WHEN YOU BUILD YOUR CHURCH.

John R. Scotford '11. Great Neck, NewYork: Doniger & Raughley, 1955. 246 pp.$3.00.

Since Protestant Church building in the 20th century has, with a few exceptions, shown little evidence of the great strides made in the field of architecture in this period, it is well that Mr. Scotford has undertaken to write this book.

Concerning himself with the congregation's point of view toward building its church, Mr. Scotford covers concisely and well the subjects of the purpose of the building, the changed sociological patterns affecting the location, function and size of the church; the church site, use of light, color and general atmosphere inducing elements; music requirements and general acoustics; teaching areas, parsonage, parish halls, kitchens, dining rooms, offices, and chapels; heating and ventilating, and, finally, the appearance, planning, fund raising, working with the architect, and actual building of the church. An appendix lists churches worth seeing with the aspects of each which the author considers of particular note.

To anyone familiar with a group of devoted, and necessarily untrained, laymen serving on the building committee of either a church or school, the desirability of such a book to give, in general terms, guides to important factors involved in merely getting underway a building operation, is very apparent. The questions discussed and answered here are those which are often put to the architect, sometimes after the committees' ideas have solidified beyond the point of a true evaluation of needs. As Mr. Scotford points out, "When a new church is suggested, people instinctively think of the old churches they have known. Their impulse is to duplicate or at least copy something out of the past." "Now a new church can be built with economy and efficiency only as the people are led to forget not only their old church, but all the other old churches they have ever known or heard about - including the pictures which come on Christmas cards."

The careful attention to structural, spatial, and spiritual-functional needs for a church today, the excellent chapters on working with architect and contractor, and the fresh approach to a field of building which is of great importance today, make this a book highly recommended to all, including the architect, concerned in church building.