Experts project an estimated 100,000 churches in the US will close or be repurposed over the next decade.

Many churches will be unable to escape this “tsunami” of closings — a grim trajectory one pastor described as, “Every year the pews are getting emptier and the collection plates getting lighter.”

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[–] 14 points 1 month ago (4 children)

I hope some become community centers. People need a third space to meet with others.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago (3 children)

    What exactly is a community center? I've heard the term a lot, but never really asked. Is it like a dance hall? A rec center? Here in the Midwest it's basically the bar.

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  • [–] 7 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    The closest comparison we have today would be the library. But imagine if the focus was more on events, hangouts, recitals, speakers, group spaces, cultural exchanges, etc.

    Right now libraries are basically filling in the gaps by functioning as libraries and community centers, but some dedicated community centers in addition would increase flexibility for how the spaces can be used.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    Ok, thanks. That's kinda what I had in my head. We have one under a different name. It's sometimes used for things like birthday parties, and small concerts. Our city takes care of a lot of community engagement but there's so many people that you don't actually get any community feeling.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 month ago

    Yeah my town does events that might seem cool on the surface until you look inside and realize it's all the chamber of commerce behind everything and literally all of it is to promote local businesses.

    Which isn't a bad thing in itself except that A) it's literally every community event in town year-round, and B) the chamber of commerce around here is basically a boy's club for republican business owners who are chummy with the county council.

    Anyone who doesn't play their game gets roadblock after roadblock, while their "boys" get basically free license to do whatever. Literally change laws at the snap of a finger and rewrite codes to fast-track changes to the sidewalk and other public infrastructure, just to benefit their businesses. And no community input can stop them.

    But if you're not "one of them," then good luck re-zoning an unused lot to build an ice cream shop, or whatever you want to do. Cause they'll give you so many hurdles and draw the process out so long that you either go broke or give up before they even give you permission to put in a driveway on property that you own.

    So yeah, I get what you mean about "community engagement but no community feeling."

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