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08.04.22 | Sage Advice

How Sacred Spaces Can Directly Affect Community Wellbeing

As part of our 9 Ways of Vibrant Living, we support and encourage participation in spiritual and religious experiences for followers of all faiths at Sage Collective. Not only does spiritual engagement help with purpose and act as a hub for the community, but the spaces in which those engagements take place can also leave great impacts on our wellbeing. Take a closer look at just how sacred spaces can leave a direct impact on you: 

Research has always supported the fact that spiritual engagement or religious activities lead to better health – some claiming it leads to longer lives. However, more and more research is now pointing to the impact physical spaces that are home to religious activity have on the people that engage in them. 

Partners for Sacred Places, a Philadelphia non-profit, partnered with the University of Pennsylvania over the last decade to discover the economic and public impact places of worship have on their larger community in Philadelphia – labeling it the Halo-Effect. 

They found that through educational opportunities, catalytic impact, and direct spending, congregations in Philadelphia were extremely beneficial to their communities – contributing an average of more than $4,000,000 in economic value. Further, the study also found that nearly 80% of people who visit sacred spaces – and weren’t already members of the space – benefit from their offerings as well.  

Churches, temples, synagogues, mosques and other places of worship are the perfect spaces to come together, find peace and build community. The halo-effect proves the significance for individuals who spend time in sacred spaces and the benefit to the larger community. 

Read more about the halo-effect and other studies on the impact behind sacred spaces here

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