When a church ceases to meet, its dissolution process should already be detailed in the church’s articles of incorporation or bylaws, said Jim Swedenburg, director of the office of Cooperative Program and stewardship development for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM).
Under Internal Revenue Service regulations, in order for a church to be a nonprofit organization and accept charitable contributions, it must have articles of incorporation and bylaws (a constitution could substitute as well). Those documents should have a section called “distribution of assets in the event of dissolution,” which should clearly state how the property would be handled in the event the church ceased to operate as a corporate entity, Swedenburg said.
Churches are prohibited from selling everything and dividing the money among members. So if there’s not a continuing ministry planned, the most common choice has been for the property to go to the local association, Swedenburg said.
Local association
“It may be that the association won’t choose to have a church there, but it gives them a chance to bring in a church plant, house a food panty or continue ministry in that location in some way,” he said.
Another option that has gained strength in recent years is to make the property available to another church to rebirth a church in the same location. In such cases another church or new leadership might take the building along with any debts or financial obligations and hit the reset button, so to speak.
That’s what happened at First Baptist Church, DeArmanville, in Anniston, in Calhoun Baptist Association. After years of financial difficulty the church partnered with Parker Memorial Baptist Church, Anniston, in 2014 to take over the declining church.
In January, Parker Memorial DeArmanville Campus officially launched with a new pastor and a new approach to ministry. The church’s average worship attendance has grown from about 35 active members to more than 115, with one recent Sunday seeing 137 in attendance. Sunday School has grown from 19 to 89 regular participants. Most of the new faces were previously unchurched, said Pastor Joey Bentley, who is optimistic for the future of the church.
“We are still monitoring church growth but there is a lot of energy around here right now,” he said.
Such a move falls under “church revitalization ministry” and the process is very intentional, Swedenburg said. It’s not only a ministry transfer but a business transaction as well so it has to go through the legal process. Once the process is completed the church is reborn, he said.
“It may have a new name and maybe a new staff. It may minister to a different racial, ethnic or socioeconomic group. But the church continues to serve that area as a church,” Swedenburg said.
While revitalization or merging congregations sounds like a good solution for churches in decline, such moves are rare in rural communities for one major reason — cemeteries.
For example in Cleburne County there are a handful of churches that have very few in attendance, said Larry Riddle, director of missions for Cleburne Baptist Association. He has approached some about combining with other churches, but the main reason they reject that option is the graveyard.
“In Cleburne County, almost without exception, every church has a graveyard. Grandmomma and granddaddy are buried there and they don’t want to leave that place,” Riddle said.
Lamar Duke, lead strategist in SBOM’s office of associational missions and church planting, said that in such cases he talks to church leadership about the legacy of the past and the legacy they wish to leave for the future.
“We celebrate what this church has meant in the past, but we ask how the church is going to perpetuate that faith legacy that has been part of the church’s history for all this time,” Duke said. “Some just don’t want to entertain any idea of looking different than they have in the past, but occasionally I’ll talk to a church that wants to leave a legacy for the next generation.”
Churches go through a lifecycle of effectiveness, Swedenburg said. A church is most effective about 10 years into its ministry. However, over a 15–25 year period, if the church doesn’t adapt to its community, it may not thrive.
“If a church fails to clarify its purpose and remake itself as it goes along, it often ends up ministering only to the ones that founded the church which does not lead to growth,” Swedenburg said.
Duke said he has lots of stories where church leaders evaluate their future and decide they are not willing to change. They refuse to see that their ability to reach people in their community is going to require a different approach, he said.
Willing to change
“There’s no way revitalization can happen without some changes, and I believe God will hold them responsible for the assets they have gathered there that aren’t being used to reach people for Him,” Duke said.
For churches in decline the best strategy is to sit down with associational leadership and discuss options, said Rick Barnhart, director of SBOM’s office of associational missions and church planting.
“Quick action gives the church and the association time to consider the future of the property,” Barnhart said.
Associational leadership can assist with revitalization plans, determine if the property is a good place for a church plant or discuss merger options with other churches in the community. Though the decisions are difficult, ultimately it is an issue of stewardship, Barnhart said.
“No one wants to be the last person to lock the doors. The key is to steward the transition from one group who has wisely built this facility and is now generously passing it to the next generation who will reach that community for Christ.”
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