Are you picking up on the growing awareness that underutilized religious properties can be repurposed for social impact?
I imagine today many people who are concerned about the well-being of their community passing houses of worship, noticing empty parking lots, and thinking, “This place could help our neighbors.”
People can see what’s possible: affordable housing, community-based healthcare, affordable childcare, space for community gatherings, and space for new ventures for the common good.
If you are among the growing number of people wondering about the reuse of religious properties, you might have a special task in the days ahead: To knock on the door of the religious institution. To say to those who answer, “Your neighbors need this place.” To encourage those believers who doubt, fear change, want to hold on to the building as it is, even if it’s empty. To say to them: “You will find your deepest longing and your greatest joy in letting go and creating something new with us.”