How Church Sales Reflect the Shifting American Demographic

THE ATLANTIC
By Tanya Basu

In early June, I visited my hometown of Glendale Heights, about 25 miles west of Chicago. Making my way through the old avenues that had marked my childhood, I noticed something curious: The churches that had dominated the street corners of my suburban youth—from magnificent stone structures with ornate stained glass windows to homey, unmarked brick buildings—were either getting demolished or being sold to become Hindu temples. It’s not just in Chicago, and it’s not a unidirectional trend. Synagogues are becoming mosques, Baptists are changing hands with Korean congregations, pagodas are moving into office buildings. In Queens, “there is a former synagogue that is now a mosque," says Ellen Levitt. "At least two former synagogues are now Asian churches, and at least one former synagogue is now a Hindu temple.” [link]