North Lawndale churches: Are they causing more harm than good?

Tribune:

Along the busiest corridors of Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhood, a battle is quietly raging between the sacred and the sinful, God's storefront churches and the streets.

In this community, which is believed to have the city's highest concentration of storefront churches, scenes of drug addiction, prostitution and despair unfold, often right outside the church door. During weeknight Bible study sessions, drug dealers loiter and prostitutes pace. On Sunday mornings, noisy alcoholics sometimes burst into services, which has led some churches to lock their doors.

With the nation in the grips of a dire economic recession, storefront churches in neglected African-American neighborhoods like North Lawndale are increasingly being called on to strengthen their traditional role as lifelines for the community.

But some local business leaders question whether the area's nearly 200 churches, mainly storefronts, are causing more economic harm than spiritual good. Some debate whether having so many non-profit, tax-exempt entities on commercial properties is hurting the tax base and standing in the way of job creation.

There is also concern among leaders, including some pastors, that churches are not doing enough to help heal the poverty that sometimes drives people to crime.

Others, however, say churches in struggling neighborhoods should not be alone in shouldering the responsibility. They argue that churches can serve as vital sanctuaries in hard times and that more involvement by churches -- not less -- is needed.

I've pondered this. It seems the poorer the neighborhood, the more churches it seems to contain. I wonder if the proliferation of churches might hurt an area especially if these churches are located somewhere that could contain successful business ready, willing and able to hire people in addition to providing to in increased tax base (well gotta think of these things like it or not). Hopefully they might provide a catalyst for attracting other businesses to an area and hopefully diverse businesses. Another way to look at this issue is perhaps to say there are those who'd rather a church than another vacant building or vacant lot.

You know I was thinking about RL Dukes Oldsmobile. I'm barely old enough to remember that dealership, however, I remember the main dealership that now has Northern Trust Bank as it's home. Across the street from that place (is it 78th or 79th place) used to be a showroom for used cars. I only know that because my family used to buy cars from there. Anyway what's taking up space now is a church.

I'm not knocking churches  at all as for many of us they serve their roles or their niches as I'm sure a lot of these "storefront" churches serves. However we should ask a question. Should we have functioning businesses in places that were created for functioning businesses?