During the four years that I have served as the pastor of Greater Payne Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church, (GPCAMEC), I have found the behavior of some members disturbing and perplexing. Never before had I observed the inappropriate social, emotional, and physical interactions that were displayed in church. At other churches, I had observed outlandish behavior such as sleeping, reading a book, or even crocheting during worship. But, GPCAMEC provided me with the novel experience of witnessing hollering, writing profanity on the pew, cursing, and even physical fighting at the church. Through ongoing discussions with the class leaders and surveys of members, I discovered that the members of the church believe the church is a holy place and holiness is the paramount behavior expected. However, I also discovered that there were some misconstrued and misinterpreted structural elements that promoted resentment in the house of worship. Through research of the literature, surveys, and conversation, I examine the structural elements of sacred space and show how structure influences the behavior of individuals in sacred space. The thesis helps pastors understand how giving attention to the details of structure, and redesigning the structure of worship can assist in changing the behavior ofthe members of the congregation.
