Visiting sites previously used for idol worship asks about visiting a historical site previously used for idolatry, and talks about ruins and the possibility of extant religious symbols. My question is about a building that was previously a church (but otherwise nothing special) and that was decommissioned in an orderly fashion and sold.
What issues, if any, arise from using such a building? Does it matter what the new purpose is? For example, an ex-church has been converted into a concert hall -- can Jews enter? Or a synagogue is looking for a building -- can they use an ex-church? Does it matter what architectural features remain (bell tower, cross on the roof, etc)?
Are ex-churches wholly off-limits, or does it depend? If the latter, on what does it depend?
(Locally there is an ex-church that is now a (non-kosher) brewery and restaurant, and it got me wondering if Jews could do that if they wanted to.)
