I should have figured this out right away, but it took me several months of driving by the mid-sized Baptist church building on the busy freeway to connect all the dots. The church I knew had been battling decline for…
Property sale positions Atlanta church to engage its vibrant neighborhood
By Jeff Brumley Mimi Walker, pastor at Druid Hills Baptist Church in Atlanta, says she never took a course on real estate negotiating while in seminary. In fact, she doesn’t know of any seminaries that offer one. “But I think…
Church will gift its property to become ‘ministry incubator’
By Jeff Brumley Challenged by financial and membership declines, some congregations choose merger and some become satellite campuses while others sell to developers or simply close the doors and turn off the lights. Hillcrest Baptist Church in Mobile, Ala., chose…
When the price is right, churches are selling property to advance ministry
By Jeff Brumley Selling all or portions of property is nothing new for downtown churches. It’s been a practice for decades, necessitated by demographic shifts and urban sprawl, aging congregations or denominational decline. But for some, it’s the money generated…