This church design issue is not the real problem.  That's just so much "fashion".  Who cares?  Would I want to attend a beautiful church with a lousy pastor, or an ugly church with a great pastor? It is just one manifestation (among others) of a much bigger problem:  that is the failure of the Church to follow through on the post-Vatican II reforms in the seminaries and instill in the seminarians the same fire and zeal that inspired the immediate VII clergy.  As a result, we actually have more conservative seminarians coming through now, most of whom aren’t even familiar with some of the core teachings of VII, in particular but not only, the ecumenical and interfaith doctrines of the Church.  We have a younger clergy leaning further to conservatism, while at the same time the remaining bill-paying church-goers are leaning more progressive.  Most parishes are shrinking and many are closing, and these youngsters are concerned about railings and marble! Nero fiddles while "Rome" burns...!