A local businessman and YouTuber known for offering controversial wealth-creation advice says he is so frustrated by empty church buildings in England that he has offered to buy one and rent it free of charge to a Christian community willing to use it for worship, evangelism and serving the homeless.
Samuel Leeds, a property investor from Wolverhampton in England’s West Midlands, announced in a social media update: “I’m buying a church.” He confirmed he had submitted a cash offer of £225,000 ($302,105) to purchase Darlaston Methodist Church in Wednesbury, a market town near his hometown of Wolverhampton.
The building is at risk of closure and could be sold to developers for conversion into apartments. Leeds said he hopes to purchase the church and offer it free of charge, with no rent, to a Christian community willing to use the space for worship and outreach.
Leeds describes himself as a self-made millionaire on his LinkedIn profile. He runs a property training company and made headlines in 2018 when he and his brother Russell purchased the historic Ribbesford House.
“I’m fed up with driving past all these churches in the U.K. that used to thrive, support the community, and feed the homeless,” Leeds said.
“Now, just look at these beautiful church buildings. So many are boarded up and closed down, with developers queueing up to profit from converting them into flats.
“I simply can’t accept that a building built to glorify Jesus for generations can be turned into something solely for profit.”
Leeds said his plan is to “buy it and offer it completely free of charge, with zero rent, to a church willing to worship Jesus here and serve others.”
In a separate Facebook video, Leeds alleged that 16 developers had expressed interest in the site before his cash offer.
“I am so angry and tired and sad at seeing churches closed down when we need them in the communities to be alive,” he said in the video. “I believe revival is coming and we need churches to be open.”
The church building on Slater Street is one of the remaining Methodist properties in the local Darlaston Green circuit. The property is currently listed for sale as a “redevelopment opportunity,” with plans suggesting the 5,421-square-foot building could be converted into apartments. Leeds’ purchase offer is intended to stop that conversion and reopen the building for Christian worship.
According to a listing by Creative Retail, the site includes a detached former church building with a main hall, kitchen, meeting rooms, a school room and a large secure car park.
“The property offers versatile open-plan accommodation that can be reconfigured for many alternative uses,” the listing states. “The premises also offer a clear redevelopment opportunity subject to planning.”
Data from the Office for National Statistics from the 2021 United Kingdom census show that 50.1% of residents in Wednesbury identify as Christian, compared with 46.2% across England and Wales.
