The numeric decline of American Christianity has been the most publicized religious story for my entire life. In recent years, more and more stories have focused on congregational closures. Just a few weeks ago, I featured Gone for Good? Negotiating the Coming Wave of Church Property Transition edited by Mark Elsdon as one of the top new books for the month of February.
Demo
Take a look at the image below. What do you see? What do you imagine is happening?
Shoreline
I took the above picture on March 1, 2024 toward the end of the demolition of what had been Shoreline City Church since 2016. The campus on Garland Road in East Dallas was originally built in 1955 as Garland Road Church of Christ and remained such until 1983 when that congregation moved North and was renamed. From 1983 until the purchase by Shoreline, the campus was owned by several non-denominational congregations.
Unlike many church demolition projects this isn’t a story of closure or even numeric decline. Instead, it is a story of continued growth. Numeric growth led Shoreline to this campus in 2016 and continued growth has led them further North to a new even larger campus in 2024. The congregation sold the buildings and land to a developer that is demolishing everything in order to prepare to build apartments. Notably these units will bring new housing to the area with a percentage set aside as affordable and the remainder rented at market rate.
So What?
We can expect more transition in church owned real estate in the decade ahead than in any decade in the last 100 years.
How will this impact your local community? Your congregation? You?