ChurchSpace: Turning Sanctuaries Into Neighborhood Hubs

Most church buildings sit quiet for most of the week, and two pastors' kids decided that was a problem worth solving.

Emmanuel Brown and Day Edwards grew up watching churches carry huge responsibilities for their communities while parts of their property went unused. In 2019 they started ChurchSpace in Houston to change that. Brown has said the average church building sits empty about 69% of the week. The Washington Post called the idea the "Airbnb for churches."

The first version let congregations list fellowship halls and commercial kitchens for rentals and events. Some Texas churches on the platform have earned up to $100,000 a year, and they've put that money back into ministries and food programs.

In 2025, ChurchSpace raised $1.2 million in equity, led by Black Ops Ventures, with Dug Song of Minor Capital and Michigan Rise joining. It also moved its headquarters from Houston to Detroit and partnered with the City of Detroit to activate church campuses. At the time, Mayor Mike Duggan welcomed the investment and the jobs that come with it.

The model has grown up since then. Today ChurchSpace turns underused church property into local sites for delivery companies: sorting parcels, pre-sorted dispatch, and pickup and drop-off points. The church keeps ownership and approves the dedicated space. ChurchSpace handles setup, staffing, and daily operations, so church staff aren't running a warehouse.

What makes a church a fit?

• 1,500 to 10,000 square feet of dedicated space, with 3,000+ ideal
• At least 10 parking spaces and easy ground-level entry
• Receiving doors, ramps, or loading access (helpful, not required)

A typical active site can move more than 1,000 small parcels a day. In Detroit, the company projects hundreds of direct and indirect jobs across logistics support, delivery management, events, and technical services.

That last part is what hooked me. These are paid roles close to the neighborhoods they serve, and I'd love to see them filled by Black candidates from the surrounding blocks. That's the kind of local pipeline we care about at IndeedBlack.

Pastors, trustees, and logistics teams can start a conversation at churchspace.community. Emmanuel Brown serves as co-founder and CEO, and Day Edwards as co-founder and president.