This week saw the publication of English Heritage’s first national survey of England's places of worship. This documents the state of 14,500 church buildings from Gothic Anglican confections to nonconformist chapels and Quaker meeting houses. The survey found that fewer than half are in fair or good condition, while ten per cent are at risk of dereliction. While heritage campaigners understandably lament the demise of beautiful, historic buildings, an emerging form of religious life beyond buildings tells a rather different story. This is a tale of change and transformation - one which necessarily involves a degree of pain and loss - out of which church communities are forging a different relationship to the bricks and mortar which traditionally lies at the heart of Christianity in Britain. Examples are offered in the survey of new models of worship, many letting go of the idea that the physical place in which 'church' takes place is somehow uniquely sacrosanct, to be reserved for religious purposes only.

Pray: that God’s voice is heard where two or three come together. (Mt.18:20)

More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/jun/30/religion-church-buildings-change-decay