Diocese of Mainz starts feasibility study for climbing church!

Diocese of Mainz starts feasibility study for climbing church!

in Hessen a lot is happening when it comes to the conversion of churches. Based on existing projects in Mönchengladbach, Pirna and Bad Orb, the foundation of a “climbing church” is being examined in the diocese of Mainz. A specially set up project group has the task of shed light on the feasibility of this extraordinary project. We are looking for a church with a lot of space volume, a high ceiling and a spacious outdoor area to make this idea reality.
The climbing church should not only cover commercial aspects, but also offer opportunities for content and pastoral opportunities. The vision behind it: to create a place of encounter between humans and the church. Future offers could be used, for example, for communion children, firmlings as well as for preparation for marriage and team building. This is what the diocese of Mainz announced in a current report on Diocese of Mainz.

look outside the box

This initiative is part of a larger trend in Germany. With the falling number of members of the large churches, many municipalities question the use of their real estate. An analysis shows that the number of people who belong to one of the two major denominations from three quads two decades ago fell to less than half. This not only affects the number of believers, but also on the use and maintenance of church buildings. This is how many community representatives, as Pastor Mario Lukes, think about austerity programs. "The maintenance costs are enormous," he says, describing the sale of worshipers as a logical step. At the moment, numerous churches in Germany are for sale - from listed buildings to empty places of worship, which are simply no longer used. In Eschwege, three Catholic churches with prices between 50,000 and 220,000 euros are offered, such as Tagesschau.

The feasibility study for the climbing church takes into account technical, business and social space -oriented aspects and is carried out by November 15, 2025. After the application, the proposed churches, structural engineers and business economists take place by January 15, 2026. The final result of this test will be present at the end of March 2026 and the control group will be presented for decision -making.

A look at the past

The discussion about the conversion of churches is by no means new. It has been considered for 30 years how sacred rooms can be transformed. Historically, there were always conversions due to secularization processes. An example from history is the imperial deputation in the 19th century, which transferred many church buildings into other uses. Even today, the multifunctionality of buildings is very popular. Churches have already been converted into art galleries, venues or dormitories. As the Federal Center for Political Education, the preservation and transformation of churches to society represents a task overall.

The climbing church could only be the beginning of a new wave of conversion of churches. With new, creative usage concepts, it could be possible to position church spaces as resonance rooms for a pluralistic society. And so the climbing church may not be a purely commercial adventure, but also an attempt to revitalize the dialogue between church and society.

For interested communities who want to take part in the feasibility study, regional advisor Bernd Lülsdorf is available as contact person (email: bernd.luelsdorf@bistum-mainz.de, phone: 0176/12539188).