Church closings in Germany only just beginning. Churches being offered for sale on eBay.
In the coming decades, parishes in Germany could abandon tens of thousands of properties. Many of them are listed buildings. What can become of unused places of worship?
While 20 years ago, three-quarters of citizens belonged to one of the two major denominations, today that number is less than half. Both the Catholic and Protestant churches are therefore considering austerity programs. The buildings are the primary focus of these considerations. It is no longer uncommon for churches to be offered for sale on classified ads. However, the Catholic parish in Eschwege, northern Hesse, now wants to sell three of its places of worship on the portal. The prices range between €50,000 and €220,000. The reason for this is the declining number of believers in the parish, says pastor Mario Lukes. The churches now up for sale have hardly been used in recent years. "That's why we said that if the churches are no longer needed and we can no longer do anything pastorally, then it's better to sell them," Lukes said.
Why Churches are offered for sale on eBay
The church in Abterode: €220,000. The wooden church in Richeldorf: €50,000. While anyone who purchases a church isn't allowed to turn it into a casino or a brothel, almost anything else is permitted. ardmediathek
When churches cost more than they donate faith: For years, the decline in membership in Catholic and Protestant parishes has continued. In 2023 alone, the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) reported 380,000 resignations and almost as many deaths in its congregations. The German Bishops' Conference of the Catholic Church registered almost 403,000 resignations and 226,000 burials. Baptisms and re-entries do not offset the loss.
Pastor Lukes described the planned sale of the churches as a "logical step": "We would have had to spend a lot of money to maintain the churches structurally. But we no longer have any believers who would use these churches." However, the sale of the places of worship is emotionally difficult. "The believers in our parish associate very special experiences with the three church buildings – such as baptisms and weddings," the clergyman said. In addition, many people who helped build the churches still live in the region. Whether the sale of the three churches will actually take place is currently unclear. The reason: According to Lukes, the parish has not yet received a single serious purchase offer. There is still a lack of ideas for how the church buildings could be further used.
No brothel, no arcade, and no occult site. And there are a few conditions regarding further use that exclude certain uses: For example, a former church may not be turned into a brothel, an arcade, or an occult site, explains the pastor. There is also a requirement that if a church is demolished, its foundation stone must be integrated into the new building. At the Protestant St. John's Church in Bad Nauheim, Pastor Schröder is already one step further. Built in 1898, it is idyllically situated in the heart of a Bad Nauheim residential area. Services have not been held here for a long time. The Evangelical Church of Hesse and Nassau (EKHN) has long discussed its sensible continued use with the city, given that the church, with its large plot of land, is located in a prime location.
Church in a prime location at a bargain price. Now the EKHN has donated the church, built in 1899, to the Inclusion Association for the symbolic sum of one euro. The association wants to transform the building into a home for young people aged 18 and over with disabilities. They should be given the opportunity to lead independent and self-determined lives. Pastor Ulrich Schröder is pleased about what he sees as a sensible continued use. The construction work is expected to cost approximately 2.5 million euros. The Protestant Church would never have been able to raise these funds. Pastor Schröder is all the more pleased that "encounters will once again take place" in the church.
Bouldering instead of praying: Two sport climbers in Bad Orb are doing just that: They've transformed a former church into a climbing hall. And they've done it sustainably: They built a bar from church pews, and confessionals are being used as changing rooms. Business economist Marc Ihl and trained master carpenter Marco Köhler estimate the renovation costs at just under half a million euros. 100,000 of this is being provided as regional funding. The client, Marc Ihl, is a Catholic and used to organize camps for children and young people in this parish. He was quickly able to win over the parish with his idea: The priest was one of the first to boulder here, Ihl says happily. The church, opened in 1964, was closed in 2016. The defective heating system, the dilapidated, now-demolished tower, and the declining number of Catholics had led to the church no longer being used. But Ihl and his partner have achieved something very special: A small chapel located to the side remains consecrated and continues to serve the congregation. It has its own entrance. The coexistence of a bouldering hall and chapel under one roof is unique, Ihl explained. "We have managed to ensure that services have been held again since our opening."