Have a need for church furniture? You may be surprised to learn the role church furniture played in the history of the church. From the 1600s through the mid 1800s, many churches’ seating arrangements were made by rank, with higher social classes sitting in pews nearest the altar.

Around the time sermons became one of the key parts of Christian worship, especially in Protestantism, church pews became the standard item of church furniture. Almost always made of wood, they do differ in design as some church pews have bench like cushioned seating, along with hassocks or footrests. Others are more straight forward, some are quite elaborate.

Throughout history up until the early to mid twentieth century, it was common practice in Anglican, Catholic, and Presbyterian churches to rent out pews in churches to families or individuals as a principal means of raising income. Looking for church steeples? Interested in church pews for sale?

Church furniture was serious business early in the 19th century. Commissioners churches were only required to offer 20 percent free seating. Attitudes when pew rental emerged as a source of controversy, an important one, in the decades of the 1840s and 1850s, particularly in the Church of England. It was around this time that many Anglo Catholic parishes were founded “Free Churches” were thus named based on their lack of pew rentals.

Church furniture has not significantly evolved over time.