Judson Memorial Church - Bricks & Mortals

Bricks and Mortals is driven by three goals: 1) To gather, educate, and build capacity for faith-based institutions facing the challenge of staying open and mission-consistent in the context of aging buildings, declining membership, and rising real estate costs; 2) Raise public awareness of the resources houses of worship provide to the city regardless of faith, including social services, cultural programming, after-school programs, and community meeting space; 3) Assess the variety of creative strategies that religious institutions might develop to sustain themselves and continue to provide their essential services to New York City.

For more information, please see the following articles:

“Houses of worship grappling with Harlem’s development boom,” Crain’s New York (March 18, 2019)

“America’s Epidemic of Empty Churches,” The Atlantic (November 25, 2018)

“The Church with the $6 Billion Portfolio,” New York Times (February 8, 2019)