The Church as a Public Refuge
Rev. Wallace Nutting argues that churches should be open 24/7, serving the city as community centers with drinking fountains and social services rather than just Sunday pulpits.
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The Seattle Ministerial Association met yesterday to hear an address by Rev. Wallace Nutting on 'The Institutional Church.' Nutting argued that the church should be an active, daily force in the city. He suggested that churches provide friends for new arrivals, educational support, and spaces for rest and food. Noting that the church should serve the needs of the masses currently left to 'starve and rot spiritually,' he proposed that drinking fountains be placed in front of every church in the city. He argued that if a man in the street is tired and thirsty, it should be possible for him to enter a church for refreshment rather than heading to the nearest saloon. Nutting maintained that the church should be open at all times, with a man and a woman always present to receive those in need.
“A man on the street is tired and thirsty and wants rest and refreshment; instead of the necessity of going into the open saloon it ought to be so that he could go into a church near by and find what he needed.”
This 1892 call for churches to act as social service hubs predates modern 'third place' theory and current efforts by local faith organizations to address the city's housing and mental health crisis. It highlights an early, vocal recognition of the church's role in the public square beyond Sunday morning.
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