There are magnificent churches and religious edifices all over Europe. They generally reflect a spiritual innovation death spiral beyond repair.

Da Vinci’s The Last Supper is painted on the walls of what was alternately a dining hall, Napoleon’s storage facility, and a horse stable. The mural painting is housed in the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. It is stunning to see the original—for a 15-minute slot—of one of the most well-known paintings in the world.

Michaelangelo’s 14-foot statue of David (as in David and Goliath) at the Accademia Gallery in Florence, Italy, is revered as one of the best-known statues in the world. It is exceedingly large and stood no chance of being hoisted on top of a church, as was the original intention. Tourists flock to it in awe.

Michaelangelo’s painting in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, Italy, is stunning. The ceiling is full of images that defy the ability of onlookers to crane their necks long enough to take it all in. Between 1508 and 1512, Michelangelo painted the chapel's ceiling, a project that changed the course of Western art and is regarded as a major artistic accomplishment.

In Barcelona, Spain, stands the Sagrada Familia, a testament to the vision and conviction of Antoni Gaudi. The church has a 9,000-person seating capacity and is laden with religious imagery in a unique style. The church draws a massive number of tourists each year, which helps to fund its construction. The church has been under construction since 1882 and may be finished within the next 10 years.

In Marseilles, France, cruise ship visitors disembark right in front of a massive Roman Catholic church called Marseille Cathedral which is also designated as a national monument of France. One of the key sites is Notre Dame de la Garde, on one of the highest points in the city near the Old Port.

In Naples, Italy, there are over 500 different churches within the city, ranging in baroque, gothic, or neoclassical styles. Travel the small alleyways and discover small local churches with a vast amount of history. The dominant church is the Naples Cathedral, built in 1200.

On the Greek Island of Santorini, a town of 20,000, there are about 1,200 churches, often found side by side. They generally have the whitewashed walls and the blue domes or roofs. The vast majority of the churches in Santorini are private. Inside these private churches, families have weddings, baptize their children, and celebrate any family achievement.

What is the point of all these religious buildings? Just as Greece may be the cradle of Western civilization, Europe may be the cradle of the Christian church. But it is clearly in the past and not the future. The seeds of demise were inadvertently planned by Emperor Constantine in 380 AD when Christianity was legalized in the Empire. This was the start of the death spiral of innovation. There have been resets such as the Reformation, but the decline has been inevitable.

As is well documented elsewhere, once a religion becomes “official” it is driven largely by power interests and is increasingly disconnected from the people it serves. Religion becomes something people “are” and not something they “do.” It’s like being a citizen of a country—most people are born into it. You may not think about it too much until you need a passport or other government service.

Likewise, with religion, most Europeans are born into it. If you are Italian, you are Catholic. If you are Greek, you are likely Orthodox. It doesn’t mean much for most people, but it’s relevant when there is a wedding or a funeral. As Tom Wright quips, religion in Europe is largely reduced to a private hobby.

The places of worship are largely viewed as museum pieces. In fact, in many parts of Europe, as there is no functioning congregation in the magnificent buildings (or at best a lonely priest talking to himself), they are indeed museums. If they don’t have much interesting artwork, they are handy condo redevelopment projects.

What is to be observed and learned by faith-based entrepreneurial leaders? The innovation life cycle of organizations consists of four components: start-up, high growth, plateau, and decline. The state of religion in Europe generally reflects the tail end. The decline has been ongoing for some time, but there is enough historical momentum that the death march may go on for a while.

When Constantine made religion official, it was detached from the notion of the early church as a countercultural, start-up entity, focused on biblical texts. Instead, it became institutionalized, bureaucratic, powerful and wealthy, subject to power dynamics, and focused on preservation—all the things that do not breed innovation.

So the great artwork and churches of Europe are predominantly museums, harkening back to more religious times. Europe lost any leadership position in global faith long ago. Christianity is growing worldwide more than ever, and Europe is declining in its Christianity (but is still spiritual as there is great interest in fortune telling, seances, Tarot cards, and miscellaneous hocus pocus).

By contrast, Christianity is flourishing in Asia, Latin America, Africa, and even the Middle East. Of course, the US is dominant worldwide. Faith has flourished in the US because it is not a state religion (although it sometimes appears to be) and needs to be entrepreneurial to survive. Churches are focused on meeting the needs of the population and maintaining relevancy. In 2023, there were over 2.6 billion Christians worldwide, and this number is expected to grow to 3.3 billion by 2050.

So, in terms of faith, worldwide Christianity is in a growth phase. The West, especially Europe, has been on its last legs of decline due to a lack of innovation for some time. Europe is the past and not the future. It's the Old World versus the New World. Innovation and growth have long since moved on.