God has left the building – New life for deconsecrated churches | DW Documentary
The final service is over, and the doors close behind the faithful. More and more Catholic and Protestant churches are being abandoned in Germany.
Church buildings are being closed, demolished, or converted for secular use. It’s a reflection of developments within the churches, one that predates the abuse scandals. There is a shortage of young priests. More people are leaving the church, and those who remain members on paper are attending services less frequently. Consequently, real estate agents are adding former churches to their listings, calling them “special properties.” Who will the lucky buyers be? Some of the buildings are converted into apartments, others into cultural venues. Other proposed uses include studios, pubs, and even bicycle shops. But these walls are steeped in history and community. What becomes of the church when God moves out?
00:00 Intro
00:59 Real estate agent advertises church for sale
01:17 A Spanish architect has a plan
02:07 175,000 Euro – a bargain or a problem?
03:09 Final mass in St. Anna
04:33 Church statistics: rapidly declining membership
05:09 Repurposing ideas: library, concert hall
05:26 Students of architecture plan the future
08:32 From house of God to a bicycle shop
10:07 Essen: apartments and doctor’s office in old church
11:50 Back to the property-showing
#documentary #dwdocumentary #dwdocs #germany #church
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Video “God has left the building – New life for deconsecrated churches | DW Documentary” was uploaded on 12/27/2025 by DW Documentary Youtube channel.




































Why has the church stopped evangelism?
More Christians are coming to Germany.
Beatrix Von Storch would see to it.
The church will be full again.
Praised be Odin!!!
There's never anything wrong with the building, it's the heart that's wrong!
People are so steeped in tradition and self righteous religion, that there's no place for our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ!
Moving to another building won't change a single thing!
It's the circumcision of the HEART.
It's the heart's desire to seek a relationship with our creator……..and THAT my friends is the truth…….and it CAN be experienced, otherwise, we make God a liar!
what a cursed nation!
"Now it is the house of the Lord"😂
God doesn’t go anywhere , you left him ,
I think God may have left America
Ever see the ancient mosques or synagogues or pagan temples that became partly or fully integrated within catholic churches or public secular buildings by the incoming cultural or religious group, such as in Spain, or Sicily, or elsewhere? Some of the transformed and newly purposed buildings look great and are inspirational, I think, when a partial demolition and new complementary modern addition occurs. Including the same or other religious or spiritual group now leasing and using a reduced size yet functional portion.
I would live in a church.
Y la mezquita atascada 🙃
Mark 9:50 (New Catholic Bible)
"Salt is good, but if salt loses its saltiness, how can you revive its flavor? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
Funny how Churches throw the word ‘God’ anywhere at anytime they feel while capitalizing worldwide and making followers give 💰as charity
the churches are only for profit now days nothing to do with christianity i left the church this year
❤️🦋Lord Jesus I trust in you. I suffer from Lupus and Heart disease. I’m a single mother with two children both of my sons have special needs, it’s overwhelming at times. Because I struggle providing the daily necessities for my sons. But even though I’m struggling I will continue to trust in you LORD Jesus.❤️
How is deconsecration not desecration? Do people want a nightclub that "resembles" an old church, where they "used to" attend mass?
God does not dwell in buildings made by human hands, but in anyone who believes.
Europe (even the "enlightened" secular Europe we have today) would be nothing if not for Christianity, no matter what one believes or doesn't. And I don't mean just a "historical" heritage, but a deep spiritual-philosophical one. Secularism tries to cut itself out from the tree that nourished it for centuries. What's left isn't pretty. Bad for Christ and the Church? Worse still for those who rejoice in it.
In the US, modern evangelical churches seem to be HUGE MONEY MAKERS. I just visited one for Christmas Eve service. Four services in one day, stadium like seating, autonomous cameras and top tier media equipment, fake snow falling from ceiling and worship band with bright lights and fog machine.
The parking lot to the Catholic Church across the street seemed pretty full as well.
How the main stream media like DW promotes such news and exults on them!
In România our churches are full!
Oh Lord have mercy upon us all.
I love a stone church redo.
God has not left the building, it is the people who have left.
“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)
I’m in my mid 30’s and in my country, I’ve known the church primarily for one thing: the sexual abuse of young boys and the large scale cover up + non prosecutions.
While I’m certainly in favour to most of the Christian values, I think the morality of the Roman Catholic Church is often opposite to them.
Also: I don’t like the Holy Sea choosing an American Pope just to please the Donald.
The video ends at minute and second 12:25. Christmas day is on 12/25. Its purely coincidental, but I do find it poetic that a video about the demise of Christianity ends on a time stamp that is exactly the same pattern as the date when we commemorate the beginning of Christianity.
How long is the Church in the service of the youth and children to help them understand Life… That which is no longer😢
Most of the old churches are actually decently built by the skilled people. Property worth the money.
To Europeans:
Please don't discard Christianity or any other Abrahamic faiths. Christianity was the catalyst of the Enlightenment and your civilisation.
Don't let some perverted priests to make you hate the entire Christianity.
Without religion, your societies will return completely to the Dark Ages. This already happened in the past. That's why God kept on sending prophets to guide humanity to the right path.
Unfortunately, the decline of your civilisation already began.
This concern is coming from a Muslim woman in Malaysia who has lived in the West.
It's important to provide community, look after the poor and help with loneliness, even in a society that does not believe in supernatural beings. A lot the church did was useful, and it was real even if God was not.
Unfortunate title… God has left the building.
We know who will buy it
This is exactly the reason why Islam will prevail ☝🏽
There was never any God in that building.
Humanity is waking up – clarity of mind
Do we just make it up as we go?
Save Europe from taqiya.
When I was a child ,I really tried to excommunicate myself from the church. I only succeeded once my parents guilt trip stopped working on me.
Indeed the world is ripe for the antichrist
"God has left the building" 🤭💀 based video title
Very sad
As European church's shutter their doors and transition toward more secular or commercial ends, what accompanies that transformation is the decline of Europe as a whole. Christianity has acted like a bulwark for European culture, and now that it has been abandoned, so will so much of European life be dismantled in favor of maladaptive ideas.