How about converting them in shelters or apartments for the homeless? Then they would serve a useful purpose.

I'm completely with the homeless shelter idea previously stated, but if that wasn't viable for some crazy reason, I'd want them to be dance halls and music venues, I like the idea of loads of 4 piece bands playing rock and roll, with people doing the twist and jiving all day long, I'd never get bored of that.

performing arts centers, museums and homeless shelters. Great acoustics, historical significance and lots of warm dry floor space.

Homeless shelters!

Interesting. The very first thing I thought of was for homeless shelters, before I read any comments.

I'd turn most into shelters and community centers for poor and less fortunate people. When there are more churches than homeless shelters, it's a truly sad state of affairs. Something that benefits everyone, don't care what it is.

We wouldn't. Realtors would. What we need to figure out is how we will repurpose the voice of the church. Or better stated.. uncorrupt it.

I've always wanted to live in a small old church. I love the architecture. And I would remake the sign to say "HOUSE OF IRONY. A private residence.

The really architecturally beautiful ones could be used as restaurants or converted into affordable housing. The ones in strip malls could be used as bars, or brothels, or something else that's more useful.

I was reared Catholic and there are several Catholic churches around this rural area. Attendance is way down. One church is no longer used. Another two have scaled back services significantly. The church continues to hoard the property, tax free. I think it's a long, long time before we see these buildings and plots sold off.

There were a few large churches up for sale in Chicago a few years ago. I thought they would make fantastic homeless shelters. Especially in Winter.

There are never enough shelters for women with kids.

id love one as a house

Sell it and pay the utilities of the poor people in that town.

Don't reuse them there tainted burn them down. Actually that is the correct way to destroy something spiritual or holy/sacred. And if not I would turn them into business or meeting halls, dance halls, or they can be used as auditoriums, homeless shelter, private atheist schools, science labs ooooooooohhhhhh a Dojo you can fit a pretty nice mat in most churches. just some ideas i could go on for ever. But I would want to burn one down.

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This church in Dayton, Ohio was converted to a climbing center.

Concert venues! Especially the older churches.

Convert it to housing and useful things like community centers.

A woman in a small nearby village bought a church that was no longer in use. She has musicians come play for donations. They also sell their CDs. If we arrive early, we can wander through the cemetery in back that was included with the church. Another two churches here in town have converted to apartments. Unfortunately, I can't see anybody paying for an old church, even one in bankruptcy, and not living in it or making money on it somehow.

They could be easily used as insane asylums for those still hanging on to the disease while religion is dying out. Then, we could turn a few into hate museums where they cover the atrocious activities of the past and with religion being dead, people would likely be a little more rational and we could figure out a way to make sure there are no longer any homeless people.

Same as now. Put them to all kinds of uses. The disgustingly opulent ones could be theaters for everything from science conferences to sports.

My old church shares itself with AA, CHOW, they run a soup kitchen, certain theatre groups use it, yoga classes. The church also owns houses on its property that it rents out really low. I’d like to see them used like that, with no religion.

Have to make a lot more bars would have lots of aimless people with nothing to do.

Shelters for women and children... Youth activity centers...

Youth centers, art galleries and theateres