How to Give Back to Your Local Community Through Church Real Estate Ownership

We’ve all heard the popular line: “Preach the gospel always. When necessary, use words.” As individuals, we can implement this through our actions and decisions. But what about as a church?

How can we “preach the gospel” and build the Kingdom of God as a church apart from traditional Sunday services and community outreach? One of the most surprising (and effective) ways our team at Ministry Solutions Group has found a church can have a Christ-centered impact on their community is with their buildings. 

Church real estate is one of the great overlooked resources that believers can use to push forward their God-given missions and help reach the world with the Gospel. One way we can do this is by utilizing our actual church buildings for things like childcare programs, community centers, and coffee shops. 

But the concept of activating your buildings for more than Sunday services doesn’t stop there.

Thinking Bigger Than a Sanctuary

When you have a big church, you already have a lot of real estate potential you can tap into. You can set up your own weekday initiatives or work with organizations that can use your building during the week, as was the case when Chase Oaks Church collaborated with Pathways Learning Academy to set up a learning center this past summer.

Did you know that it’s okay to think bigger than your current building, though? Your real estate activities can go outside of your own four walls. 

One way that could happen is through an office building. Consider a growing church that purchases a space in a larger structure. Why stop there? If you have a clear vision and strategy in place, it may make sense to purchase the entire complex, rent out the extra spaces, and use that income to pay for your church’s mortgage or rental costs.

Larger churches could even aim for something really big, like a mall or an event center. National Community Church did this when they turned a Navy Yard Car Barn into a state-of-the-art event center that doubled as a conference hall and corporate event space.

Developing a Kingdom-Minded Business Community

The advantages of thinking “big impact” with your church real estate are bigger than you might think. There is the obvious ongoing benefit of supplementing your tithes and offerings with a steady income. This can turn your buildings into assets that pour into your ministry instead of vice versa.

On top of that, when you own a larger space and have commercial spaces for rent, you can have a say in who operates out of those spaces. You can use the natural cycle of leases as a way to invite faith-focused and Kingdom-building enterprises to work alongside you. 

This facilitates Kingdom building, whether it’s through a Christian chiropractor, a God-honoring retailer, or anything in between. The best part is that it positively impacts your community, too, preaching the gospel to them through the actions of sound business practices and faith-honoring professional collaborations.

Giving Back to Your Local Community Through Your Real Estate Strategy

Preach the gospel always. When necessary, use words. This encouragement applies to your church as well as yourself. How is your church impacting your community through quiet yet impactful things like real estate?

If you’re looking for ways to improve your church’s impact on your local community but aren’t sure how to proceed, our team at Ministry Solutions Group can help. All we need is some basic information from you, and we’ll set up a no-cost consultation where we can begin to explore how your church can use not just its people and finances but its buildings to reach the world and build the Kingdom.