The business of religion: are demographics driving church relocations?

My little corner of Southwest carmel is beginning to look like a mini-Jerusalem.

Within the area of 106th Street to the South, Michigan Road to the west 116th St to the north and Towne(Township Line) to the east, there are three religious congregations building a sanctuary. These are actually joining three churches that already exist in this rectangular area.

Perhaps the most fascinating thing to me is that Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, which is building a Byzantine-style facility with an amazing golden dome as well as Congregation Shaarey Tefilla, which just completed its synagogue off 116th and Towne are actually re-locating from central Indianapolis.

As someone who thought congregations are composed of the people who live within a certain diameter around its worship space, what is happening here? Are the congregations moving with the buildings, or are the buildings relocated to be closer to its people? Another way to put the question, what’s driving these transplantations? Size or demographics?

According to Holy Trinity’s website, it is a parish that has been on a journey for over 90 years. Founded by immigrants who had journeyed themselves to this country, the parish’s first temple was on west 16th Street. By 1961, the Holy Trinity parish had outgrown those facilities and moved to our present location at 40th and Pennsylvania Streets.

Church officials claim they have again outgrown their facilities, home of the well-known Greek Festival in September. Holy Trinity purchased twenty acres in 2001 at the NE corner of 106th and Shelborne and has spent the last two years building its Byzantine-style temple. It’s really cool on a sunny day since it features a unique dome that reminds me of the Golden Dome atop Notre Dame’s Main Building.

The reason I ask about demographics is that my church, St. Monica is undergoing its second dramatic population shift in less than 20 years. The parish welcomed the rapid influx of young families as Pike township families filed into new apartment and track home developments in the 1980s and 1990s. I’ve seen many, mostly “anglo” families moving to Carmel, Zionsville Avon and Fishers as we’ve seen a huge increase in Hispanic families.

Does your church look like it did 10 or 15 years ago? Do you think these congregations are moving for space reasons or because its leaders discovered so many of its flock were moving north as well?