"Begun as a grass-roots movement in 2009, the Future for Religious Heritage took shape in 2011 as a network of groups from more than 30 countries, dedicated to finding ways to keep churches, synagogues and other religious buildings open, if not for services, then for other uses.
[2] FRH bring the voice of the sector to the European Institutions, while also working with its members to facilitate the development of cross border projects.
These projects aim to fully exploit the potential of religious heritage in its various aspects: Sacred buildings, their contents and their history represent the biggest single portfolio of Europe's historic patrimony.
Religious buildings bind communities together through the worship and non-worship activities that take place within them.
Religious buildings represent five out of ten of Europe's most visited sites and make a major contribution to tourism GDP.