The Mix Coworking and the Future of Church Space
For generations, churches were among the most active community spaces in their neighborhoods.
People gathered for worship.
Children attended programs.
Community groups met regularly.
Relationships developed naturally.
The building was not just a place for Sunday services. It was a center of neighborhood life — a place where people crossed paths, formed bonds, and found support through the ordinary rhythms of the week.
A Different Era
Today many congregations find themselves stewarding buildings designed for a different era.
The programs that once filled every room have changed. The neighborhood has changed. The ways people form community have changed.
At the same time, new needs have emerged.
Remote workers seek connection.
Entrepreneurs need affordable space.
Artists need places to create.
Freelancers seek community.
Small businesses look for opportunities to grow.
These are not abstract trends. They are the people who live within walking distance of most church buildings in America.
What Made The Mix Different
The Mix Coworking emerged at the intersection of these realities.
What made the project compelling was not simply the workspace itself. It was the recognition that church property could serve the community in new ways without abandoning its mission.
The Mix became a place where entrepreneurs, artists, creatives, freelancers, and neighbors shared space and relationships.
Work happened.
Collaboration happened.
Community happened.
Perhaps most importantly, new people crossed the threshold of a church building who might never have attended a traditional church program.
This is one of the most promising aspects of church-based coworking.
It creates opportunities for connection that do not depend on worship attendance, membership, or participation in traditional programs.
People come because they need workspace.
They stay because they find community.
The Threshold Question
There is something significant about the threshold.
For many people, a church building carries associations — positive and negative, personal and cultural — that make it feel like a place not meant for them.
A coworking space changes that equation. It offers a neutral, practical reason to walk through the door. And once inside, people often discover something they did not expect: a community that is genuinely glad they are there.
This is not a strategy for church growth in the traditional sense. It is something more fundamental — a practice of hospitality that begins with the building and extends into the relationships that form within it.
Many Models, One Principle
The future of church property will likely involve many different models.
Some churches may explore coworking.
Others may develop community hubs.
Some may focus on wellness initiatives, nonprofit partnerships, entrepreneurship, recovery communities, or creative spaces.
The specific model matters less than the underlying principle.
Church buildings are not simply assets to maintain.
They are resources that can help communities flourish.
The question is not whether your building can be used more fully. Almost certainly it can. The question is what kind of community you want to cultivate — and who you want to welcome through the door.
The Question Worth Asking
The Mix offered one example of what becomes possible when a congregation begins asking:
How might our building serve our neighbors throughout the week?
It is a simple question. But it opens a different kind of conversation — one that moves from maintenance to mission, from preservation to possibility.
That conversation is available to any congregation willing to ask it.
The building is already there.
The neighbors are already there.
The question is whether the church is ready to bring them together.
Ken Crawford is a consultant, coach, and practitioner who has spent more than a decade working at the intersection of church property, coworking, and community development. He works with congregations and denominations across North America through Synchronous Life.
