# Churches...Going out of business?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/churches-going-out-of-business/77012>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 19, 2001, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/churches-going-out-of-business/77012 "2001-08-19T15:35:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![urban1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d07c76/32.png) [@urban1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urban1)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2001, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/churches-going-out-of-business/77012/1 "2001-08-19T15:35:42Z")

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When a church shuts down, or moves to a new location, is there any special ceremony required to ‘decomission’ the building?

How about when a new religion takes over the building? Is any special ceremony required there to ‘resanctify’ the building?

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**Author:** ![Arken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@Arken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arken)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2001, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/churches-going-out-of-business/77012/2 "2001-08-19T15:43:46Z")

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I’m sure any such ceremony would depend on the religion and the denomination of said religion.

I _do_ know that, at least in most American cities, if a church is no longer going to be used as a church, it will have to be re-zoned by the city or county zoning commission to suit its new purpose. A friend of mine lives in a big old Episcopalian limestone church that was converted into a series of apartments.

They kept the huge stained glass rose window in the front, so all the front apartments have a piece of stained glass window in them. Pretty neat.

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**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2001, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/churches-going-out-of-business/77012/3 "2001-08-19T16:36:45Z")

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I know the Catholic church has such a procedure – “deconsecrate” or like term.

There was a big stink made in the 80’s when that famous sin-pit dance club, Limelight, opened in a refurbished NYC Catholic church. Everyone thought is was disgraceful and sacrilegous. But the church said, hey we deconsecrated (or whatever) the place, so it’s just another building at this point.