ABSTRACT
Martin Luther’s indifference to church architecture and ambivalence toward images left individual Lutheran congregations on their own to creatively reimagine the physical spaces needed to accommodate Lutheran worship. Lutheran reform did away with pre-Reformation traditions requiring the eastern orientation of the altar, reserved areas for the clergy, and the placement of the baptismal font at the western doors. In contrast, the baptismal font remained the same but frequently moved from its traditional position at the western doors to a different location within the church. The comfort of male and female parishioners, the convenience of the organist, and the needs of the pastor take precedence in a plan that appears very traditional but centers on the requirements of a uniquely Lutheran experience of worship. Even the ideal Lutheran church plans had to give way to exigencies of site constraints and local traditions.
