challenge

Currently, many church buildings are seeing a decline in the number of churchgoers and the associated income. More and more church buildings are seeking additional purposes, are being repurposed, or are standing empty. Out of the 7,110 church buildings in the Netherlands, about 1,800 (25%) have already been repurposed, and it is predicted that by 2030, another 1,700 churches will lose their religious function (Annaert & Verwoerd, 2021). To ensure that these unique buildings filled with stories remain meaningful in the future, we teamed up with Komovo and Kathedraaldenkers.

 future frame

Together with a variety of stakeholders we developed a future frame for churches. It describes six future societal challenges that church buildings can address and take on, through repurposing or finding additional functions, to remain meaningful for society in the future. By looking at the future of church buildings through these challenges, we aim to inspire church boards, church communities, church owners, municipalities, and other interested parties to jointly explore new ways to be of value to people and local communities.  The future frame is based on in-depth interviews with more than 20 experts from diverse backgrounds, including mental well-being, urban planning, religious heritage, spirituality, diversity, community living, and religion. 

search for stories

At the heart of the frame there are stories. Communities and societies are built on collective stories. Stories tell us who we are, connect us with others, provide us with a past and a future, and shape our daily lives, emotions, and identities. Church buildings are places full of stories. They carry ancient stories that have guided people for a long time. However, by 2040, the grand collective stories, such as culture and religion, offer people less and less comfort and guidance in a complex world. People are increasingly looking for a new story - a narrative that provides direction, a story that connects. How a church building could remain meaningful in its local context, is essentially a quest for the narrative that can provide support to people and communities in the future. This pursuit leads to several challenges, including: How can church buildings help people to feel involved and to empathise? How can church buildings help people break out of their social bubbles? And how can church buildings help people to discover their role in society and to contribute.

 transformation tools

The search for a repurposed or additional function is an emotional journey. One that requires time, and must be undertaken collectively. With the church board, with local communities, with entrepreneurs, with the municipality, with the church owner. As part of this future frame for churches, various tools have therefore been created to put the vision into practise. For instance, the tool ‘samenspraak’ is a set of cards that guides local communities in the conversation about the future of their church building.