Why so Many Churches? The Weirdest Places of “Worship” in the Bay Area

 The Bay Area has so many places that are titled “Church Of.” There’s the roller skating rink called Church of 8 Wheels, Church of John Coltrane, and even a new culty mushroom church in Lower Haight. Why so many churches?

For many, church might mean a physical building that offers Christian services, but for the purposes of today’s article, church means the officialdom of a religious body. 

Why Become a Church?

Did you know that churches don’t have to follow the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)? They also don’t have to pay expensive property taxes. Incorporating a church means that personal liability is far less risky, because the church can take the fall for anything bad that happens inside. Churches can register voters and even provide “educational” material through voter guides, as long as they don’t explicitly endorse a candidate.  Churches are even eligible for federal funds for disaster relief through FEMA. 

For members, registering with a church is advertised as a way for immigrants to establish evidence of continuous presence with authorities. Churches also often host community resources like Alcoholics Anonymous and other support groups, as well as food banks. Churches are considered an essential community-building tool.

Churches of the Bay Area

At the risk of sacrilege, let’s explore unusual churches of the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Jesus-Focused Ones

The Church of Saint John Coltrane loops jazz into worship, as does the Church of Jazz and Justice (AKA Plymouth). We’d be remiss to leave out the Big Ones. Cult classics, if you will. The Church of Latter Day Saints and Church of Scientology can also be found in San Francisco. And Glide Memorial is near and dear to San Francisco’s heart. 

Mushroom Churches

These culty, weird places use religious exemptions to provide hallucinogenic or ‘magic’ mushrooms and other drugs to their worshippers. The Church of Cosmic Consciousness, the Church of Ambrosia, and Rising Phoenix are some examples.  

Spiritual Power Churches

And adjacent to the psilocybin are the churches that offer unusual spiritual powers. The Church of Natural Grace teaches meditation and even how to be clairvoyant. You might find your own Out of Body Experience (OBE) or what color your aura is at the Golden Gate Spiritualist Church. 

Because the Name is Cool

Some churches aren’t registered as such, although they may make jokes about spiritualism. The beloved Church of 8 Wheels, which took over a failing congregation’s Sacred Heart building over a decade ago, asks their Holy Rollers “to spread ‘Rolligion’ everywhere we go!” The old coverage documenting its genesis has some zingers, including a quote about how both Catholicism and roller skating “deal with the fallen.” The Church of the Air-Cooled focuses on classic cars. 

There are so many churches in the Bay Area, and now you know why. A chance at community and some bonus perks from Uncle Sam!