Real estate for Churches is often a tremendous blessing and a massive liability.

It is a blessing in that it provides a physical home for the congregation and most of the key Church events while also being an asset for the community for all kinds of community life and social good.

However, this asset is too often a millstone around the neck of a Church as they struggle to keep up with deferred maintenance, the volunteer hours siphoned away from mission and dedicated towards fundraisers for the new roof or cleaning the basement. 

We also see a problem within cities of isolation, loss of third spaces and few opportunities for intergenerational connection. Churches are to be places of belonging and could be a natural fit for a range of social-purpose partnerships (i.e. community hubs, affordable housing, the arts). While hundreds of Churches have explored opportunities to leverage their land for broader social purpose, very few have been successful. 

At Parish Properties we provide a hybrid approach that avoids selling the asset while at the same time leverages development to provide the necessary capital to pay for the upgrade of the space and enhance the mission of the church. 

We understand there is not a one size fits all plan. Some communities of faith are property rich and cash poor. They face dwindling attendance, shrinking cash reserves and spiraling expenses. Others recognize that, while financially healthy, their property isn’t stewarded to its full potential. Others are experiencing developers gentrifying their neighborhood and wonder how the parish can/should respond. At Parish Properties we provide a solution that allows the congregation to clarify its missional objectives, animate its presence in the neighbourhood while leveraging their land asset for mission. 

Our collaborative team of experts can help you as you discern what is next for your church, considering how the vision that is emerging can come to life in your neighborhood and involve your community in life-giving ways.

Our quadruple bottom line

We measure our success against what we call the quadruple bottom line. Each project would have different objectives centering around these four principles. Sample principles include respecting/restoring landmark assets, lowering your environmental footprint, creating a sustainability showpiece, improving neighbourhood connectivity, awakening spiritually to God’s mission in the neighbourhood and (almost invariably) being financially successful.