Steepleless churches

Color photograph, long shot of façade of a large rectangular wood building with many square windows, in the foreground, a large paved road leads to a wood main door.

Hudson Community Baptist Church, Hudson, 2017

In 1998, it is with great interest that citizens watched the renovations and transformation done on a large stable on Côte Saint-Charles in Saint-Lazare. For over a year, volunteers worked to the construction of the Hudson Community Baptist Church, which had outgrown its former building located only a few minutes away.

Color photograph taken in winter, long shot of facade of large rectangular building with flat roof and beige vinyl siding with a few windows, next to the front door, a large brown cross, in the foreground, a fence filled with vines.

Evangelical Baptist Church of Vaudreuil, Vaudreuil-Dorion, 2017

During the same time, the Evangelical Baptist Church of Vaudreuil purchased a small sports center in order to transform it into their new church building. In the same way, the small community of believers worked together to convert the space to properly accommodate its members.

These buildings, gently woven into the municipal landscape, are often the result of a transformation and re-use of previous commercial buildings, encouraging social economy and sustainable development. No steeple can be seen on these buildings wich are often only identified by a cross on their facade. Simple and discrete, they can easily go unnoticed by the vast majority of the population.

Before we purchased the building, our meetings were held in rented high school classrooms. Our goal is to serve believers humbly and simply, as well as offer service and support to every person in the community.

William Cotnoir, pastor at Evangelical Baptist Church of Vaudreuil

Color photograph, long shot of a brown brick building made of two sections, to the left, the church with sloped roof and open tower topped with a large cross, to the right, a building with a flat roof with many windows, in the foreground, children walking on a sidewalk.

Presbyterian Church of Île Perrot, Pincourt, 2017

The Vaudreuil-Soulanges territory houses many steepleless churches as well as an Islamic cultural center.

These new churches differ fundamentally from the historical protestant churches and even more so from Catholic ones. They are built to welcome families and enable social gatherings. They contain many rooms, small and large, kitchens, and nurseries. They aim to create friendly spaces where people can simply meet, live and share their spirituality.

Color photograph, long shot of side-view of a brown brick building with a sloped roof, on the façade, a large white cross next to which is written: Dorion Evangelical Church.

Dorion Evangelical Church, Vaudreuil-Dorion, 2017

Protestant churches: simple and elegant When the church was the hub of community life