Fewer churches have steeples. What might a congregation do if they have a steeple but do not want it for the future?

I recently thought I had found an odd solution to this issue. On a recent drive through Michigan, we passed a business named “Steeple Storage.” I thought they must store steeples. I have never heard of such a thing but perhaps there is some demand for churches to hold on to steeples even if they are no longer on their buildings. Imagine a storage facility you can enter where there are steeples from different traditions and time periods. The steeples are protected for posterity. Perhaps they could be used again later or end up in museums or archives.

Weeks later, it hit me: this business likely does not store steeples. The name might refer to a surname or some other feature of the company’s history. How much demand could there be for storing steeples?

I can see how I got to my first conclusion. I co-authored a book about religious buildings and am always looking for them. In particular, the shift from older architectural styles in religious buildings – including the use of steeples – to newer styles is fascinating.

In this, I was doing a very human thing: trying to find patterns. But, I was likely wrong. I saw a pattern that does not exist. It is not the first time this has happened and it won’t be the last. And I will hold on to a dream of steeples stored somewhere so that visitors, researchers, and people from the future can see what steeples used to look like.