An estimated 100,000 churches across America could close or be repurposed over a decade, according to an expert forecast examined in the four-part PBS documentary series Christianity at a Crossroads.
The series features Belding United Methodist Church in Michigan, where the Rev. Melissa Wagner announced in summer 2024 that dwindling membership would force the congregation to close. About 12 elderly members occupied a sanctuary built for 1,000 people. There was no choir, organist or gathering of young families.
