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.
We need communal spaces. Please stop arguing with me as if I am advocating for church, because I’m really not.
I’m arguing we need community. It takes a village to raise children, government or not, and that means communal organizations. Parents shouldn’t be forced to raise children all on their own. Church used to fill that role! Now that church is dying we need something to replace it. Please stop trying to convince me that church is bad, it’s irrelevant to my point.