Megachurches Fill Big Box Retail Spaces as Congregations Grow

The Eagles Nest Church of Roswell, Georgia is opening its new ~80,000 square foot church building this weekend after completing the first phase of its $28 MM Project SOAR 3.0 to convert a former Kohl's store into a place of worship.

The repurposed building will not only host church services but also weddings, graduations, conferences, and concerts, making it a community gathering spot and destination for various uses.

This is not the first time a Big Box retail property has been converted into a church; in fact, over 1,800 'megachurches', defined as churches with 2,000 or more members, exist in the US, and they often need larger facilities to accommodate their growing membership.

The number of church buildings repurposed from Big Box retail stores is estimated to be in the hundreds, with notable examples including a former Home Depot store turned Word Tabernacle Church in Rocky Mount, NC, and a Toys R Us building converted into Centerbranch Church's new home in Bridgeport, West Virginia.