Day Edwards and Emmanuel Brown, both children of pastors, saw firsthand how churches can struggle to make ends meet, especially amid declining attendance. The pair started ChurchSpace to help churches gain a new income stream by offering their underutilized space, including kitchens and fellowship halls, for other community uses.
ChurchSpace has secured $1.2 million in equity funding led by Black Ops Ventures, with participation from Dug Song of Minor Capital and Michigan Rise. The company, says Brown, is building “toward a future where the Church isn’t just surviving—but leading community transformation.”
Motor City
The Houston-born startup has moved its headquarters to Detroit and partnered with the city to activate church properties as flexible-use spaces, such as pop-ups, event venues, micro-logistics hubs, and last-mile delivery centers supporting local businesses and addressing food insecurity.
In Texas, some churches on the platform have earned up to $100,000 annually, reinvesting the income into ministries, food programs and other initiatives. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said ChurchSpace’s arrival in the city will ensure that churches “will continue to be anchors of opportunity and resilience in our city’s future.”
This article was drafted in part with the assistance of ImpactAlpha’s AI-powered Dealbot, using reporting from WJBF as the primary source, as well as additional reporting from ImpactAlpha.
