A looming ‘tsunami’ of church closings is poised to remake America | CNN
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Experts project an estimated 100,000 churches in the US will close or be repurposed over the next decade. This dire forecast is outlined in a new PBS documentary series, “Christianity at a Crossroads.”

Experts project an estimated 100,000 churches in the US will close or be repurposed over the next decade.

Many churches will be unable to escape this “tsunami” of closings — a grim trajectory one pastor described as, “Every year the pews are getting emptier and the collection plates getting lighter.”

  • FirstCircle@lemmy.mlEnglish
    31·
    12 days ago

    “dire” forecast? I couldn’t think of anything more optimistic than church closings.

    In my rural hometown a Christian church, whose small building was the model of old-timey church architecture, closed and sold the property to some kind of glass artist who lives there and uses it for a studio. Huge improvement and a boon for the arts.

    Near me in the PNW a small off-brand Christian church shut down about 5 years ago and the building, which is modern and ugly, was converted to a homeless shelter for people with chronic diseases. It’s hard to think of a more socially-positive conversion and it always warms my heart to walk by there and say hi to any residents who happen to be about. You can tell how grateful they are to have a roof overhead. This whole region is peppered with tiny Xian churches and the sooner they’re bankrupt and converted into something pro-social, the better.