“Others make money with real estate, churches lose money with it”

The benches of the reformed town church in Aarau are full. But not with fair visitors, but with larger-than-life dolls. They are gray and faceless. An artist designed this to draw attention to declining membership in Swiss churches.

While fewer and fewer people are members of the Reformed or Catholic Church—let alone going to church regularly—the churches still have a huge estate park that is increasingly empty.

In addition to churches and chapels, they also have numerous unholy buildings: chaplains, office buildings, homes, even restaurants and schools. “No one knows exactly how much property the churches have,” Ansgar Gmur criticizes (69). The theologian was director of the Swiss Homeowners Association (HEV) for almost two decades and was the first to write a large-scale study of church-owned real estate in Switzerland. The work will be available to the public today, it’s already on Blick.

about these billions

More than 75,000 protected buildings belong to churches. No one knows how many more vulnerable people will be added. For Gmur, even this fact is proof that churches have “totally neglected” their real estate portfolios. “About billions!” He estimates that real estate owned by the Reformed and Catholic Churches is worth at least 2.5 billion francs – and that’s probably a pretty conservative estimate.

Although churches sit on a pot of gold, they hardly make any money from it. On the contrary, real estate is a financial burden for churches. “Others make money with real estate, churches lose money with it,” says Gmur. According to the study, the Reformed Church of the Canton of Zurich spends 49 million francs a year on its buildings. Income: zero. “Real estate is generally the third-largest expenditure item for churches,” Gmur calculates.

400 francs rent – ​​instead of 15,000!

Churches can urgently use additional income. After all, the ongoing decline in members for years means that their incomes are also shrinking. For his study, Gmur surveyed more than 100 German-speaking neighborhoods in Switzerland. Nearly half said they never looked at their real estate portfolios. Almost 90 percent say properties are managed internally. “Instead of a professional, a member of the church administration or church council deals with the property next door, that doesn’t go well,” says Gmur.

In many places churches are hesitant to profit from their property. For example, the monastery of Einsiedeln in the canton of Schwyz has for years rented a boat dock on Lake Zurich for 400 francs a year. Others charge up to 15,000 francs for it! If you need a boat place, you won’t usually starve. It’s okay to ask for more money for mooring.

It can also be predicted that churches would have to suffer accusations of gentrification and luxury renovations if they suddenly demanded a normal market rent, for example, for an empty rectory. This caused criticism when the congregation of the city of Zurich, the only parish with professional property management in Ansgar Gmur’s eyes, decided a few years ago to lease their properties at normal market prices. “Where is the social thought in that?” asked the critics. Ansgar Gmur is determined: “If you don’t have enough money for yourself, you have to work economically.”

Offices, libraries or apartments in old churches

Bad management of church property doesn’t just mean churches are losing money. While the lack of management also leads to vacancies, sometimes the same communities experience housing shortages. “People complain about not enough space in Switzerland – and then there are empty churches,” Gmur says, nodding. He proposes converting church buildings: “Offices or libraries can be built in them.”

Two years ago, the old Nairs church, which was sold on Scuol GR and converted into a residential building, was in the headlines. The conversion of churches into concert halls or shopping malls, or even mosques, is already common in Germany and the Netherlands. Such conversion would be a nuisance for the theologian and practicing pastor. “But you can make empty buildings available to churches for free,” says Gmur. The parish churches have so far vehemently opposed this.

However, many churches also lack the knowledge necessary for change of use. For example, in 2004, St. Gallen’s Reformed congregation, St. Leonhard Church to an architect from Winterthur. The sale brought only 40,000 francs to the parish. The new owner’s plans to transform the old church into a cultural center with gastronomy, classical and jazz concerts, theater, film and fashion shows have not been implemented to date. The old church is still empty – in a prime location.

Threatened with destruction

st. A key point in the transformation of the Leonhardskirche – and many other churches – is the preservation of historical monuments. In Basel, for example, offices would be set up in the gallery of a reformed church. The preservation of the monument halted the project.

When congregations begin to rent or sell their properties due to sheer financial difficulties, the next hurdle threatens: there is an oversupply. In the city of Zurich alone, churches have 400 buildings. No one needs so many new cultural venues, concert venues or youth clubs at once.

What to do with churches that are empty, that no one wants, and that cost money to maintain? “I think of it like Zwingli: when you don’t need the church anymore, you demolish it,” Gmur says calmly. Clear words from the mouth of a priest.

Especially since churches in many Swiss communities characterize the cityscape. These are landmarks, landmarks, and identification features. It is likely that many non-sectarians also resisted the destruction of the village church. “But then the population must also be willing to pay for it,” says Gmur. However, it is doubtful whether they will consent to this while still babies sit on the benches instead of believers.