Church Buildings Matter!

What is the economic and social impact of church building’s going away? Duke Kwon deals with that in an article for the Washington Post, “The Tragedy to communities when church buildings are demolished to make condos.” While we know too well the grief that church members feel when they “lose” their buildings, Kwon also acknowledges the larger community grief. I was intrigued by the statistic that urban congregations provide almost $500,000 worth of services to their community each year. Kwon provides a much needed call to the church to believe that buildings matter and to think broader about being good neighbors to our community. He also prods local government to identify ways to help churches use their buildings for a greater good and have more flexibility with zoning requirements in the use of their buildings. There could be a lot of creativity unleashed in churches and local businesses if we could look at the “loss of church buildings” as opportunities.