Free Pew

The renting of pews was the primary way that churches of many denominations collected funds. Pew renting persisted into the nineteenth century. The use of free pews began first in city missions for work among the poor in the larger cities. These missions were supported by dioceses and missionary societies. It appears that the first self-supporting Episcopal churches without pew rents were the Church of the Holy Communion, New York, and the Church of the Advent, Boston.