When I started this business, I kept coming across research on the growing pressure on church buildings. The figures were difficult to ignore. The National Churches Trust’s Every Church Counts research estimates that 3,500 churches have closed across the UK in the last ten years.
That stayed with me, because once these buildings are gone, we’re unlikely ever to get many of them back. It was part of what motivated me to do something. I’d spent years learning how to make a church building generate meaningful income without losing sight of why it existed in the first place. I knew those skills couldn’t solve every problem facing the Church, but they could make a tangible difference to some of them.
The problem starts long before closure
Most of the churches I speak to aren’t about to close their doors. The situation is much less dramatic than that. But the underlying maths can still be uncomfortable. Costs are increasing, giving is under pressure and buildings require significant investment. If income doesn’t keep pace with those pressures, something has to change in the long term.
And what we stand to lose is much bigger than a building. Churches provide foodbanks, children’s groups, warm spaces, music, community activities and places where people gather at some of the most important moments of their lives. The National Churches Trust’s House of Good research estimates that UK churches enable £55 billion of social value every year, with more than £16 of social good created for every £1 invested in them.
The Church of England’s own research into struggling churches also makes the case for thinking about these questions earlier. Its Church Buildings Council has looked at 15 years of cases to understand why churches struggle and what might create a more sustainable future. Its guidance specifically encourages churches and dioceses to explore changes, partnerships and complementary uses before closure becomes the answer.
So perhaps we need to invest earlier
I think this is where we need to ask a slightly different question. When money is tight, spending it on developing new income can understandably feel risky. But waiting also carries risk.
While reserves exist, grants are available, and people still have the capacity to make change, there are still options. At Connective Vision, we can help you understand what a building could generate, explore which income opportunities suit it, bring in expertise where needed, and put the infrastructure in place for new income to grow.
That doesn’t mean every church should become a commercial venue, or that every building can become financially self-sufficient. Sometimes difficult decisions will still need to be made. But I think hundreds of buildings have more potential than is currently being realised.
And this is the bit I don’t want us to miss: the best time to explore that potential is while there is still time, money and capacity to do something with it.
Sometimes investing before the crisis is precisely what gives us more choices later.
Worried about the financial future of your space?
If you’re looking at the numbers and wondering what the next few years might hold, we offer free initial conversations to explore what might be possible and whether we’re the right people to work with.
We would love to hear from you, and explore if we may be the right solution for you. If you would like to find out more you can send us an email or book a call.