Recently I attended a convening of amazing people who all care about religious buildings – what they mean for the people who worship in them, what they mean for the people and organizations that share them, and what they mean in the physical communities they often anchor. Partners for Sacred Places, headquartered in Philadelphia, was…
Ask someone why a congregation would share its facilities with an outside group or organization, and you may get the answer, “It’s all about the money.” Congregations need operating funds, and rental income is an obvious source of income, correct? National data challenge that assumption. Sociologist Nancy Ammerman’s study of more than 500 Christian and…
The landscape of religious and spiritual practice continues to change dramatically in the United States. Not nearly all spiritual gatherings take place in traditional congregations, nor is spiritual care provided only by clergy. The fastest-growing portion of the American religious population is those without religious affiliations, often called the “nones.” As the Pew Research Center…
Nobody really knows how many there are or how much all that real estate is worth, but the buildings owned by religious congregations are a formidable physical presence in virtually every American community. Elsewhere in the world, they are no less present – from grand cathedrals and temples to humble shrines and improvised shelters. People…
As COP 28 opened in Dubai, the international community was called to focus on combatting climate change. Doing so is critical for the sake of those alive today, and also for those born tomorrow. Given that reality, it is important to ask what the role of religious communities might be. Considering future generations in current…