At least 17 evangelical churches in Barcelona face the threat of closure because of the urban development plans of the local government.

Some have already been notified by the local authorities of the need to relocate in the face of imminent closure. Others were informed at a meeting recently held by the Consell Evangèlic de Catalunya (Evangelical Council of Catalonia, CEC), which has expressed its concern about a decision that “could leave thousands of believers without a place of worship”.

In the district of Sant Andreu, traditionally an industrial area, there are several evangelical churches that are mainly located in warehouses or premises that were adapted for worship.

Some of them were bought by the congregations, others are rented, but all of them are directly affected by the metropolitan reorganisation plans, which involve the extension of the train station and a reconfiguration of the whole area.

According to municipal sources consulted by Spanish news website Protestante Digital, eleven places of worship have been inspected since December 2024, which were informed of their irregular situation in October.

The local authorities explain that there are several places of worship “without an activity licence”, because “the activity of a place of worship is not permitted on industrial land according to the urban development regulations of the General Metropolitan Plan and, therefore, the City Council has no record of the safety conditions of their facilities”.

Willingness to dialogue

In a letter sent to the churches of the Evangelical Council of Catalonia, the evangelical body expressed its “commitment to defend the rights of the churches and to find solutions”.

Guillem Correa, executive secretary of the CEC, explained to Protestante Digital that at a first meeting with the mayor of Barcelona, he was able to express the concern that exists among evangelicals about the possibility of losing their places of worship.

The City Council has shown its willingness to cooperate through the Office of Religious Affairs, and the CEC has acknowledged and expressed its gratitude for the “willingness to dialogue” shown by the local authorities.

Correa confirmed that a meeting will be held soon, in which he expects the district manager to be present, in addition to the city council's religious affairs commissioner.

At this meeting, the evangelical council will ask for two things. “Firstly, a moratorium for as long as possible to allow time for adaptation, so that the churches can take corrective measures to bring themselves up to date legally or find a place to move”. Secondly, evangelical churches will ask for “economic aid so that the churches are hurt as little as possible”.

The CEC will also accompany churches and advise them “pastorally and legally”.

“We understand that the case affects freedom of worship, and what characterises the exercise of this right is that people can meet in the place of worship throughout the week. Without this, there is no religious freedom and no community life”, warns Correa.

Municipal sources consulted by Protestante Digital also confirmed that the meeting will be held “in the coming weeks”, and they “will report on the actions carried out and show their willingness to work together to find a satisfactory solution for both parties”.

“Churches are suffering”

Authorities in Barcelona have so far proposed to “most of the churches the closure of the current premises” and a relocation, but Correa hopes that a case-by-case assessment can be made to find the best solution.

“The churches are suffering, because they are all going to have to relocate, which means difficult situations. Many are fasting and praying, looking for the best possible solution”, points out the executive secretary of the CEC.

The evangelical body admits that “it is difficult, because since it is a metropolitan plan, we don't know if they have room for action, but they do have room for support, and that is what we are going to appeal to”.

“At the next meeting we will ask for extraordinary measures, because we are facing an extraordinary situation, we cannot leave 15 or 20 churches without a place of worship”, concludes Correa.

Meanwwhile, the Barcelona City Council confirmed that “the Office of Religious Affairs, of the municipal Intercultural department, will accompany and advise the communities that request it, to help them ensure that the potential premises for the new places of worship that may be of interest to them comply with the regulations for applying for the licence”.

Originally published by Evangelical Focus