NRC Church

The image of the NRC Church is consolidated in its prominent, white steeple. It is a distinctly American image, with its roots in the Colonial tradition of the early settlers. Its rural setting reinforces this historical image, as the edifice sits among agricultural plots and farmhouses. The flat prairie endorses the sharp profile of the steeple, which cannot avoid the layered readings of its archetypal quality. Firstly, there is a sort of religious preeminence, as the spiritual referent to God (the steeple) heedfully gazes over His creation. It is a symbol that can be seen for miles, practically omnipotent by its visual reach. Second, and in support of the first, a Biblical significance, in which the practice of agriculture forms and cultivates the basis of many Biblical parables and narratives. This proximity to farmland comes with an inherent religious association, deepening the significance of the church and its intimate relationship to the land. Under its expansive roof, the church was designed around a 1200 seat sanctuary, with other supporting programs organized around the main worship space. The firm also received the commission for the pastor’s house, located toward the back of the site.