I can agree with all that. Yet, I have been in many churches in Europe that were beautiful, filled with priceless decorations and religious symbols, yet were virtually dead. Very few except for the elderly ever attended. Then again, there are churches in 3rd World countries where the congregations were meeting in buildings, homes, or even outside in structures that did not even have four walls. There was no decor whatsoever to remind them of heaven. Yet, these churches were alive. In my community there are congregations meeting in storefronts or school multipurpose rooms. There is nothing aesthetically pleasing to the eye and mind. But Christ is there, working in the people’s hearts. I think if a congregation has the resources to beautify their worship space, they should do so. Sometimes creating beauty is not a lot more expensive than pure functionality. But it is more important that churches be filled with those who truly worship in spirit and in truth. And it doesn’t even require a building to so so.
Part of the problem may be that the pastors are in charge of building the churches and they have horrible tastes.