Real estate boom opens possibilities

Many land-rich but cash-strapped churches across the nation are finding opportunities for mission and revival in the current real estate bonanza. It makes stewardship sense for some churches to sell some or part or all of their property and use the money for mission. Articles in this week’s Gleanings showcase some churches that did just that.

 

For instance, Episcopalians in San Diego sold part of the property surrounding St. Paul’s Cathedral. The sale of high-value land, located at the edge of scenic Balboa Park, is expected to generate the church an incredible $22 million that can be used for mission in other parts of the diocese.

 

"I think it's a matter of good stewardship, tapping unused capital for our mission and the ministry," Bishop James Mathes said in a San Diego Tribune article.

 

In Woonsocket, R.I., a consolidation of several Roman Catholic parishes in that small city left Our Lady of Victories Church vacant. Now the Diocese of Providence is selling the property to a developer who plans 12 luxury condominiums.

 

"I don’t have a lot of mixed feelings," Father Robert Perron told The Woonsocket Call. "God gives us stewardship of buildings like that and one of the jobs is to use them. It hasn’t been used for a long time, and the idea is to use it the best we can. It can’t just stay there forever without anyone doing anything to it."

 

Thousands of churches across the nation face the double bind of dwindling membership and rising maintenance costs for enormous buildings that are aging and crumbling by the day. In many areas the real estate boom has caused values to skyrocket, and churches are finding that fat checks offer a solution: providing money to merge or restart a congregation -- or to help another struggling church

 

Of course, there’s a painful side to church sales. Parishioners grieve their cherished spaces and home of happy memories. For others, such sales signal a retreat and/or failure of Christianity from neighborhood.

 

But for many churches that have creativity and a zeal for mission, selling their high-value property may give them the money they need for a new plan to preach the gospel to a new neighbors and a new generation. And hat’s the best stewardship move of all.

 

 --Rob Blezard, editor and webmaster

 

 

New This Week:

 

Money and the spiritual life
"Pastor, we need to help our people understand that God says there is a direct relationship between how I use my money and the quality of my spiritual life! The way we manage God's money can prevent him from doing more in our lives. " Click here for "Money and the spiritual life." Inspirational essay published by "the Purpose Driven Pastor" Rick Warren and posted on his organization's website Pastors.Com.

 

 

 

Stewardship: Sharing the Abundance
 Here's a wonderful congregational resource for novice stewardship leaders and veterans alike. Broad in its approach and deep in its detail, Sharing the Abundance is useful and practical. Click here for Sharing the Abundance. From the Resource Center of the Eastern North Dakota Synod.

 

 

 Generous to the end of our days

"There is a generosity of spirit that I think that we have lost in our culture.  We have endless debates about end-of-life issues. It seldom seems gracious, though."  Click here for the Rev. Dana Reardon's weekly stewardship column.

 

 

 

 

 Climate change: Breaking the cycle of denial
"The evidence is clear. We have sent carbon dioxide soaring to levels that the planet hasn’t seen for 20 million years, by burning coal, oil and gas to generate power for homes, cars and industries, and by destroying forests and soils which absorb carbon emissions. We created the crisis; we can do something about it." Click here for "Breaking the cycle." Great resource, written by a Church of the Brethren minister and posted on the website of the Ecumenical Eco-Justice Network.

 

 

 Give money through tithing, not gambling

"What good might be done if the money they set aside for the slot machines or video poker was instead dedicated to good works and helping others?" Click here to read more this essay from Shirley Ragsdale, faith and values columnist for The Des Moines Register.