A 2008 survey by LifeWay Research found that “unchurched adults”—those who hadn’t attended a church, mosque, or synagogue in the past six months other than for holidays or events—are more turned off to utilitarian buildings. More Americans prefer a medieval cathedral to a contemporary church building…the look of a Gothic cathedral was more likely to connect visitors with the past.

The story of St. Vincent de Paul, a Roman Catholic church in Louisville, Kentucky, is like many others in our age of changing religious and economic dynamics. Cornerstone laid in 1878. Slowly abandoned as the neighborhood deteriorated into one of the most dangerous in the United States. Finally sold. But here the story takes an unexpected turn, because the building has recently enjoyed a $4 million makeover from a young, vibrant, and growing congregation.

Sojourn Community Church began meeting in an arts center in Louisville’s Germantown neighborhood before it purchased St. Vincent de Paul a few years back from the local archdiocese. The upgrades signal a multifaceted effort by Sojourn to trust God for spiritual and economic renewal in this inner city neighborhood. In fact, Sojourn is one of several prominent churches across the country undertaking multimillion-dollar renovation projects to breathe new life into historic churches or other structures, instead of building a contemporary big-box.

“I think it’s a wonderful thing to kind of reclaim, restore, and renew a place,” said Daniel Montgomery, Sojourn’s lead and founding pastor. “I think it’s a picture of the gospel as well that Christ is making all things new, but at the same time I think people love contemporary. Are people attracted to old? Yes. Are people attracted to the contemporary? Yes. We want to make it really clear that we are not the first to step into the scene. We are just one of many in this larger story.”

Montgomery said Protestants often have a low view of church buildings. That has changed over the past decade, as many churches grow to appreciate the role of art and beauty. For better or for worse, a space can shape a person or a person can shape the space, he said.

“I think a lot of it is platonic dualism between sacred and secular,” he said. “We make false dichotomies where the scriptures don’t actually have these dichotomies.”

When Sojourn began looking for a new facility a few years back, it wanted to remain rooted in the same inner city neighborhood. But finding a building was difficult until the local archdiocese put St. Vincent de Paul up for sale for $500,000. The church celebrated its first post-renovation service in late August. Within months of purchasing the building, Sojourn received a $2 million gift toward the project.

“It really was a confluence of factors,” Montgomery said of the decision to purchase the aged building. “It was timing in our history, proximity in our current location. It was definitely the beauty of space. I remember being in seminary 13 or 14 years ago and they said: write down your ideal worship experience. I remember writing down walking into a cathedral where there is solid expositional preaching. It’s very surreal to me, looking at dreams that were on my heart years ago that came together.”

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