Congregants of three Bethlehem churches wanted to merge and sell their properties. A dispute with the city has put that on hold. What went wrong?

To the congregations of three Lutheran churches in Bethlehem, a merger seemed like a natural choice. As is the case with churches across the country – less than half of U.S. adults are churchgoers, down 20 points compared to 1999 – their membership had declined over the years.

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