A Place of Worship for the Digital Generation

Abstract

This thesis will explore how a local church can be relevant in today's fast evolving culture. The historical church principles have become a foreign idea to the 21st century generation, and many of the church facilities are inadequate to address the needs of the younger generation. The core principles of a Christian church worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism have remained unchanged for almost two-thousand years. However, churches are now seeing that the culture of their people is changing towards an informational era aided by technology and media. Those who are most affected by this cultural change are the younger generation who have grown up with a steady diet of visual and auditory information and stimulation through mass media. The "sacred ground" of church life is not immune to such cultural shifts. This thesis will use elements of architecture to support worship and ministry through multi-media and visual arts to communicate Christian faith. The proposed building is a Ministry Center for the Agapé Mission Church, a congregation of 300. The site chosen for this building is in Baltimore, Maryland adjacent to the Maryland Institute College of Art.