I have been a member of more than 20 wards and branches during my lifetime (counting mission and college units). Although each of these units was different from one another in many ways, there is one thing that has been similar in all of them — people tended to sit in the same place during sacrament meeting week after week. In fact, it is often as if there is "reserved seating" in our chapels.
It is interesting to note that the ward members know who sits where each week. There is a kind of unwritten rule to not sit in someone else's space to ensure that you don't upset anyone. This semi-reserved seating arrangement likely exists in your ward, too. To illustrate this point, imagine if you were given a blank seating chart of the pews in your own ward or branch building. You could probably write with amazing accuracy on that chart the names of the individuals (or at least the family's last name) of who sits where.
Sitting in the same place is often formalized in schools and workplaces, so we are already accustomed to this tradition. At school and work, sitting in the same place day after day helps us to know who is missing. Perhaps sitting in the same place is useful to our leaders on the stand during sacrament meeting so that they can more easily assess who is not in attendance that day by observing the absence of an individual or family from their usual spot. One does not need a degree in psychology to understand that people tend to seek out the familiar, even when it comes to where they sit in church on Sunday.
This order of seating is rarely disrupted, except when visitors attend. Unfortunately, the visitors are not privy to the new ward's "seating chart," so they simply sit where no one is sitting. Fortunately, the ward members often look ahead and claim their "reserved" places by setting scriptures, Priesthood/Relief Society manuals, etc., on the seats that are "theirs." It should be pointed out that quad scriptures have the disadvantage of only claiming one space.
The visitor dilemma is made worse when the visitors arrive early to the meeting — before the usual places are occupied. When visitors arrive early and inadvertently take others' "reserved seats," one can't help but watch the reactions of those who do not get to sit in their regular places and have to sit elsewhere. I have observed more than one look of annoyance from the misplaced "owners" of the space.
Not long ago, our ward was fortunate to have a new phase added to our existing building. The addition included a wonderful new chapel. During the construction of this addition, it was necessary for us to meet in the multipurpose room (aka gym) for sacrament meeting for about a year.
This presented a new dilemma for our ward members — where to sit in this new environment. The congregation did not miss a beat, and within a few weeks, a new "seating chart" was established in the gym
Our family has been living in the same ward for more than 20 years. During that time, my wife and I, along with our four children, had our reserved area, too — generally within a few rows of the same side of the chapel.
Now that our children are married and have families of their own and who now all live out of state, my wife and I select a new spot to sit each Sunday morning. It is rare that we sit in the same place two Sundays in a row. Since we know the ward's seating arrangements, we are careful to select seats in various areas that have not yet been "claimed" so as not to deliberately annoy.
The reserved seating at church is apparently not limited to LDS congregations. When I mentioned this to a colleague at work who attends another Christian church, he said that members of their congregation also sit in the same place week after week during their Sunday services. He has observed similar reactions among their members when they are temporarily displaced by visitors.
The point of this piece is not to be critical but to poke a little fun at this interesting phenomenon that is so often observed in our congregations. We should keep in mind the words that are often placed on the outside of our buildings next to the name of our church: "Visitors Welcome."
So, the next time some visitor or other person displaces you from your rightful spot, hopefully you can enjoy the view from your new, temporary seat (at least for the next 70 minutes). Maybe this will get you to church a little earlier next week.
David J. Harris is a member of the Siloam Springs Ward in Arkansas.