Gone for Good?

Is your church facing the difficult decision to sell property?

Consider using church buildings and land to further the gospel mission. Mark Elsdon, author of We Aren’t Broke: Uncovering Hidden Resources for Mission and Ministry, revisits questions of church resources with a team of pastors, scholars, developers, urban planners, and more. This collection of essays sheds light on how church communities can transform their properties to serve their neighborhoods.

Essays explore spiritual, sociological, and practical aspects of church property transition, including:

     • assessing the impacts of churches on their neighborhoods—and the gaps they will leave behind

     • developing church property into affordable housing

     • transforming ministry in rural churches

     • partnering with Indigenous peoples to return land

     • fostering cooperation between congregations, developers, and city planners

     • navigating zoning laws

     • working with foundations and funders

Thousands of church properties worth billions of dollars are being sold or repurposed each year. Nothing can stop the currents of change. But congregations and cities can take steps now to ensure a legacy directed toward communal good rather than private interests. Gone for Good? will be an invaluable guide in navigating these radical shifts in church life and ministry.

Contributors: Jennie Birkholz, David Bowers, Philip Burns, Mark D. Constantine, Joseph Daniels Jr., Patrick Duggan, Mark Elsdon, Ashley Goff, Jim Bear Jacobs, A. Robert Jaeger, Willie James Jennings, Tyler Krupp-Qureshi, Eileen Lindner, Elizabeth Lynn, Nadia Mian, Kurt Paulsen, Jill Shook, Coté Soerens, Rochelle A. Stackhouse, Keith Starkenburg, Andre Johnny White 

Table of Contents

Introduction: Gone for Good?, by Mark Elsdon

Part 1: Gone?

          1. Sometimes Just Gone: The Diminishing Religious Footprint, by Eileen Lindner

          2. Saving Sacred Places as Community Assets, by Rochelle A. Stackhouse

          3. The Community Impact of Congregations: Findings on the “Halo Effect” of Sacred Places, by A. Robert Jaeger

          4. The Case for Missional Remaining Missional, by Patrick Duggan

          5. Who Wants a Building Anyway? Place, Race, and the Church, by Coté Soerens

Part 2: For Good

          6. Righting Some Wrongs: Returning Stolen Land, by Jim Bear Jacobs

          7. Crossing the Land, Hearing the Spirit, by Keith Starkenburg

          8. Legacy Can Lead to Life, by Joseph Daniels Jr.

          9. When God’s Call is Bigger than a Building, by Ashley Goff

          10. Faith-Based Property Development: Lessons from Nehemiah, by David Bowers

          11. Rethinking Rural: The Value of Rural Churches and Fresh Hope, by Jennie Birkholz

Part 3: Together

          12. Proactive City Planning for Church Property Transitions, by Kurt Paulsen

          13. Changing the (Zoning) Code: Building Bonds between Church and State, by Nadia Mian

          14. The Real Estate Assistance Churches Need: Seek or Create an Advisory Team, by Philip Burns, Jill Shook, and Andre Johnny White

          15. Developers, Prophets, and Profits: Reimagining Sacred Space in Transition, by Tyler Krupp-Qureshi

          16. Hidden in Plain Sight: Obstacles and Opportunities for Philanthropic Partnerships with Congregations in Transition, by Mark D. Constantine and Elizabeth Lynn

Conclusion: Making More and Better Soup, by Mark Elsdon