Apartments in the Sanctuary, Beer in the Nave: What Illinois Churches Became After Their Congregations Left

• Springfield’s downtown First United Methodist Church, empty for 10 years, became apartments and the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce headquarters.
• In Peoria, a 1909 Presbyterian church unused for nearly five years became Obed and Isaac’s, a restaurant and brewery.
• Jacksonville’s Brooklyn United Methodist Church, founded in 1866, closed in 2017 and became a youth ministry centre for another church.
• Springfield’s conversion kept the original stained glass, doors and chapel.

Across Illinois, closed churches are finding new lives as homes, offices and restaurants. Illinois Public Media, in its Illinois Issues series, looked at what happens to sacred buildings as congregations decline.

In Springfield, the downtown First United Methodist Church sat empty for 10 years before being repurposed as an apartment building and the headquarters of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. The conversion kept its original stained glass, doors, sanctuary features and chapel. Manager Chris Hembrough said of the church’s former members: “They wanted to see that it maintained some of the integrity of the facility.”

In Peoria, a Presbyterian church built in 1909 and unused for nearly five years became Obed and Isaac’s, a restaurant and brewery run by Conn’s Hospitality Group. Karen Conn suggested that without people willing to take on such a large building, it would likely have been demolished. In Jacksonville, Brooklyn United Methodist Church, founded in 1866, held its last service in 2017, when only 10 to 15 people attended on Sundays; it is now a youth ministry centre for another Jacksonville church. Jean Hembrough said: “Brooklyn’s nickname has always been ‘The Little Church with the Big Heart.'”

Bob Jaeger said: “The kind of family of people who care about these places can still grow.”

The Illinois examples show three routes for a closed church: sale to another ministry, conversion to homes and offices, or commercial reuse. Each keeps the building standing, and in Springfield former members wanted the building’s character kept. Jamaican denominations with closed churches should consider which route fits each building and location. A town-centre church may suit homes or offices; a church in a busy area may suit a commercial use; and a church in a village may be best passed on to another congregation. Keeping original features can add value as well as preserve heritage.