Hundreds of churches face foreclosure, according to the Ministry Today and the New York Times.
The crisis has arisen from mortages on churches, which increased by 50% from 2002-2005. And borrowing peaked in 2006 as more and more churches began new constructions. Facing insurmountable debt, many churches may now be forced to close their doors.
Church lender N. Michael Tangen told wsj.com that “there have been too many churches with a ‘build it and they will come’ attitude. They had glory in their eyes that wasn’t backed up with adequate business plans and cash flow.”
What do you think? Is new construction necessary to gain new church members? Is it the fault of the lenders? Do you attend a house of worship facing foreclosure?
Copyright 2009, Religion Transcends.
Hello. Great job. I did not expect this on a Wednesday. This is a great story. Thanks!