Building Boom for Religious Centers

April 16, 2000

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On April 16, 2000, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that in the metro Atlanta area, 335 projects worth more than $200 million in the last 14 months have been dedicated for various religious centers. Churches, mosques, synagogues, and a Jain temple are all part of the building boom. For many of the new or renovated facilities, the result will be state-of-the-art amenities, such as elaborate recreational, health, and entertainment facilities, modern classrooms, and the latest in worship furnishings and technologies. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, this kind of growth is signaled nationwide. Between 1994 and 1998, new religious construction increased by 64 percent and by 1999, there was an estimated $7.1 billion in construction under way, up from $6.7 billion in 1998. The Leadership Network, a Dallas-based consultant organization for churches, attributes the increase to three factors: "the growth and expansion of existing churches, especially in the South, Midwest and West Coast; a renewed interest in establishing new churches; and an increasing religious pluralism, which means a variety of religious groups want their own worship space."