Central Courtyard at St. Stephen's, Troy
                                                    

The churches I have served have been"islands," functioning in a way similar to how Holy Island (aka Lindesfarne) did in the 7th Century C.E., i.e. havens of peace, but also staging areas for mission.Islands and churches both have boundaries provided by water.

In the end, the boundaries break down, and we see (in the words of Eucharistic Prayer C) "this fragile earth, our island home", not in terms of its boundaries, but its center.