employees about their experience in the field.

Have you had any experiences trying to install new church pews? Let us know in the comments below!