Multifunctional churches

"The multifunctional nature of churches is nothing new from a historical point of view," Joachim Güntner points out in a commentary on empty churches and new concepts for making use of them. He notes that in such projects the following episcopal principles are observed: a church should be dedicated to a different use rather than pulled down, it should be put to cultural rather than commercial use, and if it has to be sold, then to the State rather than to a private businessman. "When it comes to the conversion of a church to a different use, the approach of the Catholic Church in Germany doesn't differ much from that of the Evangelical Church. For both, it would be taboo to hand it over to Muslims... Yet the higher-ranking members of both churches are aware that to prevent a church being pulled down, it must be argued that it can be put to good use. Many churches have only withstood the passage of time because although they are now used for a purpose other than their original one, at least they're still being used in some way."

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