KarunaNews Story

More than 75 American churches of various denominations close their doors every week, driven by shrinking memberships and oversized, aging buildings. “In recent years, churches have found a number of ways to expand the use of their buildings and land for community benefit,” says Mark Elsdon, editor of Gone for Good? Negotiating the Coming Wave of Church Property Transition. St. Bartholomew’s in New York City sold the air rights above the church for $78 million this year. In 2012, the Baptist Church at Clarendon in Arlington built a 10-story building that included condominiums, 60% for low-to-moderate-income residents. The sanctuary occupies the bottom floors. In Louisville, Kentucky, St. Peter’s United Church of Christ created a 30,000-square-foot building for health care facilities, day care, credit union, coffee shop, and the neighborhood's first sit-down restaurant in 50 years.