PRESIDENT’ S NOTE
Meeting the Moment
Partners still reverberates from the energy and excitement generated by last year’ s National Convening, and continues to pursue the initiatives recommended by the final convening report. One of Partners’ commitments was to undertake or encourage new research to answer the many questions around the role of sacred places in helping or hindering congregations vulnerable to decline and even closing in the coming years.
We know already that older buildings owned by congregations can, with the right management and resources, lift the faith community up. Or, if underused and neglected, can bring a church or synagogue down. But beyond those larger truths, what answers do we— leaders and helping organizations dedicated to the health and community impact of congregations— need?
First, we must determine the number of congregations that are leaving their buildings, either because they are closing or merging. Researchers are beginning to answer that question in certain localities, but we have no national picture. And then we must ask an even more difficult question: How many congregations will be closing in the coming years, and how do we ascertain their vulnerability?
This question prompts many more: What dynamics are in play when a church or synagogue may be heading toward closing? What are the root causes of closings? Is this phenomenon reflective of larger trends in religious affiliation? Does it reflect local issues such as gentrification or economic decline? Is the fact that congregations often commute to the building, and therefore are less connected to their neighborhoods, a factor? Is it leadership? Is it the demands and needs of the building? Are there differences between congregations of different ethnicities, different denominations, or varying regions or contexts?
The United Church of Christ, among other institutions, is looking at a variety of factors to anticipate or predict closings, but there is no universal approach to this question.
And then, what happens to sacred places when they close? How often are they demolished and replaced with something else? How often are they reused in ways that uphold their civic value?
What happens to community-serving programs that have lost their home when a church closes? Do they sometimes close? If they find another location, does the quality or impact of their work suffer? Do clients have a harder time getting to their new locations? Does it cost more for programs to operate elsewhere?
And here is the question that may be the most crucial for Partners’ work: What resourcing and interventions can provide crucial and pivotal assistance to help a congregation and its building stabilize and become healthy? Can an investment in the building( such as a capital grant from the National Fund for Sacred Places), making it watertight and more useable, give a congregation breathing room to rebuild? Can new approaches to managing, using, and investing in sacred places generate more space to share, and thus wider outreach, more connections to the community, and perhaps more rental income? Can community-wide fundraising, more robust space-sharing, and new collaborations with neighbors and nonprofits bring enough new energy, people, and income to stabilize a small congregation?
These questions are more than hypothetical— the answers have real consequences and can guide the work that Partners and other organizations undertake to support congregations and their communities. Scholars are starting to gather, compare notes, and address some of these questions, and an informal group of researchers has formed, calling itself the Congregational Futures Collaborative.
The findings generated by new research can shape what Partners does to provide help, guidance, and energy to congregations with older buildings that don’ t need to close. We want to develop new tools and resources that enable congregations to make the most of their buildings as assets for their life and work for many years to come.
All of us at Partners are so grateful that the Convening’ s many conversations and new relationships from a year ago continue to bear fruit.
A. ROBERT JAEGER
STAFF
A. Robert Jaeger, President
Kevin Block, Director of Special Initiatives Brittany Carter, Senior Director of Finance and
Operations Daniel Cruz, Technical Assistance Coordinator,
National Fund for Sacred Places Dana Dabek, Director of Community Engagement Karen DiLossi, Director of Strategic Partnerships
& Training Bridget Fidler, Senior Director of Consulting Tom Fike, Senior Consultant Kathryn Ford, Communications Coordinator Rachel Galton, Intervention Fund Director, National
Fund for Sacred Places Gianfranco Grande, Executive Vice President Emilie Haertsch, Senior Communications Manager Lily Hamilton, Associate Director, National Fund for Sacred Places Rachel Hildebrandt, Senior Director, National Fund for Sacred Places Victoria Hyman, Billing Coordinator Madison Hynson, Development Associate Betsy Ivey, Director, Philadelphia Fund for
Black Sacred Places Simon Kaufman, Director of Development Caroline Lauber, Consulting Associate Rosie Loughran, Program Associate, National Fund for Sacred Places Jasmine Pressley, HR Specialist Jillian Riseman, Program Associate, National Fund for Sacred Places Owen Robbins, Special Project and Design Associate Emily Sajdak, Director of Rural Initiatives Tamara Littlejohn Small, Administrative Manager Rochelle Stackhouse, Senior Director of Programs Geraldine Wang, Senior Fellow, Strategic
Advancement Emilio Weber, Project Associate
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Mr. G. Edward Hughes, Ph. D Chair
Ms. Barbara Abrajano The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows Dr. Brad R. Braxton Mr. Mark Constantine, Ph. D Ms. Jennifer Correia, Secretary Mr. Paul Edmondson, Esq. Ms. Elise Edwards, Ph. D Mr. Marco Federico, Treasurer Ms. Lynn Hunt Gray, Esq. Mr. Jorge L. Hernandez, AIA Mr. Dave Kirwan, Vice Chair Ms. Rosa Lowinger The Most Rev. Denis J. Madden Mr. Mark McDonald Mr. Taylor Steele Mr. Robin E. Whitehurst, FAIA
1700 Sansom Street, 10th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19103 partners @ sacredplaces. org www. sacredplaces. org 215.567.3234
SACRED PLACES • SUMMER 2025 5