From Closure to Commons: Exploring the Development of Community Resilience through Collective Buyouts of Former Churches in Scotland

Communities across Scotland are experiencing both a dramatic increase in church closures by the Church of Scotland and a growing climate of community empowerment through property ownership as part of an ongoing legislative and social movement for land reform. These trends converge as some communities take ownership and repurpose former churches. Through two qualitative case studies of grassroots organisations, this article investigates how the activities and experiences of volunteers within these organisations contribute to fostering more resilient communities by developing their capacity to make meaningful changes in their built and social environments. By framing community buyouts of former churches as projects of commoning, this article explores their democratising potential to empower communities, allowing them to develop and control their trajectories while building shared futures.