In a growing trend in New South Wales, churches are closing as congregations decline.

Many of these buildings have purpose-built pipe organs inside; some are sold, some are scrapped, but most remain idle; is shelved for future use.

Wollongong’s Wesley Uniting Church, built in 1882, has a pipe organ inside that is older than the neo-Gothic building.

Now both the building and the assets inside are at risk.

The building, owned by the Uniting Church Property Trust, is, like many others, closing its doors because parishioners can no longer afford to maintain the building.

“There are many individuals with family ties that span generations who take advantage of wedding, funeral and baptism opportunities,” said former mayor and former pastor Gordon Bradbery.

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Mr. Bradbery, who completed his ministry at Wesley in 2011, remembers the organ fondly.

“We had different organists who could make different sounds,” he said.

“It was an instrument that could interpret everything from Bach to contemporary works and played so beautifully that the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

“The organ is part of the church complex, so it will remain there along with the existing building.

“It could have a future separate from the building itself…it depends on what the future plans are for the building.”

Innovation at work

Wollongong local Titus Grenyer played the Wesley Church organ and is hopeful for the heritage-listed instrument’s future.

“I think something similar could happen with Wesley.”

Greyner, 25, City of Sydney town organist and principal organist at the University of Sydney, is one of the few young people playing the organ and thinks people need to innovate.

“Culturally there is a decline in the organ, many churches are closing and many organs are no longer used, but this is actually a window of opportunity for the players and the audience,” he said.

“Many organs and churches are now in private hands and organist works are no longer associated with the church but are used for private concerts.

“If you go to somewhere like St Mary’s Cathedral in the city you will hear magnificent organ music and it will leave a mark on you for life.”

Grenyer suggests it’s about keeping an open mind.

Composing his own music, Grenyer plays contemporary sounds, focusing on music people know, such as movie soundtracks and video game music, and he is not alone.

British TikTok musician Anna Lapwood, who plays pipe organs with popular bands around the world, is in high demand.

“It shows that you don’t have to be a virtuoso, but instead just play music that people know and surprise them,” Greyner said.

“For me, it’s about drawing people in. A greater appreciation of the instrument and the music written for it may come later; when they get there, my audiences, especially at Sydney Town Hall, are amazed by the sounds.

“It has five guides and is 20 meters long, the longest pipe in the world. There is only one other this size in the world and we are very lucky to have it in Sydney.”

Arts and sciences ‘at the highest level’

The two largest instruments in Australia are at the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Town Hall, which offers a free annual recital series.

Statistics on NSW pipe organs from 1964 to 2024 show the maximum number to be 650; of these, 435, or 66 percent, are currently in use and maintained.

Kelvin Hastie OAM, board member of the Australian Organ History Foundation, says pipe organs are large, complex and expensive to build, maintain and repair.

“They are all custom built and most of them are of the highest level of artistry and engineering, an art that is highly specialized in architecture, engineering, physics and acoustics, aerodynamics, woodworking, metalworking, leatherworking and – most importantly – sounding organ pipes to produce music.” It showcases science.” Dr. Hastie said.

“The problem of unnecessary organs is not unique to Australia; it is a big problem in the United States, as it is in the United Kingdom.”