You Thought Emergent Was Scary?

Jeremy links to an audio piece that has frightening implications for urban mainline congregations. When your denominations are dying out, the leadership has to find a way to raise cash. What better way to do it than sell off church buildings in urban neighborhoods for huge profits? I know our neighborhood has four Lutheran churches, all in the same Lutheran denomination. Any one of them could hold all the folks who attend all four of those churches. Why not sell off three of those buildings? Simple, the neighborhood isn't worth enough yet. Give it another 5-10 years and there will be fewer Lutheran churches in our neighborhood, based on this line of thinking. Calling it "job security" is a bit crass, but in reality, that's what it is. It goes back to that old human tendency to look out for self in spite of the consequences for others.