Hopeful Futures: A Resource for Congregations with Uncertain Futures
Concluding ministry was some of the hardest and holiest work I’ve ever done.” These words spoken by Rev. Diane Kenaston of the Good Friday Collaborative speak to the theme of a recent webinar she led with the WCC. Many congregations are struggling to pay bills andwondering if it’s faithful stewardship to spend so much on a building. Their people are tired, and it is increasingly difficult to find volunteers for key ministry positions. In Hopeful Futures, When Congregational Endings are New Beginnings, Rev. Kenaston walked us through how congregations with uncertain futures can move towards the next faithful steps.
So often closing a congregation is painted as a failure, but Rev. Kenaston reminded us that “When a church chooses holy closure, it is completing the mission, not failing in it.” She focused on our Christian theology of death and resurrection, saying, “In many of our churches and denominations we sound the alarm about churches in decline. We’re captivated by books with titles like, I Refuse to Lead a Dying Church or Autopsy of a Deceased Church, and Renovate or Die. In this mindset when witnessing the death of Christendom, of our denomination, or of many local churches, our response is blood, sweat, and tears. In the garden of Gethsemane, we are pleading “Let this cup pass from me.” But we never get to “Thy will be done.” We want resurrection to take one form and that involves skipping death out of the sheer force of our own will. This is not being open to the holy possibilities. the faithful futures that God could be calling us to.”
Churches facing uncertain futures can choose from multiple paths. They can revitalize and turn their church around. This is where most congregations and denominations put a lot of effort. They can reduce expenses by reducing staff and programming and getting to a bare-bones budget or increase income by renting out parts of their building (see a creative option from First UMC Wausau), starting micro-businesses, applying for grants, or by increasing giving. They can partner with other churches either through drastic steps like a merger or by just sharing a building, pastor, or other ministries with another faith community. Some churches relocate and sell their building and buy one with a smaller footprint. Some choose to restart or replant their church. The final possibility is closure.
All these options require discernment and hard decisions and Rev. Kenaston named that “to do nothing is still a decision.” As churches move forward, she shared a framework of five stages of closure that the Good Friday Collaborative uses when working with congregations.
Stage 1: Quiet Wondering – This is when people are questioning the Church’s future, but it is unspoken or only acknowledged in quiet conversations. Resources are dwindling and this is a stage that can last for months or even years. It is a space where courageous leaders need to start conversations around health and longevity. This is a stage where you can begin to discuss various options and the earlier you do this, the better. Rev. Mark Elsdon has named this as the “pre-planning stage” which sometimes takes 3-5 years for congregations who desire to do projects like turning their buildings into affordable housing. How you talk about closure at this stage will affect the congregation’s willingness to consider it later.
Stage 2: Naming and Normalizing – This is when leaders engage people who are starting to name the reality. You begin to share resources about what other churches are doing and tell stories of churches that have made the faithful decision to close. You name possible futures out loud. Rev. Kenaston compared this process to making an advanced medical directive.
Stage 3: Intentional Decision Making – A congregation enters this stage of intentional decision-making when they shift from informal conversations to formal and intentional conversations about concluding ministry. This will include listening sessions and business meetings and formal communication for congregations that are closing, restarting, or relocating.
Stage 4: Planning for Final Ministry – This stage involves figuring out logistics like what to do with assets and physical space and following legal procedures. Planning also involves programming and pastoral care focused on individual needs and connecting people to new faith communities.
Stage 5 – Leading Final Ministry – This is when the Church holds final services, continues the grief work, and puts into place the plans made in stage 4. This is a time for the community to celebrate the work of the Spirit through the life of the local church.
Rev. Kenaston shared about the power that can come when tired leaders are able to find new congregations where they can be spiritual nourished and old buildings can be put to work serving community needs. Our faith is one that believes in resurrection after death and sometimes we just need to move forward in those difficult and faithful steps that open us up to God’s new possibilities.
More resources including Five Stages of church closure, denominational resource lists, recommended books, seasonal reflections, and more at Good Friday Collaborative
