Transition Services
Partners ’ staff have been supporting First Congregational Church of East Longmeadow , MA , in its effort to find a mission-aligned community partner to purchase or share the space while allowing the congregation to continue worshipping there . Photo : Rochelle Stackhouse .
Partners published Transitioning Older and
Historic Sacred Places : Community-Minded Approaches for Congregations and Judicatories in 2021 to provide options for congregations looking to change , or transition , their relationship with their property . In 2022 , Partners hired a Director of Transition Services and began to offer additional guidance and support to transitioning faith communities , including one-on-one support through consulting services , group support through webinars and conference presentations , and new written materials such as two chapters in a forthcoming book entitled Gone for Good ? Negotiating the Coming Wave of Church Property Transition , edited by Mark Elsdon .
“
This church cannot be lost to this community ; it ’ s too important .
— Liz Dineen , CEO , YWCA of Western Mass .
With Partners ’ guidance , the congregation at Westminster Presbyterian is moving out of its historic home in St . Louis , MO , while leaving behind a landmark that will remain a civic asset for long-time neighbors and respect decades of investment and sacrifice by prior generations . Photo : Joshua Castaño .
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