Private Sanctuaries?

Alert reader Nate C. gave me a link to an article in today's Chicago Tribune.  It focuses on the conversion of churches to condo/living space here in the city of Chicago.  If you read this blog regularly, you know that I call this Dechurchification.   

A couple of quotes stood out to me in the article:

1. I love the idea of turning a church into a residence. The developer is keeping all the windows, the front facade, and it still looks like a church. He's definitely keeping the charm of the church.
2. From near-in city neighborhoods to outlying suburbs, shifting population patterns and evolving congregations are resulting in older churches becoming available for other uses.
3. The Chicago Archdiocese converted Our Lady of Good Counsel into a drug prevention center earlier this decade, then turned it into offices for the archdiocese.  In August 2006 the archdiocese put the building up for sale, leading about 30 developers to make offers, Kapudija said. His was accepted.

In response to quote #1, I hate the idea of turning churches to residences (big surprise).  This city has plenty of space for condos and not nearly enough space for medium-sized churches (200-500 people) to meet. 

And beside that, churches should not be charming.  Ever.  Charm is for a summer cottage or a kindly gentleman, but not as a description of buildings used for the gathering of the followers of Jesus Christ.

Now regarding quote #2--I think the author has stripped all the tension from dechurchification and made it sound something like the removal of the last remaining hitching posts from modern towns.   "Well, we don't certainly don't need these anymore." 

The problem is not as the author states:  the "shifting population patterns and evolving congregations"--make no mistake about it.  The problem is instead the converse: "shifting population patterns" and the failure of congregations to evolve.  Churches close when they fail to stay on mission.  When they fail to shift their modes of connection with the surrounding community.  When, instead of  reaching today's residents, they're still trying to connect with long-departed residents of 30, 50 or 100 years ago. 

And then a comment on quote #3.   Two things  frustrate me about what is shared here:  #1--the Archdiocese just put the property on the market.  It does not seem that there was an attempt to contact other churches to take possession of the property.  And this is a common trend.  When churches close, local or denominational groups often just list the property for sale and hope to make a good chunk of money on the sale to use for other ministry ventures elsewhere.   While this may help the group receiving the money, it strips our city of spiritual opportunity space.

And the other side of my frustration with this quote is "30 developers made offers".  30 developers?  Not one church or Christian non-profit made a run at this building?  Shame on us and other churches that are sleeping while property slips through our hands.  Apparently, the only folks motivated to grab hold of closing church buildings are those who can stand to make financial profit.  Meanwhile the kingdom of God is asleep with too small faith and too small vision. 

As I see it, the Church in Chicago has two choices--wake up now and start taking action on vanishing worship gathering space or wake up later with a bad hangover and a lot of regret.