This article by DailyFinance (@daily_finance) says that, “from a city planning perspective, churches that occupy dead mall space are godsends.”
As malls across the country empty out, it's no wonder their remains are being scavenged. According to the International Council of Shopping Centers, a third of America's indoor malls are currently in “financial distress.” Retailers are leaving indoor and strip malls for popular outdoor “lifestyle centers,” those cutesy, mixed-use developments that resemble the Main Streets their predecessors helped destroy.
Meanwhile, it is no news that Protestant churches in the American suburbs are growing and franchising. The Hartford Institute for Religious Research defines a megachurch as a Protestant congregation with more than 2,000 members, and estimates that their numbers have grown from 350 to more than 1,200 since since 1993.
Most of the churches DailyFinance identified that reside in malls or former malls fit the Institute's description. According to its 2008 survey, which got responses from about a third of the nation’s megachurches, most practice a generic form of evangelism, view themselves as contemporary, and regularly adjust worship styles to meet demand. While individual church practices vary, many are “seeker friendly” in that they use technology, pop music, and relatable sermon topics to reach non-churchgoers.