A new study by Barna Group and Aspen Group has revealed that most Americans prefer traditional church architecture that reflects the beauty of God.

According to research from Barna Group and Aspen Group, a representative sample of 2,000 Americans say that when it comes to church architecture, they prefer "traditional." Crosstalk reports.

It cites Daniel Silliman in Christianity Today who says, "Outreach-minded evangelicals have often argued that church buildings need to be less "churchy" to draw in would-be seekers.

"But that might not actually be true, according to recent research from Barna Group and Aspen Group asking a representative sample of 2,000 Americans questions about the architecture of sacred spaces."

Silliman says that nearly 90 percent of Americans say a church should be "easily identifiable," and eight of 10 say they want the building to "reflect the beauty of God."

There are some who prefer that churches feel modern (38 percent) and trendy (28 percent), but most Americans want religious spaces that feel more timeless and transcendent.

Dr. James Emery White writes in Crosstalk, "I doubt many would disagree, even among those who lead contemporary churches. Yes, conventional wisdom is that large, outward-focused churches try to not look like traditional churches, but that isn't exactly correct.

"There is a difference between tradition and traditionalism. What many churches tried to do was to create a setting that was, yes, a church, but not only that was unnecessarily bound to forms of architecture that were unnecessarily out-of-date."

Still, he says that the desire for a space that is calming, inviting, or reflective can be met through any number of architectural designs beyond a white building with a steeple on the outside and red carpet on the inside.

"The more important dynamic is, of course, what happens inside that building."

Silliman says that when Americans close their eyes, they can picture a church.

"Even if they rarely or never attend one, they have an idea of what a church should look and feel like—and a preference. That preference is quite traditional."