Why do men and women sit separately?
While most Beachy churches have separate seating, a few smaller churches allow couples to sit together, though singles remain on their sides. There are a couple reasons many Beachy and conservative Mennonite congregations retain separate seating. 1) Because God assigns different roles for men and women in church services (see 1 Corinthians 11 and 14, for example), it is appropriate to have them grouped together so that they can be together as each fulfills his or her roles, such as men being in the leadership role. 2) With mixed seating, there is an emphasis on families sitting together. But when we come together, we are a church family, and the family institution takes a secondary role to the eternal family of God. We ought to function as a church family, not a church of families. Matthew 12:47-50.
