Options for Congregations with Uncertain Futures

It’s not a good sign when you enter your district superintendent’s office in tears. During my first year of pastoring, I came across a problem with no easy solution. Fortunately, my regional leader knew just what to do. As I cried, he handed me a tissue, a pen, and a sheet of paper. He said, “There are always at least seven options.” 

Skeptical, I joined him in brainstorming. We generated a list of possibilities: We could try this… or that… or this… As the options filled the paper, my tears dried. Having choices made all the difference. 

When pastors serve churches in numerical decline, we can feel similarly stuck. Aging in place brings grief. Turning around a decades-long trajectory feels insurmountable. Pretending nothing is happening isn't an option. Preserving things in time is impossible. What can we do? 

The good news is that there are options. Here are seven possible futures for churches to explore:  

1. Reduce Expenses. Reducing expenses is usually a church’s first attempt to deal with financial challenges. Unfortunately, these congregations frequently fail to consider the big picture or make long-term plans. Risks include “nickel and diming,” increased conflict, deferred maintenance, and decreased willingness to try new things. When reducing expenses, leaders need to have brave conversations about their future vision. Ideally, “right-sizing” congregations will creatively tackle problems, pursue partnerships, and reimagine ministry (see, for example, Part-Time is Plenty by G. Jeffrey MacDonald.)
   
   With Spiritual-Emotional strength, congregations can reduce expenses without sacrificing their mission and vision. This option requires People strength to replace funded ministry. 
   
   

2. Raise Revenue. Cash-strapped congregations raise revenue by improving congregational stewardship, fundraising, and finding external partners. They may diversify income streams by renting the building, starting microbusinesses, applying for grants, or selling property. Ideally, these actions are part of broader revitalization (see below). Unfortunately, when congregations raise revenue while not addressing underlying issues, they run the risk of relying on heroic giving, investments, rental income, and short-term grants. 
   
   Raising Revenue requires Spiritual/Emotional strength to cast a vision, People to initiate and manage diverse income streams (e.g., a building manager), and sometimes Financial strength for programs like matching grants, capital campaigns, and readying the building for renters. 
   
   

3. Revitalize. When congregations shift their missional focus and restart the congregational life cycle, they revitalize (also called “reimagining” or “regenerating”). Looking outward, the church changes almost everything, including worship, outreach, structure, and vision. The changes must be deeper than surface-level, as congregations must let go of existing ways of being church. In letting go and focusing on the mission, revitalization can be part of the other options on this list (e.g., revitalizing churches may develop their property in new and different ways). 
   
   Revitalizing requires Spiritual/Emotional and People strengths, as well as strengths in either Finance or Building. Part of the revitalization work will include strengthening the one weak area (either Finance or Building). 
   
   

4. Yoke/Share/Partner. In yoking—also known as “sharing” or “partnering”—two or more churches choose to work together through sharing a pastor, staff, ministry, and/or building. Congregations need to clearly outline expectations and responsibilities in a covenant that all agree on. They must navigate differences, establish clear expectations, address disagreements, and maintain a focus on outward mission. 
   
   Yoking requires Spiritual/Emotional and People strength from each congregation. When not sharing a building, yoking assumes Building strengths from each congregation.   
   
   

5. Merge. Two or more congregations become a new entity in merger (also known as “consolidation” or “amalgamation”). Merger requires intentional relationship building, with special attention to cultural differences, missional alignment, leadership sharing, decision making, and pastoral expectations and responsibilities. Healthy mergers focus on a renewed vision and revitalization (see above). Congregations will need to sell or intentionally redevelop one or more properties (see below). 
   
   Merger only works when both congregations have deep Spiritual/Emotional strength. Successfully coming together requires emotionally healthy relationships and a deep spirituality to make necessary sacrifices. 
   

6. Relocate / Redevelop Property. A local church may choose to relocate to another area of its community. This often requires selling a building and either purchasing or renting a new one. It is also possible for a congregation to redevelop their current property with or without selling it. In either process, congregations need to navigate complex emotional relationships with people inside and outside the congregation. It takes deep spirituality to live into the outward-looking vision of a new future. 
   
   Property changes require Spiritual / Emotional and People strengths that can be maintained throughout an intensive and frequently lengthy process. 
   
   

7. Faithfully Complete. Also known as “holy closure,” faithfully completing existing ministry is grounded in the spiritual conviction that God is at work even in endings. New life comes from death. This “faithful completion” option can include replanting or restarting in a completely new way; this completes one mission before beginning again as a church plant. 
   
   Closure becomes “Faithful Completion” when the congregation has Spiritual / Emotional strength. (Some Spiritually / Emotionally strong congregations choose this option even when they are strong in People, Finance, or Building categories.)  Meanwhile, congregations struggling with Spiritual-Emotional Health may have limited options for the future. When combined with People, Finance, and/or Building challenges, holy closure may be the only path forward. In this case, we encourage congregations to focus on Spiritual / Emotional health as they move to Faithfully Complete. 
   
   

All of these options can be faithful. A congregation’s task is to discern your most faithful next step. If you consider several paths, you can be confident that you are making a proactive choice rather than defaulting to what seems easiest at the time. 

The Good Friday Collaborative encourages you to explore your full array of options as early as possible. The earlier you start conversations about the future, the more possibilities you have. If you begin while you still have Spiritual/Emotional, People, Finance, and/or Building strengths, then you have more options to consider. Don’t delay the conversation until you have too few people, limited financial resources, a falling-apart building, and spiritual and emotional exhaustion. Early discernment expands the range of feasible options. It gives you the time you need to explore long-term initiatives like merging, relocating, or redeveloping property. 

By naming these options, we hope that you can begin exploring all of the possibilities—including those not listed here! It’s never too early to begin. 

As you consider the options based on your congregation’s Spiritual-Emotional, People, Financial, and Building resources, you can find a helpful Decision Tree in our Congregational Assessment. Download it here.