But, the phenomenon of churches opening up in malls seems far from over. As thousands of stores close across the country, retail centers are going to need to be repurposed — and churches with huge congregations could be the perfect fit.
Seefried Industrial Properties, a developer that has created distribution centers for Amazon, is considering buying and bulldozing the site, according to Cleveland.com.
Source: Cleveland.com
After shops shuttered in the early 2000, 24 Christian congregations rented empty storefronts, Cleveland.com reported.
Source: Cleveland.com
At the time, The Lexington Herald Leader estimated that the defunct mall was valued at $10.7 million.
The Lexington, Kentucky campus is located in the former Lexington Mall, which the church purchased in 2010.
The First Baptist Church purchased the 400,000-square-foot Lakeland Mall for $5.6 million in the late 1990s, and spent more than $2 million on renovations transforming it into the "Church at the Mall."
Source: Christianity Today
The church has two locations, offering traditional and progressive services, and streams all of its sermons online.
The church revamped a huge anchor store, turning it into a huge, open chapel, nicknamed "The Hanger" because it was big enough to fit an airplane.
Source: Mars Hill website
In 2000, the deserted Grand Village Mall in Grandville, Michigan was donated to Mars Hill congregation.
Source: The Atlantic
