Cross
A large plain cross stands above the screens in this model. Its design and placement are illustrative; the linked Life.Church teaching affirms the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Key points
- The cross recalls the saving death of Christ.
- Look for: The cross high above the center of the platform.
- An illustrative contemporary evangelical auditorium. Mega Church describes a large congregation and its building context, not a separate denomination: megachurches span Protestant traditions. Hartford research generally uses weekly worship attendance of 2,000 or more, across all locations, together with congregational characteristics. The balcony, seating blocks, platform, and equipment are illustrative choices rather than features required of every megachurch.
- The worship platform is at the top of this study plan. Front describes a viewing direction rather than a required compass orientation. The simplified seating represents an auditorium arrangement rather than an exact scale or attendance capacity. 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.
Scripture
- 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.