Economy May Help Churches?

A colleague, Mark Willie, shared a thought about one the effects of the current economy that could be helpful for young churches. He observed that the closing of many automobile dealerships may provide an opportunity for churches looking for new facilities! He suggested a few reasons why closed automobile dealership locations may be good for churches to consider:

• They are currently well priced for lease or purchase
• Lots of parking
• Large building for services
• Offices above the open space for church staff
• Well located near freeways
• Typically on a busy street with good visibility for evangelism

Those are all great reasons! A few observations I would add:

• Most dealerships are in areas that are zoned in such a way to make it easy for churches to qualify for use without running into lots of neighborhood opposition
• Be cautious about the zoning requirements that may require significant building upgrades to qualify for assembly usage
• Be sure to check for soil contamination that could be costly to resolve

Maybe, as Mark said, this is a gift from God that can help many newer churches!