Cross

Church Architecture

This model shows a plain cross as a focus for worship. Other Protestant churches use a crucifix, different Christian imagery, or no central image.

Key points

The cross recalls Christ's death and the Christian hope of salvation.
Look for: A cross near the preaching and Communion area.
A representative model drawing on Reformed, Methodist, and Anglican examples, not a universal Protestant plan. Lutheran, Baptist, Pentecostal, evangelical, and other traditions differ in architecture, baptism, Communion, music, and imagery.
The preaching and Communion area is at the top of this study plan. Protestant churches may use different compass orientations, seating arrangements, and positions for the pulpit, font, and table. The drawing is schematic: object sizes, materials, decorative details, and exact coordinates are illustrative rather than surveyed measurements or denominational requirements.
Images affirmed without prescribing the later icon screen (Historical connection): The council's decree affirms images of Christ, Mary, angels, and saints in churches and other settings. It distinguishes honorable reverence from the worship belonging to the divine nature. Orthodox and Catholic churches receive this council; Reformed teaching rejects the religious use of images, while other Protestant traditions differ.
The decree does not prescribe a modern full-height iconostasis or establish when every arrangement of icons developed. Its theological authority and its distinction between veneration and worship are accepted differently across Christian traditions.

John 1:14–18 — Images affirmed without prescribing the later icon screen: The council's decree affirms images of Christ, Mary, angels, and saints in churches and other settings. It distinguishes honorable reverence from the worship belonging to the divine nature. Orthodox and Catholic churches receive this council; Reformed teaching rejects the religious use of images, while other Protestant traditions differ.