Still others create in their empty sanctuaries workstations that people can use at no or little cost. They remove the pews to make space for people to do yoga or sleep or work or all three. They resurrect unused or dusty — or even moldy — spaces.

Partners for Sacred Places in Philadelphia actively recruits artists who can use low-cost or free space (or even market-rate space) to perform, rehearse and more. It also produced the Arts Market Study, a state-of-the-art adaptive reuse, and the “halo report,” showing how much cultural and economic value will be gone if religious buildings disappear.