In Bowling Alone, political scientist Robert Putnam identified a long-term decline in membership of community institutions such as bowling clubs and service organisations, writes Rob Stokes, chair of Faith Housing Alliance in the Sydney Morning Herald. It wasn’t because people weren’t interested in gathering together, just that the established institutions didn’t seem relevant to them any more.
The same process is happening across many places of worship. The impact of COVID-19, rising secularism and demographic change mean many congregations established a century ago have dwindled to the point of closure. Just as shopping malls have superseded local shopping strips, so too have campus-style worship centres replaced many small, centrally located local churches.
As congregations in old churches have dwindled, their maintenance costs have spiralled. A big proportion of a modest and declining income is spent on deferred maintenance, while a valuable asset is locked in illiquid real estate. Faith-based organisations established to support their local community are instead left managing real estate.
People still gather to share their faith, but how they congregate radically differs from when many places of worship were designed and built. So, as people gather in new home churches, why not turn churches into new homes?
Faith-based organisations originally acquired land and buildings to meet a community need. Declining and changing church attendance has created an opportunity for churches to serve the community in new ways. While there is a surplus of religious buildings, there is a chronic deficit of housing – especially for the people least able to afford homes without community support.
But while converting vacant church land into affordable housing is a great idea – it is hard to achieve in practice.
FULL STORY
Old churches could be the answer to our prayers for new housing (Sydney Morning Herald)
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Top 10 churches for sale (RealEstate.com.au)
