was a Sunday school teacher, sang in the choir, and for 20 years was the organist and pianist. She said what helped the most was the church’s connectedness during the last years. “The last two years we were open no one left the church, and the majority of people came to worship every Sunday. We were one big, well, small family,” she said.
Additional fellowship opportuni- ties were planned so people could gather and talk about what was happening. There was also a home- coming Sunday in which past mem- bers returned to commemorate the church. “It was really helpful to real- ize that this was everybody going through a death, with the whole grieving process,” Sindelar said. Gafjken noted that “one thing we can do is help [congregations] find space for lament. Just remind- ing them that we are a Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday kind of people and that there is always promise on the other side of death, whatever death is.”
Among the more positive out- comes of a closure is when a church uses its remaining resources for a greater purpose, Eaton said. “Some congregations say, ‘We’re going to take this difficult, self-sacrificial step of realizing we can’t function anymore on our own, but what can we do to take our resources and make them available to the greater church?’ ” she said.
That’s what Martin
Luther Church in Canton, Ohio, did. When Tim Muse came to serve the congrega- tion in February 2007 it was working on a $70,000 bud- get deficit with $160,000 in endowments. Despite the average attendance of 75, funds were insufficient to
maintain the cost of the downtown building, not to mention support of outreach or evangelizing ministries. “When we came to the point when we realized sustaining minis- try was no longer an option, we had two choices: close down the building and hand over the keys to the bishop, or divest ourselves of the property and turn it into a liquid asset to do something for the sake of ministry,” Muse said. The congregation decided to sell the building and join with Holy Trin- ity Lutheran in north Canton. Money from the sale was spread out to sup- port local ministries, with a large portion going to Holy Trinity. Muse said, “It’s important for any congregation that is really struggling financially to say, ‘Let’s be honest about where we are and see that this can be a positive experience.’ ” If anyone can attest to this state-
ment, it’s Bethlehem Lutheran Church, formerly located in Port- land, Ore. In 2010 the congrega- tion faced the reality that it could no longer support its church home. Members met with Solveig Nilsen- Goodin, their interim pastor, in Janu- ary 2011 to prioritize three things: a pastor or spiritual leader, programs and the property. Overwhelmingly, the property came in last. Basing
its decisions
More than 1,000 ELCA churches have closed over the past 10 years, some merging with others, some simply shutting their doors and members dispersing.
January 2013 27
Coming soon Resurrection wonders: Congrega- tions that appeared doomed find a renewed sense of purpose and energy in their community—a new niche of ministry and vitality.
on the result of this exercise, the congregation graciously handed the building over to the Oregon Synod to benefit the greater church. Mem- bers continued to gather as a group for worship at other local ELCA churches, and they now are working to discern their unique calling as a congregation.
Among things the group feels
called to do is to help other con- gregations who must give up their church homes. “In going through this process, they have experienced the joy of being part of the larger church, and they want to share this with other congregations who are fearful and sad,” said Nilsen- Goodin, who is now a part-time con- sultant for the congregation. “One reason they are able to be so encouraging and supportive is that they have been so intentional and courageous about asking the questions ‘What are we going to faithfully do with the building?’ and ‘What are we going to faithfully do with ourselves?’ ”
CHRIS OCKEN
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