Exploring Church Spaces: Breaking the Silence

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Exploring Church Spaces: Breaking the Silence

How Asking for Help Can Save Church Spaces

by Saranya Sathananthan, Researcher in Residence

In the past few years, I’ve heard a growing number of stories about churches closing their doors, especially during or after the most severe years of the COVID pandemic. What’s striking to me is not necessarily that they closed, but how they closed.

It happened quietly. By the time anyone outside noticed, it was already over.

Behind many of these stories are leaders carrying immense burdens alone: financial strain, building issues, complicated leases, deferred maintenance, declining giving, all managed privately and endured for as long as possible.

By the time the situation surfaced, there were few options left.

“One of the biggest determinants of whether a church survives or closes is whether it has a culture of asking for help.”

What I have seen time and time again in my research is that the churches that are willing to share transparently about what they are going through and ask for help are the churches that have made it through crises and hardships with the most creativity, openness, and resilience.  

I’ve come to believe that one of the biggest determinants of whether a church survives or closes is whether it has a culture of asking for help.

This pattern raises deeper questions about what gets in the way of asking for help and the kind of mutual support churches need if they are going to survive and serve their communities well.

A Silent Closure Close to Home 

About a year ago, my pastor reached out to me about a church in our neighborhood. She had heard that it might be facing foreclosure. 

I hadn’t heard anything about it. In fact, the last time I encountered someone from that church, they were still opening their doors for community drop-in hours, a space for people to process trauma and navigate the challenges in their lives with a listening ear and connection to other forms of support. It came as a shock to hear that they might be at risk of closing.

My pastor shared that she had been trying to reach the church’s pastor to see how she, our congregation, or our broader network could help, but the pastor had gone radio silent. She called me to ask if I knew another way to get in touch or had any insight into what might be happening. 

What was even more surprising was that she had recently spoken with a member of that church’s community outreach team and that person had no idea about a pending foreclosure either. 

A couple of weeks later, we did some research online and discovered that the church’s property had already been foreclosed and sold at auction to a developer, an entity that didn’t typically operate in our neighborhood and, according to their website, specialized in luxury properties.

When we checked the church’s website, we found a brief statement under the history section that stated the church was transitioning to a temporary worship space in another neighborhood and was excited about experiencing growth in the coming years. No mention of foreclosure.   

“When a church closes or relocates, it often loses more than just a building. It loses a tangible stake in that place, a rootedness that comes with stewarding property and relationships over time.”

It’s been a year now since the church closed its operations at that location, and I was surprised to see the church’s former property address show up on the agenda for our neighborhood community meeting, where the developer was slated to propose a development of about a dozen units on the parcel where the former church building currently sits. 

I don’t think church closures are always a bad thing. For some churches, it is simply a matter of time, and the transition can open the door to new life in ways that are generative and beautiful.

But in this case, I felt a mixture of sadness and frustration.

A church closing in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood is something to be mourned, especially when that church has a long history of faithfully serving the surrounding community. When a church closes or relocates, it often loses more than just a building. It loses a tangible stake in that place, a rootedness that comes with stewarding property and relationships over time. And in a gentrifying neighborhood, it is very difficult to retain that stake through property ownership once it is gone. 

So many questions have continued to swirl in my mind about this situation.

• Why didn’t the pastor respond to my pastor—a peer reaching out with a desire to help, and potentially with access to support or partnership?

• How was it that a member of their own congregation didn’t know what was happening?

• Were there conversations happening behind the scenes that we didn’t know about, or were they carrying the burden mostly alone?

• Did they feel they had no options? Were they too overwhelmed to reach out? Had they tried to seek help and not found it? Or had help simply come too late?

A Counterproductive Pattern Beyond the Church

What struck me was how familiar this felt. Around the same time, I was participating in neighborhood focus groups on displacement and began hearing similar stories from residents. 

One neighbor shared her experience of losing her home to foreclosure. She hadn’t asked anyone for help. She was afraid people wouldn’t care or wouldn’t come through for her. As she told the story, something that had happened 30 or 40 years earlier, she still carried a sense of pride in having purchased the home on her own.

But that same pride had also meant carrying the full burden alone: managing the property, paying the mortgage, and navigating hardship without support. She didn’t feel she could ask anyone for help, even when things became difficult because it was her responsibility to take care of it. 

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Others in the group shared that they often don’t realize someone has sold their home or moved away until a new neighbor moves in. Silent exits no one sees coming because nothing was ever said. And these were neighbors they knew and talked to. 

I wanted to dig deeper into why this pattern seemed to show up again and again in stories of foreclosure and displacement. 

I found myself wondering: 

• What keeps people from sharing the reality of what they are facing? 

• What makes support feel so hard to ask for or receive? 

• And if these struggles had been shared earlier, could new ideas, resources, or relationships have surfaced? 

• Could there have been a way for them to stay?

The Culture We Don’t Talk About

As the focus group conversation unfolded, one theme emerged clearly: shame.

People shared how much shame surrounds difficult circumstances, especially when those struggles involve money, housing, property, or the fear of losing what they have worked hard to gain. That shame often keeps people from telling others what they are going through, which also keeps them from receiving help in times of need. 

Around the room, people nodded in agreement. They knew this feeling. 

Shame is pervasive in communities experiencing poverty. It tells people they should have it all together, even when they are navigating circumstances far beyond their control or shaped by inequities tied to race, gender, class, language, ability, immigration status, and more.

There was a painful irony in realizing that the church that had closed had been creating space for neighbors to process their struggles by offering care, presence, and support, meanwhile seemingly carrying its own challenges in isolation.

Had they found people they could trust? Did they have a community to walk with them through what they were facing? Or were they, too, carrying it alone?

The truth is that this unspoken culture of silence can apply to our churches as well. 

This can show up in subtle ways with significant impact: 

• Shame and fear of being seen as failing or judged as being poor stewards of God’s resources

• The pressure for leaders to “have it all together” and “fake it ‘til you make it”

• A “mind your own business” mentality: I’ll handle mine, you handle yours

• Avoidance of vulnerability, confession, and transparency

• The belief that struggles shouldn’t be shared outside the church or sometimes even within it (this also breeds a culture where individuals suffer in silence rather than seek help, counseling, or support) 

• Spiritualized pressure: the idea that if we just pray harder and have faith, God will provide without needing to involve others, and that by involving others, we are proving that we don’t have enough faith

• A lack of accountability structures, especially in churches where decision-making is concentrated in a small number of leaders

• The expectation that church leaders should know how to manage finances and make real estate decisions, even when traditional vocational training has not equipped them with that knowledge

In these high-pressure environments, even asking basic questions about the church’s finances can feel like a threat. Financial concerns go unspoken for fear of being accused of being someone who is critical and wanting to rock the boat or someone who lacks faith. Leaders hesitate to admit uncertainty because they need to be seen as knowing what they are doing to ensure the trust of the people. The congregation senses something is wrong, but no one names it directly.

There’s often an unspoken rule: It’s shameful to share the church’s struggles with others. We need to handle this on our own. God will make a way.

But what if part of the way God makes a way is through his people? Through the willingness to name, out loud and to each other, what is actually going on?

The instinct to protect the church by hiding its struggles can slowly become the very thing that harms it.

Christian communities are not immune to falling into patterns that seem like common sense, but ultimately become counterproductive. As Liza Cagua-McCallister writes in Shalom City’s Beyond Backfires Substack:

Without a robust, practiced shalom lens, Christians will naturally be swept up in the dominant logic of our culture: efficiency, safety, fear, control, image management.

Those logics feel wise, but they can directly undermine God’s kingdom values.

Scripture calls us to bring our needs into the light (Ephesians 5:14). To share in one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). To allow space for God’s power to be made visible, not in our strength, but in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Thus transparency is not a failure of faith, but an expression of it. When we name our needs, we create the possibility for others to respond: to offer wisdom, resources, and compassion. And even if help doesn’t come, we can still say we did everything we could. 

The Reality: You Are Not Alone

I remember talking to a pastor in 2023 whose church owned its property outright. He said their saving grace during the COVID pandemic was not having a mortgage to pay. But he also lamented that this was not the case for several of his peers, pastors of churches in the neighborhood that rented space or had mortgages to pay. 

When COVID disrupted in-person gathering and decreased the consistent giving needed to sustain rent or mortgage payments, some of those churches had to leave their locations. Some reopened farther from the city. Others closed outright. Sadly, some churches were unaware of federal, state, or local relief resources that could have helped them during that time.

The truth is that this was not a unique phenomenon. Many churches struggled during the COVID pandemic, and many are still struggling, not because they are failing, but because they are navigating realities leaders were never trained for: 

• The long tail of COVID disruptions

• Decreased or inconsistent giving, especially as individuals and families face high housing costs, living expenses, and an unpredictable job market 

• Rising costs of utilities, insurance, and repairs

• Inheriting challenging buildings with unknown deferred maintenance issues 

• Increasing complexity around loans, leases, and other regulations that require special attention and expertise 

The list goes on. The financial and operational pressures can be overwhelming. If you are a church leader, you know this firsthand! 

And yet many leaders are expected to carry this without formal training, without sufficient support, and often without formal or even informal spaces to process what’s happening with others without fear of judgment.

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If you are a church leader, I hope there can be some lifting of the burden in recognizing that you are not the only one experiencing these difficulties. It goes without saying that no one wants to be in the difficult situation they may find themselves in, and by sharing, you are more likely than not to find that others resonate with your experience. 

It is easy to judge from the outside when things fall apart. But what would any of us do in the same circumstances? There are many ways to analyze a situation after the fact, but the truth is: carrying these pressures is enormously hard. 

I remember our church supporting another church during the pandemic. At the time, we were meeting over Zoom and then transitioned to meeting in a public park. Because we were not carrying the same level of building-related expenses, we had a little more margin to help another congregation that was struggling at that time.

I’m not exactly sure how that church got connected to ours, but I do remember that they were willing to bring their needs before our congregation. And because they did, people were able to respond. 

But how many churches went without support during that time who might have really benefited from it? The effects of COVID, rising costs, and other financial pressures are still unfolding for many churches. But one thing feels clear: isolation makes the burden heavier.

The Cost of Not Asking for Help

The cost of not asking for help is not only financial crisis or closure, though those are often the more visible outcomes. 

There is the cost of missed opportunities: grants not applied for, resources not accessed, and creative solutions that never surface because no one outside the immediate circle knew there was a need.

Poor decision-making in isolation is costly. When leaders feel like they have to carry the weight alone, they are more prone to making decisions out of urgency, fear, exhaustion, or limited information. Those decisions can cost the church money, strain relationships, and weaken its ability to do ministry well over the long run.

There can also be the cost of personnel. Leaders can feel immense pressure to hold everything together and keep pressing through. Oftentimes they are holding responsibilities one person was never meant to carry. Over time, that pressure can lead to exhaustion, resentment, and burnout.

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And when things finally do become more visible, there is the cost of trust. Congregants, partners, and neighbors may feel confused, hurt, or blindsided not only because the situation was difficult, but because they were never invited into the truth of what was going on. 

Compare that with the cost of asking for help: humility. Asking for help means being willing to admit we don’t know how to figure this out on our own. It means risking the possibility of judgment, while also creating the possibility of being met with mercy, care, wisdom, and support.

And in doing so, leaders help set a different kind of culture: one where vulnerability is not punished, but welcomed; where honesty becomes a freeing invitation for others to share transparently about their struggles too. 

The truth is, while humility can be uncomfortable, silence can be far more expensive.

For churches seeking more concrete steps, our resource “Managing Church Buildings, Property Assets” offers additional strategies for avoiding some of these risks.

Reframing: Asking for Help as a Spiritual Practice

Because our faith is built on grace, not performance, our theological understanding ought to lead us to share our burdens, confess our struggles, seek wisdom, and receive care from one another. 

And yet, like in the garden, our instinct is often to hide.

When things go wrong, we can feel ashamed to admit what is happening. A natural response is to manage appearances or pull away from the very people who might be able to help. Sometimes we fear that what we have will be taken from us because others will perceive us as having failed to manage it well. Or simply our feeling is that it’s not okay to be honest about the difficulties we’re shouldering and that people will perceive it as complaining or being critical. Sometimes we are embarrassed by what we do not know, what we could not prevent, or what has gotten beyond our control.

However, the Lord is glad to be with us through the hardships, even when we have made mistakes, miscalculations, or decisions we wish we could take back. That does not mean the path forward will be easy. There may still be difficult conversations, hard choices, and real consequences to navigate. Yet even then, God remains present and willing to help, especially through his people. 

The gift of being part of the body of Christ is that when we truthfully admit what we are carrying, we are often met with far more grace than we expect or deserve. And even when that is not the case, there is something profoundly liberating about finally speaking aloud what you have been carrying alone for so long. 

This is where we are. This is what we are facing. We do not know how to carry this by ourselves.

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Confession isn’t a practice meant to deepen our shame; it is a practice that is intended to free us from the burden of carrying it alone. 

Scripture tells us, "Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed" (James 5:16). The healing is not always that the situation goes away. Sometimes the healing is that we no longer have to hold everything on our own. We receive support, wisdom, encouragement, and companions for the journey.

Scripture points us again and again toward this posture of asking, receiving, and relying on one another.

Ask, seek, and knock. "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7). This is not only about private prayer, but having an earnest posture of humility, openness, and receptivity. It means bringing our needs before God and also being willing to share them with others. The more we ask, the more we learn, the more connections we make, and the more likely we are to discover the people, resources, and opportunities we need. 

Seek wisdom from many counselors. "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed" (Proverbs 15:22). Given the complexity of church property decisions, it is unwise to make major decisions without the input of trusted individuals who have the church’s best interests at heart and are aligned with the church’s vision. Churches also benefit from trusted advisors who can offer financial, legal, operational, and spiritual wisdom. These advisors may not always agree with every decision, but they can help leaders see blind spots and make more informed choices. 

Persist in asking. In the parable of the persistent widow, Jesus honors the woman who keeps returning to ask for justice (Luke 18:1–8). Sometimes asking once is not enough. Sometimes faithfulness looks like continuing to ask, continuing to knock, and refusing to give up even when the answer is not immediate or a door has not yet opened.

Share resources across communities. Paul writes to the Corinthians about mutual care, explaining that one community's abundance can supply another's need, so that later the reverse may also be true (2 Corinthians 8:13–15). Receiving help in one season does not make a church weak. It makes the church part of a larger body, where resources, gifts, and support flow back and forth as needs arise.

Recovering a Culture of Mutual Support

Churches have historically been places of social support. In many ways, this is woven directly into the fabric of the Christian story.

We see it in the early church after Pentecost:

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had... there were no needy persons among them (Acts 4:32–35).

The church was a group of individuals who worshiped together, and simultaneously became a community where burdens, resources, and responsibilities were shared collectively through mutual care and sacrifice.

This reality extended beyond individual congregations too. We see several examples of churches supporting one another across cities and regions:

• Financial relief for struggling churches (2 Corinthians 8–9)

• Organizing aid before impending crises (Acts 11:27–30)

• Sharing teaching, theology, and encouragement (Colossians 4:16)

• Sharing leaders, personnel, and mentorship (Romans 16:1–2)

Sadly, this kind of mutual support sometimes feels distant or radical in our present-day context. Part of it is that we live within a broader American culture shaped by individualism: the belief that every person must pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, that survival and success rest primarily on the individual, and that needing help signals weakness or failure. We can also get so wrapped up in the details of our own situations that we forget to lift our heads and see who else is around us, who might be able to help, advise, connect, or walk with us.

By contrast, many societies around the world continue to maintain strong built-in systems of social support: assistance for families, unemployment, healthcare, housing, childcare, and in moments of crisis. These systems exist because hardship is understood to be part of life, not evidence of personal failure.

Financial strain, rising costs, housing instability, burnout, displacement, and declining giving are part of broader systemic pressures impacting residents, families, small businesses, and community organizations across cities everywhere. The struggles churches experience are not happening in isolation.

This moment, when society as a whole is navigating significant unpredictability, feels prime for a revival of koinonia—deep fellowship, partnership, and mutual participation.

Can we respond to one another with compassion rather than judgment, recognizing the broader conditions shaping our realities? Can we rebuild cultures where churches, leaders, and neighbors' first line of response is, “How can we help each other survive and contribute to one another’s mutual thriving?”

There is a long history of communities creating collective strategies for survival.

One example is the tradition of rent parties: gatherings organized in Black communities during the Harlem Renaissance when families could not afford rent. Neighbors would come together, contribute what they could, share food and music, and collectively help keep someone housed.

Today, versions of this practice are re-emerging through social media campaigns, such as communities rallying around struggling small businesses, GoFundMe campaigns for neighbors facing medical emergencies, or efforts to secure housing for families at risk of displacement.

These practices reflect a simple truth: People survive hardship together.

I pray churches recover this practice, not only within congregations but between churches as well.

Imagine whole neighborhoods benefiting because churches were able to stay rooted in their communities by openly sharing resources, expertise, relationships, funding opportunities, or even temporary space with one another. Imagine a culture where asking for help was normalized and welcomed, and where churches and their leaders knew they were not in it alone.

The truth is that asking for help creates space for unexpected possibilities to emerge. This is part of the beauty of community: God can move powerfully through our limitations in creative and surprising ways, opening new paths and possibilities where none seemed to exist before.

What Asking for Help Looks Like

So what does asking for help actually look like?

Name financial or operational challenges early. Time is not on your side. Waiting until the point of desperation can limit your options and make it harder to make wise, grounded decisions. It will likely feel uncomfortable and often means asking before you feel ready. It may mean doing things you would not have imagined, not because you are going outside your values, but because new solutions require humility, flexibility, and change.

Invite advisors with legal, financial, grant writing, real estate, or operational expertise. Many churches are making decisions about buildings, leases, loans, repairs, fundraising, and partnerships without the technical knowledge those decisions require. You do not need to know everything. But you do need people around you who can help you ask better questions and understand what is at stake.

Be transparent with the congregation about needs and realities. This does not mean creating panic or sharing information irresponsibly. It means giving people a truthful picture of where things stand and inviting them to participate in discernment, prayer, giving, problem-solving, and support.

Maintain mutual relationships with other organizations or churches. Relationships built over time can become pathways for wisdom, referrals, shared resources, space, and support. These connections are much harder to build when a church has already reached the point of closure.

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Apply for funding, grants, or public resources. There are a significant number of federal, state, city, and private funding sources that churches may be eligible to apply for, especially if the program or building serves the broader community. They might include preservation funds, community programming grants, energy-efficiency programs, etc, depending on the church’s use of space. Even if leaders do not have the capacity to research these opportunities themselves, they can ask someone in the congregation or a trusted partner to help look into what may be available.

Ask and continue to ask! It’s worth repeating this again. One discouraging response does not mean every door is closed. Sometimes asking once is not enough. Sometimes you have to keep talking with people until the right connection, resource, or opportunity emerges. You might be surprised how many times a “yes” can come in the middle of rejection.

Share honestly with a peer or peers who can journey with you. Sometimes the first step is not a formal request or public announcement. Sometimes it is simply telling another pastor, leader, or trusted friend: This is what we are facing, and I do not know what to do. 

Asking for help also requires a shift in posture: 

It means admitting you do not have all the answers. Letting others see areas of weakness. Asking for support even when you are not sure what the response will be. Being humble enough to receive help when it comes, and patient enough to learn how to work with others in the process.

When Churches Ask for Help

Besides the stories of churches closing, I have also heard powerful stories that remind me of the creative and beautiful outcomes that can emerge when churches are willing to name their needs and invite others in: 

In one case, a church needed funds to move forward with constructing the worship space they needed. It was difficult for them to obtain a loan from a bank or other lender, so they asked their congregation to help by providing loans from individuals. People contributed what they could, with the understanding that they would be repaid. Many of these members were new immigrants and had little to give, which made their contributions even more meaningful. It reminded me of the widow who offered her two coins. The sacrifice, the trust, and the faith they had in giving were significant. Through that shared investment, the church received what it needed and was able to establish their worship space in the heart of their community. 

In another story, a church leader shared honestly with a peer about the difficulty their church was facing after deciding to leave their denomination. They had a loan tied to the denomination that needed to be repaid, and they were not sure how they were going to manage it. But because the leader shared the burden, the peer pastor was able to respond with a large financial gift that helped them pay off the loan. What had felt impossible became possible through a relationship.

I have also heard of pastors who prayed for years for the right partner to come into their building. After years of waiting, the ministry partner they had talked to nearly a decade earlier eventually moved into the space. That partnership brought new life into the building, helped sustain the church’s operations, and opened the door to new resources, relationships, and expertise.

In a similar story, one small church could no longer manage its space on its own since the size of their congregation was dwindling. Rather than closing quietly, the pastor persistently sought conversations with another church about the possibility of merging. It took years of conversation and pursuit. During that time, several other churches came knocking on their doors, but they discerned that those were not the right fit and continued seeking out this neighboring church. Eventually, the lead pastor of that church became open to the idea. One by one, the doors they thought would hinder the merger began to open, and both churches discerned that it was the right move. Now they are one congregation, reviving the building and creating a renewed presence there together.

“If you or your church are carrying a burden quietly, consider this an invitation: tell someone.”

And in my own journey of missional homeownership, when my co-owner and I ran into an obstacle with our closing costs, we asked the friends and family that had journeyed with us for help. We were beyond blessed by the response and received more than we needed, which created margin for other needs after we moved in.

None of these solutions were obvious when the churches first faced their challenges. But none of them would have happened if the need had remained hidden.

Asking for help does not guarantee that every outcome will be what we hoped. It does not remove difficulty, loss, or uncertainty. But it does create the possibility that God might work through people, relationships, resources, and creative solutions we could not have imagined on our own. 

So if you or your church are carrying a burden quietly, consider this an invitation: tell someone. Pray for discernment about who to tell: a trusted peer, advisor, staff member, denominational leader, or ministry partner. And ask before the options disappear. Ask before the burden becomes too heavy to carry. Ask because this could be one of the ways God wants to show your church his power and grace.

Do you have a story of what happened when a church asked for help? What fruit came out of it? We would love to hear it.

Exploring Church Spaces: Managing Church Buildings, Property Assets

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Exploring Church Spaces: Managing Church Buildings, Property Assets 

Ten practical tips for avoiding key pitfalls.

by Saranya Sathananthan, Researcher in Residence

Church leaders often talk about property in terms of mission: how a building can serve its neighbors, support new ministries, and generate revenue that sustains operations. Those possibilities are exciting to dream about and discuss. But across our interviews, some of the most important lessons leaders shared about protecting that mission were not grand or pie-in-the-sky. They were far more practical.

In the Exploring Church Spaces project, we asked church leaders what they wish they had done differently in managing their church buildings and property assets. Their answers were honest and sobering, advice intended to help other churches avoid the painful and often demoralizing challenges that their churches experienced. Many of these hard-earned lessons came from decisions, agreements, or systems that became costly over time, sometimes affecting a church’s financial health and constraining its ministry capacity for years. Churches talked about leases that locked them into decades of financial loss, unclear agreements that strained relationships, maintenance issues that threatened their ability to host and leverage their space, and financial systems that were not strong enough for the complexity of grants, rentals, renovations, and capital projects.

Though they aren’t the strategies that are primarily about innovation, creative programming, or bold new uses of space, they may be some of the most important for keeping churches stable and running effectively for the long haul. They are preventative in nature, focusing on the systems and safeguards that keep churches from losing money, trust, and mission capacity. 

At their core, these practices are about stewardship: how churches care for what God has entrusted to them. A church building is often one of the most valuable and generative assets a congregation holds, yet when churches lack strong legal, financial, administrative, and facilities systems, they can unintentionally harm themselves, their tenants, their partners, and the mission they are trying to serve. The good news is that many costly mistakes can be prevented by putting some of these basic practices in place early, before signing contracts, making rental agreements, receiving grants for new initiatives, or entering into large capital projects. 

1. Hire professionals for work that must be done professionally.  

Many churches operate relationally and rely heavily on volunteers to get things done. A church member may have professional experience, or someone may know a professional who is willing to help at a reduced rate. This can be a real gift to churches, but it can also create confusion if expectations are not set clearly. 

“We were so spiritually minded, we were business-foolish and managerially incompetent.”

Some church work can be done by volunteers. But some work is just too important, too technical, or too risky to depend on a volunteer-work structure. When churches are managing multiple or large grant-funded projects, major renovations, historic preservation, leases, property acquisitions or sales, tax questions, and other high-stakes processes, informal volunteer systems can quickly become inadequate. In these cases, the issue is not whether volunteers are trustworthy or capable. The issue is that volunteer help often happens around other jobs, family responsibilities, ministry commitments, and limited time. When the stakes are high, the church needs reliability, accountability, and clear responsibility.

Without that structure, churches can miss important deadlines that keep projects moving forward; communicate poorly with funders, contractors, or other partners who expect follow-through; delay important decisions; keep financial records that are not strong enough for audits or grants; sign contracts that expose the church to long-term liability; or damage trust with partners, tenants, and public agencies. These mistakes can cost the church money, support from others, and public credibility, closing the doors for future opportunities. 

One church leader put it bluntly: “We were so spiritually minded, we were business-foolish and managerially incompetent, and we suffered for that. We failed to secure appropriate resources like finding a lawyer to help us and an accountant. We should have done that a long time ago. It would have saved us a lot of mess.”

This does not mean churches cannot receive help from volunteers or members with professional expertise. It means the church should be clear about what kind of help it is offering. Is the person giving informal advice? Occasional volunteer help? Discounted professional services? Or taking full professional responsibility for a critical piece of work? The more responsibility required, the more a church should consider creating a written agreement or memorandum of understanding that names the scope of work, timeline, deliverables, communication expectations, decision-making authority, compensation, and what happens if the work is delayed or incomplete.

Churches sometimes feel guilty holding people accountable, especially when they are helping for free or at a reduced rate. But if the work matters, the expectations need to be clear regardless. 

When to hire? 

Based on the high-stakes situations church leaders described, churches may want to strongly consider hiring paid professional support for work involving:

• accounting, bookkeeping, audits, or financial reporting

• lease agreements or legal contracts

• property acquisitions or sales

• tax liability or nonprofit-/commercial-use questions

• construction, renovation, accessibility, or code compliance

• grant management and reporting

• historic preservation

• insurance, risk, or liability

• major donor or capital campaign infrastructure

• property management across multiple users or tenants

• facilities management, especially repairs or maintenance involving major building systems

Professional support can feel expensive at the beginning, but it is often cheaper than repairing the damage later. One leader emphasized that churches should not be afraid to invest in consultants and coaches. Their organization had spent significant money on outside expertise, but saw it as part of what made larger funding opportunities possible. For example, securing a major multimillion-dollar project required substantial upfront consulting costs, some of which were structured to be paid through the project rather than directly by the church. 

Churches should also account for paying people for work that requires professional skill and responsibility. If the church needs the work done well, on time, and with accountability, it should be treated as a professional service, even when the provider cares about the church or offers a reduced rate. A discount can be a gift, but it should not replace fair compensation, clear expectations, or professional standards. 

2. Build strong accounting and financial reporting systems.

If a church wants to receive grants, manage multiple revenue sources outside of tithing, or take on building projects, it needs financial systems that can withstand outside scrutiny. Good financial systems are not just for internal decision-making; they also matter when funders, lenders, auditors, partners and investors, tenants, contractors, or public agencies need to understand how money is being managed.

Separate operating funds, building funds (including rental income and building expenses), restricted grants, and capital project funds. When accounts are mixed together, it becomes difficult to know what money belongs where, what funds are restricted, and how to report expenses accurately. Some funders may also require restricted project funds to be kept in a separate account from church operating funds or other grant-funded projects. Churches should decide what belongs in each budget or account and apply those categories consistently.

Require regular financial reports. A church should be able to provide a clear financial report when needed for internal review, funder reporting, grant applications, or major project planning. Profit and loss statements, project budgets, grant reports, and, when relevant, 990s for a separate nonprofit entity should be clear and easy to interpret. Line items should be specific enough that outside reviewers do not have to guess what they mean or wonder whether expenses are being categorized appropriately.

Use bookkeeping software consistently. Several churches described situations in which software had been purchased but was not used consistently, or in which financial information was tracked in multiple places and in different ways. That makes it much harder to reconcile accounts, prepare reports, or understand the church’s actual financial position. It is worth the time to set up the system properly, get professional help if needed, provide training on how to use it, and maintain it regularly.

“If I could do it all over again, my first hire would be an accountant before a personal assistant.”

One church leader described a situation in which different financial systems had developed over time: one for treasury, another for operations, and another for investments, without enough oversight between them. The problem became clear when a grantmaker requested a financial report, and the church had to confront the need for stronger accountability and an integrated, unified financial system.

Build in checks and balances. Financial management should not depend on only one person. Even when a church has a trusted treasurer, bookkeeper, or operations director, there should be regular reviews by a finance team, board, or outside accountant. Clear roles, shared reporting, and periodic review help prevent confusion, accidental mismanagement, and the appearance of impropriety. They also protect the person handling the finances by ensuring they are not carrying responsibility alone.

Pay for bookkeeping or accounting help before finances become too complex. Many churches have volunteer treasurers or members who help manage the books, and that may work for a simple church operating budget. But it is usually not enough when a church is managing major capital projects, multiple grants, rental income, property expenses, restricted funds, or several accounts. As one church leader reflected, “If I could do it all over again, my first hire would be an accountant before a personal assistant. They would have saved us so many headaches.”

Paying for bookkeeping or accounting support can prevent confusion, accidental mismanagement, delays, and reporting problems that could jeopardize thousands of dollars in funding. A few hundred dollars a month for reliable bookkeeping may save the church from losing far more in missed opportunities or broken trust with funders.

Prepare for funder expectations, even if churches are not legally required to file the same reports as nonprofits. Some funders ask for audits, financial statements, or 990s, even if churches are exempt from certain filing requirements. In some cases, the ability to provide strong financial documentation can make the difference between receiving or missing out on significant funding. Financial transparency should not be something churches fear. Accountability, integrity, and clear stewardship are part of the witness of the church.

3. Bring legal counsel in before signing agreements.

Several churches we interviewed experienced significant challenges with long-term lease agreements, especially cell tower leases. When churches were first approached by cell companies, many leases locked in churches for 30 or 40 years. For churches that needed cash for repairs or building improvements, the upfront revenue was appealing. However, when the tax laws changed during the life of the lease, the commercial use of church property triggered property tax liability.

Because the contracts did not clearly protect the church, that liability fell back on the congregation. Though churches received upfront revenue through those deals, it ultimately ended up costing churches thousands of dollars a year, and for some who were not able to work their way out of that liability, it cost them hundreds of thousands over the life of the lease. In those cases, the long-term costs outweighed the income the church received when it first signed the agreement. 

“The factor that has hindered us most is ignorance. In our system, we are driven from a religious perspective based on a religious organization, and we were not oriented around business or management.”

Do not sign major agreements without legal review. Churches should have a lawyer review long-term leases, cell tower agreements, tenant leases, construction contracts, purchase and sale agreements, easements, financing documents, and any agreement that could affect the church’s property, tax status, liability, or long-term control. Legal review is essential, but it does not replace ongoing oversight.

In one church, a lease had been reviewed by a legal team, but when the leasing company reduced its payments, no one caught the change for ten months. The church only discovered it when preparing the annual budget. By then, the monthly payment had dropped by nearly $1,000, resulting in significant lost income. As the leader reflected, “I didn’t know what I needed to know. And other people didn’t catch it either.”

Be especially careful when negotiating with corporations or entities that have far more legal experience than the church. Corporations have attorneys drafting agreements to protect their own interests. If churches enter business arrangements, they need legal counsel to help them understand the risks and negotiate terms that protect the church.

One church leader reflected on how costly that learning curve can be: “The factor that has hindered us most is ignorance. In our system, we are driven from a religious perspective based on a religious organization, and we were not oriented around business or management.”

Another leader described the mindset shift churches need when entering more complex property arrangements: “If we want to play in the big leagues, then we need to elevate our level of gameplay. We are going to make mistakes, but we have to step our game up, or else they are going to run right over us. We have to be ready to elevate to that level of operating. Not every pastor is capable of that. So you need to have the right people.”

Together, these reflections point to the same lesson: churches do not need to abandon their spiritual mission, but they do need the right legal, financial, and managerial support when making high-stakes property decisions.

Build protections into the agreement. Where appropriate, agreements should include review points, rent escalators, termination clauses, clear tax responsibility, insurance requirements, maintenance responsibilities, and remedies for breach. These protections are aimed at mitigating changes that may occur over the life of a lease and make the difference between an agreement that supports the church and one that creates a long-term financial burden.

Do not assume a standard contract protects the church. Every agreement should be reviewed and revised for the specific circumstances being negotiated. The longer the agreement, the more important this becomes. A few thousand dollars in legal review at the beginning may save the church from decades of financial loss later.

4. Clarify tax liability. 

A tenant’s business should not become the church’s tax burden. This was mentioned in the previous strategy, but it is important enough to be named separately.

In every lease agreement, churches should clarify who is responsible for any property tax triggered by commercial, for-profit, or non-exempt use of the space. One-time use of the building will usually not trigger this kind of liability, but even short-term space-use agreements should include basic language about responsibility for fees related to the user’s activities.

For more information on tax liability, read our Tax-Exemption Issues for Massachusetts Churches resource. 

For longer-term leases, include language that addresses changes in tax law or municipal interpretation. If the arrangement depends on a tenant’s nonprofit status, require documentation of that status and update it as needed. Churches should also review whether uses such as cell towers, childcare centers, schools, offices, commercial kitchens, housing, or other income-generating activities could affect their property-tax exemption.

5. Know what your space costs.

Many churches want to be generous with their space. They may offer below-market rent to a nonprofit partner whose work aligns with the church’s mission, allow another congregation to rent at low cost, or let a community group use the building for free. Churches may also feel pressure not to charge market rates because of the pervasive perception that “churches are not in the business of making money.” While generosity can be a faithful witness, it needs to be balanced with what the church can realistically sustain, and it should be a decision the church makes intentionally, not on a whim or by default.

Sharing space creates real costs. Churches still have to pay for utilities, cleaning, staff time, administrative coordination, insurance, trash removal, repairs, security, supplies, wear and tear, snow removal, and future maintenance. When a group pays little or nothing, the church is subsidizing that use. 

Calculate the real cost of building use. Churches should make an effort to obtain a basic understanding of what it costs to operate the building each month and what additional costs are connected to outside use. This helps leaders make informed decisions about rental rates, how much to discount or subsidize, and what they are willing to offer for free. 

One church we interviewed takes this seriously by naming the actual rental price up front. If a group begins by asking for a discount, the church sees that as a sign that the group may not yet understand the value or cost of the space. The church may still choose to offer a discount later, but it first wants to know that the group understands the space’s value and is prepared to contribute fairly.

Decide intentionally which groups receive reduced rent or free use. Not every group that needs space can or should receive the same subsidy. Churches should decide which uses align most closely with their mission and what level of support they can realistically offer. This makes generosity intentional rather than accidental. 

Name the subsidy as part of the church’s mission. If the church is offering space below cost, name that clearly. For example: “We are choosing to subsidize this use because it serves our neighborhood, supports another congregation, or aligns with our mission.” Naming the gift helps others understand that the reduced rent means the church is covering the remaining cost as a ministry investment. 

Make sure generosity is sustainable. A church can be generous and still be honest about its limits. If below-market rent prevents the church from maintaining the building, paying staff, or covering basic costs, the arrangement may eventually harm both the church and the people it is trying to serve. Sustainable generosity requires knowing what the church can afford to give.

6. Monitor rental income, lease terms, and contract changes.

A signed lease is not a system. Someone still has to monitor whether both parties are following the agreement.

Once an agreement is signed, it can be easy to assume everything is settled. But leases and rental agreements need ongoing attention. Tenants may fall behind on payments, pay less than agreed, use more space than originally included, or allow terms to shift informally over time. If no one is assigned to track these details, the church may lose income, miss opportunities to address concerns early, or allow resentment to build around unspoken changes to the agreement.

Track whether tenants are paying what was agreed. Churches should have a simple system for tracking rental payments, due dates, late payments, and outstanding balances. This should not depend on memory or informal check-ins. If a tenant is paying less than agreed, paying late, or missing payments, someone should know quickly and follow up. Rental income should be monitored regularly, not only when it is time to build the annual budget.

“If no one is assigned to track the details of a contract, the church may lose income, miss opportunities to address concerns early, or allow resentment to build around unspoken changes to the agreement.”

Review leases and rental agreements annually. Church leaders should know what each agreement actually says: which spaces are included, the rent, the tenant’s responsibilities, and the responsibilities that remain with the church. Reviewing agreements annually helps the church catch places where actual practice has drifted from what was originally agreed and decide whether any terms need to be clarified or renegotiated. It can also be helpful to hold a mid-year check-in with tenants to discuss how things are going and whether any adjustments are needed.

Assign responsibility for lease compliance. Whether it is a building manager, treasurer, property committee, or administrator, one person or team should be responsible for monitoring rental income, lease terms, and tenant responsibilities. Regular oversight helps churches catch problems early, communicate clearly, maintain good relationships with tenants, and protect the building’s financial health.

7. Create clear space-use agreements.

Every use of church space carries some level of responsibility and liability. A clear agreement protects both the church and the person or group using the space by defining the terms of use before problems arise. It helps everyone understand what is allowed, what is expected, who is responsible for what, and what happens if something goes wrong.

For one-time use, the agreement may be simple, but it should still be clear. It should include the date, time, rooms being used, purpose of the event, expected number of people, setup and cleanup responsibilities, insurance requirements (if any), food or equipment use, security expectations, and who is responsible for damage or incidents.

Photo credit: Chalermphon via Lightstock

For short- or long-term leases, the agreement needs to be more detailed. It should define which spaces are included, days and times of use, storage, keys or building access, shared areas, cleaning, trash, insurance, repairs, security, payment terms, and whether the group can invite outside groups, sublet, use the church’s mailing address, or access other parts of the building.

Longer-term agreements should also be reviewed regularly. Over time, a group may begin using more space, storing more materials, staying later, inviting additional users, or relying on building access in ways not part of the original agreement. When that happens, churches should address it directly, document the conversation in writing, and update the agreement if needed.

8. Build basic administrative systems for scheduling, keys, storage, and communication.

Shared space breaks down when the right information does not reach the right people at the right time. 

One church leader described the problem plainly: “Our biggest challenge is keeping things organized. The apartments next door were going to host an annual meeting in our building. It wasn’t on our calendar, and they didn’t have our contact, so they couldn’t get in for their meeting.”

As more people and groups use a church building, informal communication is usually not enough. Without clear systems, churches can end up with double bookings; people entering the building without approval; confusion about who will open it when a group needs access; or frustration over setup, cleanup, and storage.

Almost every church we interviewed had a master calendar that tracked all building use, including worship services, internal ministries, tenant use, one-time events, maintenance appointments, and community use. There should also be a clear process for requesting space, whether for a one-time event or recurring use. People should know who approves requests, how far in advance they need to ask, and when their use is officially confirmed.

“These systems do not need to be complicated, but they do need to be clear.”

It is also important to have clear points of contact. Each user group should have one primary contact, and the church should have one primary contact to communicate with that group. Backup contacts should also be listed in case of emergencies, last-minute changes, or building issues.

Churches should create written policies for keys, codes, storage, setup, breakdown, cleaning, parking, and locking up. If groups are allowed to store materials, assign specific storage areas and make sure everyone knows what belongs where. If something breaks, goes missing, or an incident happens, there should be a simple process for reporting it.

These systems do not need to be complicated, but they do need to be clear. The more a church shares its space, the more it needs basic administrative infrastructure to protect the building, reduce confusion, and maintain good relationships with everyone using it.

For more information on ways to make decisions about space use and creating management systems, read our Church-Space Decisions resource. 

9. Do not over-leverage property and protect core ministry assets.

Property can be a powerful tool for mission, but it can also create serious risk when churches borrow against their most important assets without a strong repayment plan. Some churches take on debt to renovate, acquire property, or launch new projects. Others borrow against one property to cover shortfalls somewhere else. Debt is not always the problem. The danger comes when a church takes on debt without understanding what is at stake if the project does not go as planned.

In one case we learned about, a church with strong membership had taken on significant debt for a capital project. On the outside, the church looked stable and still had lots of money in the bank. But after a leadership transition, the congregation lost a large portion of its membership, leaving the church in a difficult financial position. Even after reaching out to another church for help, the church ultimately had to sell its building and use its remaining funds to pay off debts, forcing it to close. The leader who was asked to help that church described it as: 

They were taking on debt to pay another debt until they folded like a deck of cards when they couldn’t pay it anymore. They lost everything. A lot of churches use their equity to cover their operating budget. They take money out of their properties to fill budget gaps or pay salaries, and that is a huge, huge mistake. You are basically spending your children’s inheritance. I understand why churches do it, but at that point, they are almost giving their church a death date.

That same leader described their church’s approach: using investment income carefully while preserving property proceeds for future property needs. 

We have cash that is invested, and a percentage of the interest from that investment goes into our budget. We can use some of it, but not all of it. Some of it supports building needs, and some may support day-to-day operations, but we are careful with it. When we sell a property or take out a line of equity, we do not touch that money until we are ready to buy another property with it.

Churches should be especially careful about using their main worship space or core ministry property as collateral for new projects. If a new venture fails, a tenant leaves, interest rates rise, major repairs hit, giving drops, or leadership changes destabilize the congregation, the church should not be at risk of losing the property that anchors its worship and community life.

One church leader explained how they manage risk by protecting their core worship property:

None of our loans have our main worship and retreat center as collateral. For some reason, if the market went to zero, nobody rented from us, and interest rates all went to 30%, we could give up all the properties, but we would still have our main worship center. We just can’t over-leverage. 

Before taking on debt, churches should ask hard questions: Does this project have a realistic repayment plan? What income will support the loan? What happens if projected rental income does not come in? Can the church still cover the mortgage if a tenant leaves? Are we using debt from one property to cover unrelated operating deficits? What assets are at risk if we cannot pay?

Secured debt can be used wisely when it is tied to a clear asset, a realistic plan, and a level of risk the church can actually carry. But debt becomes dangerous when it depends on best-case scenarios, unclear income projections, or the assumption that another property, donor, tenant, or loan will eventually fill the gap.

Protecting core ministry assets is an act of stewardship. Churches can take thoughtful risks, but they should structure those risks so that one failed project does not jeopardize the whole congregation’s future.

10. Plan and budget for deferred maintenance.

Many churches live with building issues for years because the list feels overwhelming, and the money is not immediately available. But roofs, HVAC systems, plumbing, electrical systems, water leaks, accessibility barriers, and code issues do not simply stay the same. When they are ignored, they often become more expensive, more urgent, and more disruptive over time.

A building assessment is a good place to start when churches do not know where to begin. An assessment by an architecture or engineering firm can help leaders understand the condition of the property, identify urgent safety concerns, estimate costs, and prioritize what needs to happen first. These assessments should be updated every five years, especially if the church plans to apply for preservation grants or other forms of capital funding, as funders often want current information on the condition of the building and the proposed scope of work.

Churches should also create a capital maintenance reserve, even if they can only start small. Setting aside money regularly for major repairs helps prevent every building issue from becoming a crisis. Maintenance costs should also be built into annual budgets and rental rates. If tenants and community groups are using the building, the cost of keeping that building safe, accessible, heated, and functional needs to be part of the financial picture.

“Planning for maintenance is not just about preserving a building; it is about protecting the ministries that depend on it.”

As one church leader reflected:

A dream without a plan is just a wish. This church is good at dreaming and wishing, but how do we get to a place of planning to get these things to happen? Not just flying by the seat of our pants. Flexibility is great, but also a challenge. Now that we are acquiring assets and budgets are increasing, we are entering into a new level which requires a different approach.

When prioritizing repairs, churches should focus first on safety, accessibility, roof, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, water intrusion, and code issues. These are the kinds of problems that can quickly shut down worship, programming, community use, tenants, and rental income. It can also help to keep updated quotes for major projects, even if the church cannot complete them right away. Quotes change, but they give leaders a realistic sense of the project’s scale and better prepare the church when funding opportunities arise.

Deferred maintenance can quietly threaten every other property strategy. A church may have tenants, partners, programs, or rental income, but one major building failure can put all of that at risk. Planning for maintenance is not just about preserving a building; it is about protecting the ministries that depend on it.

Stewardship that Sustains Mission

All of these practices can feel tedious. Tracking leases, reviewing agreements, maintaining calendars, working with professionals, building reserves, planning for repairs, and communicating consistently with funders, community partners, and tenants can sometimes feel like drudgery.

However, these leaders have learned personally that it is worth it. Good systems protect more than the building. They protect relationships with tenants and partners. They protect trust with funders, neighbors, and public agencies. They protect the congregation from avoidable financial strain, stress, and burnout. And they protect the church’s ability to use its property for mission over the long term.

A church does not need to do everything perfectly all at once. But every step toward clearer agreements, stronger financial systems, better communication, and more intentional stewardship puts the church in a stronger position for the future. These practices are not separate from ministry; they are a critical part of what allows ministry to flourish and last.