Churches fight to stay open as attendance dwindles
abcnews.go.com
Churches faced with empty pews are fighting to keep their doors open, while former houses of worship are being converted into bars, clubs and luxury condos.

Summary

Churches across the U.S. are grappling with dwindling attendance and financial instability, forcing many to close or sell properties.

The Diocese of Buffalo has shut down 100 parishes since the 2000s and plans to close 70 more. Nationwide, church membership has dropped from 80% in the 1940s to 45% today.

Some churches repurpose their land to survive, like Atlanta’s First United Methodist Church, which is building affordable housing.

Others, like Calcium Church in New York, make cutbacks to stay open. Leaders warn of the long-term risks of declining community and support for churches.

  • @alzjim
    10•6 days ago

    My go-to example is the quilting ladies who spend 40 hours each on handmade quilts using expensive materials to give to the poor. It’s extremely kind and their work is exquisite, but with the money spent making those quilts for 20 people, we could buy blankets, a couple weeks of food, and new clothing for 50 full families.

    Yeah but those ladies feel better about themselves, which is what religion is about not helping people.

    • @chiliedogg
      6•6 days ago

      Those ladies justifiably feel good for sharing their time and resources to help others. Fuck anyone who thinks kindness isn’t laudable.

      The tragedy of it is that their kindness on its own isn’t enough because of greater societal issues that shouldn’t have to be addressed by private charities, including the church. The church shouldn’t have to be a food bank and disaster relief organization. It shouldn’t have to weigh the value of gifts based on how they’ll address the basic human needs of the community.

      But in so much of the country, the church makes up the entirety of local social services. In small towns, you have a police department to handle crime and the church to handle everything else.

      • A Phlaming Phoenix
        1•6 days ago

        And the other side of that token is that people shouldn’t have to rely on churches for survival. I’m sure you do good work, and I generally have no grief with (f/ex) the unitarians who also do good community work, but churches (and secular aid orgs, etc.) do not make society on their own and should not take the fall or bear responsibility for the failings of capitalism.

        • @chiliedogg
          6•5 days ago

          That’s the exact point I’m trying to make.

          Our government fails to take care of its citizens, so private institutions, including religious organizations, food banks, and more are relied upon to provide those services.

          So when that kind church lady spends $200 and 40 hours making a custom quilt for a poor person, it’s viewed as a waste of resources when so many more important needs for that person aren’t being addressed.

          Instead, the government should be providing those services, the kind old lady can just be kind with her gifts Instead of wasteful, and the churches can responsibly spend money inwardly to sustain themselves without doing a disservice to society.