By A. Robert Jaeger
Creative thinking and new approaches to funding and policy can maximize the civic value of religious properties
This initiative has much to say to the congregations who own and share historic buildings, as well as a wider array of civic leaders who see churches closing and are worried about the waste of resources when buildings - and much of what they host - are lost when congregations disappear.
Already we know that sacred places are not, for most of the week, religious places. For most of the people they serve, they are nonsectarian places and have a clear community value that welcomes and supports everyone. However, many of their spaces are underused - they could do so much more to welcome the community and extend the civic plaza. So what new actions, in light of the Sacred Places/Civic Spaces initiative, can Philadelphians take to maximize the value of these buildings?
If you are a community leader…
Get to know some of the more prominent sacred places near where you live or work, and see if there are opportunities to collaborate on the creative use of space that may sit empty for much of the week. If you approach a local pastor, priest, rabbi or imam, you will probably be delighted by the warm welcome you receive and his or her openness to working together in common cause.
If you are a funder or donor…
Consider a greater openness to supporting the preservation and re-purposing of sacred spaces. After all, these buildings are already civic spaces and could do so much more if their underused spaces were reimagined and reconfigured in the ways this initiative suggests.
If you are in government…
Recognizing that sacred places serve people in need such as children and youth, seniors, the hungry and the homeless, consider facilitating and supporting new initiatives that make creative and energetic use of religious buildings. Sacred places are often the most affordable and most trusted places for the vulnerable populations you serve.
If you are in the arts or human services…
Be proactive in reaching out to local leaders to learn if a church, synagogue or mosque in an area you serve may have terrific space that could house the programs that your organization manages.
And if you are active in a congregation…
Reach out to your neighbors, be open to collaboration and be inspired by the design approaches that are offered in the Sacred Places/Civic Spaces initiative. You are not alone, and there is a network of nonprofit and civic leaders out there who can help you rethink and open up your space for civic purposes.
Leaders from each of these sectors can press for new policies and new approaches that would help sacred places become more significant civic assets. Rachel Hildebrandt, Senior Program Manager at Partners for Sacred Places, states that “policymakers should be developing strategies that provide support to vital congregations that are likely to remain in place into the future and implement historic preservation incentives that encourage the reuse of significant properties that are going to be transitioned out of religious use.”