Legacy and Decline
Holding on vs letting it go
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Could these congregational tombs we call buildings, if we surrendered them to black and brown communities to whom, by right, they’re owed? Could they become places of resurrection? What would happen if we sold these assets and gave the money, as once Jesus counselled a rich young man, to the very people we have impoverished?4
This question is posed in the context of reparation work in the inner city of Philadelphia. It can also be asked in the context of the relationship between the church in Canada and Indigenous communities. What would it look like to willingly surrender church properties for the benefit of communities impacted by legacies of harm and dispossession?
In 2019, the CBC reported that 9,000 churches were estimated to close in Canada by 20291. At the time no one could have anticipated the impact of Covid19 on these closures. While I have not seen updated numbers I am certain that the overall numbers and the speed of closures have likely been accelerated.
Which raises a number of questions, including, what will be done with these properties? What could be done with these properties? And what should be done with these properties?
Churches in Decline
“What about our legacy?” Churches in a state of decline are often obsessed with legacy. Sacrifices have been made to bring these churches into existence and to build upon the foundations that were laid. If a church is facing the closure of its doors, this question of legacy often keeps the doors open long after significant ministry has ceased in the building. When this happens the decisions that finally get made about the buildings are made under fire-sale-like conditions rather than a deliberate discernment.
In my own city, most churches that have been shuttered in the last decade have been sold on the market and converted into single-dwelling homes.
If you are interested in seeing what this might look like with a trampoline in the sanctuary, feel free to watch this video about an over-the-top conversion.
Church converted to family home
I would venture to say that this home does not fit the legacy mandate most congregations are thinking of when they are faced with the challenge of not being able to sustain their building’s upkeep.
The church is perhaps one of the only institutions in Western society that has an excess of land, but also a mandate to seek the well-being of the community.2
There is need for a theological vision that extends beyond the overly simplistic concept of “being good stewards” of resources (which usually means maximizing profits and reducing expenditures). Without such a vision decision-making often capitulates to the dictates and priorities of the market. Anglican priest Jason McKinney argues for a recovery of a theology of land to fuel a more theologically drenched imagination.
There is loss and grief in the numbers around church decline. There is also opportunity.
We are focussed at Repair Cafe in the idea of repairing the relationship between the church and Indigenous communities. If empty church properties are abundant, is this not an excellent time to ask how this situation could aid the repair process? What possibilities stand before us? The Scriptures say, “unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone.” Is there an invitation for the church here?
Anglicans in certain diocese and the United Church have made public commitments around utilizing the money made in church property sales to support the Indigenous church within their denominations. This is a significant step in addressing inequities within those denominations. One of the concerns in situations like this is that most of the churches closing are located in major metropolitan centers. Internal leadership of Indigenous Church ministries have expressed that some of the greatest needs for land and financial support are for communities in more remote areas. Bishop Isaiah Beardy has decried the fact that many Anglicans believe that there has been a significant infusion of cash into the Anglican church in the north because of the publicity about the 10% tithe committed in the diocese of New Westminister to Indigenous Ministries. The reality is that this tithe stays in the diocese, according to Beardy. In the meantime, the churches in the north are concerned with food security and how their communities will survive, not to mention how they will compensate their clergy.
Different frameworks of ownership govern every church structure. A building and property may be owned by a particular congregation or the diocese or denomination. In the case of dissolution, there are often provisions in the bylaws of churches that designate who receives the assets of that land. To use these church lands for the purposes of repair, we need to know the details of the properties concerned. Then, churches need to have conversations about what Indigenous communities want and need. In one case, a church building’s ownership was turned over to the reserve on whose land the church rested.
A few examples are underway in Ontario, where dying congregations have entered into joint redevelopment projects with local First Nations. Whole properties have been redeveloped to include a smaller multi-purpose style worship space while housing has been created for off-reserve Indigenous populations.
This week I will be participating in a conference where we will be asking how theological imaginations can be re-shaped for a more robust thriving of all. Stay tuned for more thoughts and stories.
1 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/churches-closing-1.5150876
2Rev. Jason McKinney in the Anglican Journal article “Fewer Members, Abundant Wealth” January 3, 2024. https://anglicanjournal.com/fewer-members-abundant-wealth/
3 Anglican Journal article January 3, 2024
4 Jarrett-Schell, P. (2023). Reparations. Church Publishing, Inc. p. XXI
I love this idea, especially for denominations that were involved in direct appropriation of land and abuse/proselytization of Indigenous individuals. A concern, however, is that many of the newer denominations consider themselves as standing apart from direct involvement in colonization violence, where in truth, most have benefitted from the use of land on unceded territory.
While, as you said, many churches have complicated ownership (including mortgages), at the very least, a significant tithe can be set aside and donated to support Indigenous initiatives in their area. Something that supports both the Indigenous peoples in their area, and also the goal of community-building that has been so much a part of churches over the last century. THAT is a legacy that can be celebrated in this way.