The Church Building — First constructed under Constantine around AD 327. The earliest church buildings were patterned after the Roman basilicas, which were modeled after Greek temples.

The Sacred Space — Christians borrowed this idea from the pagans in the second and third centuries. The burial places of the martyrs were regarded as "sacred." In the fourth century, church buildings were erected on these burial places, thus creating "sacred" buildings.

The Pastor's Chair — Derived from the cathedra, which was the bishop's chair or throne. This chair replaced the seat of the judge in the Roman basilica.

Tax-Exempt Status for Churches and Christian Clergy — Emperor Constantine gave churches tax-exempt status in AD 323. He made clergy exempt from paying taxes in AD 313, a privilege that pagan priests enjoyed.

Stained-Glass Windows — First introduced by Gregory of Tours and brought to perfection by Suger (1081-1151), abbot of St. Denis.

Gothic Cathedrals — Twelfth century. These edifices were built according to the pagan philosophy of Plato.

The Steeple — Rooted in ancient Babylonian and Egyptian architecture and philosophy, the steeple was a medieval invention that was popularized and modernized by Sir Christopher Wren in London around 1666.

The Pulpit — Used in the Christian church as early as AD 250. It came from the Greek ambo, which was a pulpit used by both Greeks for delivering monologues.

The Pew — Evolved from the thirteenth through the eighteenth centuries in England.

The Sunday Morning Order of Worship — Evolved from Gregory's Mass in the sixth century and the revisions made by Luther, Calvin, the Puritans, the Free Church tradition, the Methodists, the Frontier-Revivalists, and the Pentecostals.

The Centrality of the Pulpit in the Order of Worship — Martin Luther in 1523.

Two Candles Placed on Top of the "Communion Table" and Incense Burning-Candles - were used in the ceremonial court of Roman emperors in the fourth century. The Communion table was introduced by Ulrich Zwingli in the sixteenth century.

Taking the Lord's Supper Quarterly—Ulrich Zwingli in the sixteenth century.

The Congregation Standing and Singing When the Clergy Enters — Borrowed from the ceremonial court of Roman emperors in the fourth century. Brought into the Protestant liturgy by John Calvin.

Coming to Church with a Somber/Reverent Attitude — Based on the medieval view of piety.Brought into the Protestant service by John Calvin and Martin Bucer.

Condemnation and Guilt over Missing a Sunday Service—Seventeenth-century New England Puritans.

The Long "Pastoral Prayer" Preceding the Sermon—Seventeenth-century Puritans.The Pastoral Prayer Uttered in Elizabethan English — Eighteenth-century Methodists.

The Goal of All Preaching to Win Individual Souls* — Eighteenth century Frontier-Revivalists.

The Altar Call — Instituted by seventeenth-century Methodists and popularized by Charles Finney.

The Church Bulletin (written liturgy)—Originated in 1884 with Albert Blake Dick's stencil duplicating machine.

The "Solo" Salvation Hymn, Door-to-Door Witnessing, and Evangelistic Advertising/Campaigning — D. L. Moody.

The Decision Card—Invented by Absalom B. Earle (1812-1895) and popularized by D. L. Moody.

Bowing Heads with Eyes Closed and Raising the Hand in Response to a Salvation Message — Billy Graham in the twentieth century.

The Contemporary Sermon — Borrowed from the Greek sophists, who were masters at oratory and rhetoric. John Chrysostom and Augustine popularized the Greco-Roman homily (sermon) and made it a central part of the Christian faith.

The One-Hour Sermon, Sermon Crib Notes, and the Four-Part Sermon Outline — Seventeenth-century Puritans.

The Single Bishop (predecessor of the contemporary pastor) —Ignatius of Antioch in early second century. Ignatius's model of one-bishop rule did not prevail in the churches until the third century.

The "Covering" Doctrine — Cyprian of Carthage, a former pagan orator. Revived under Juan Carlos Ortiz from Argentina and the "Fort Lauderdale Five" from the United States, creating the so-called "Shepherding-Discipleship Movement" in the 1970s.

Hierarchical Leadership — Brought into the church by Constantine in the fourth century. This was the leadership style of the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans.

Clergy and Laity — The word laity first appears in the writings of Clement of Rome (d.100). Clergy first appears in Tertullian. By the third century, Christian leaders were universally called clergy.

Contemporary Ordination — Evolved from the second century to the fourth. It was taken from the Roman custom of appointing men to civil office. The idea of the ordained minister as the "holy man of God" can be traced to Augustine, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Chrysostom.

The Title "Pastor"— Catholic priests who became Protestant ministers were not universally called pastors until the eighteenth century under the influence of Lutheran Pietists.

Christians Wearing Their "Sunday Best" for Church — Began in the late-eighteenth century with the Industrial Revolution and became widespread in the mid-nineteenth century. The practice is rooted in the emerging middle-class effort to become like their wealthy aristocrat contemporaries.

Clergy Attire — Began in AD 330 when Christian clergy started wearing the garb of Roman officials. By the twelfth century, the clergy began wearing everyday street clothes that distinguished them from the people.

The "Sinner's Prayer"—Originated with D. L. Moody and made popular in the 1950s through Billy Graham's Peace with God tract and later with Campus Crusade for Christ's Four Spiritual Laws.