Collegiate Church - Contemporary Examples

Contemporary Examples

Three traditional collegiate churches have survived in England since the Middle Ages at Westminster Abbey in London, St George's Chapel of Windsor Castle and at St Endellion's Church, in Cornwall.

The idea of a "collegiate church" has continued to develop a contemporary equivalent. Many contemporary Collegiate Churches draw on the idea that collegiate means a "church with more than one minister", often understood as reflected in the "priesthood of all believers" and local, congregational governance.

Two different examples of contemporary collegiate churches in America today are The Collegiate Church of New York City, and St. Paul's Collegiate Church at Storrs, Connecticut. The churches of the former include the Marble Collegiate Church, founded in 1628, and the New Middle Collegiate, Marble Collegiate and West End Collegiate churches, affiliated to the Dutch Reformed Church.

St. Paul's Collegiate Church at Storrs features contemporary architecture reflecting traditional collegiate church architecture (pictured). Unlike most historical collegiate churches, this is a non-denominational, evangelical church. According to church leaders, they chose the name "collegiate" to emphasize "the priesthood of all believers" and that "every member of the Body of Christ is a minister."

While collegiate churches typically have its seating arranged parallel with the south and north walls, facing inwards rather than towards the altar at the eastern end, St. Paul's Collegiate Church has adapted this by creating a chapel fully in the round, with the altar/communion station in the center.