Navigating faith property transitions with purpose: Our March FCI Forum

What should faith communities do with buildings – or land – standing empty or under-used? That's the subject of our next FCI Forum, writes FaithInvest's Susie Weldon

We've got a fascinating FCI Quarterly Forum coming up in March which will focus on a challenge common to all faith traditions across the world: How to manage shrinking membership and buildings that are ageing – and perhaps no longer needed?

Faith groups own a great many buildings and many of them will occupy prime real estate locations – for example, city or town centres. Which begs a question: Could faith groups capitalise on the value in their real estate assets by redeveloping some buildings or land to provide an extra source of income through a cafe, conference centre or hotel? Should they sign buildings over to the local community to provide services? Or they should they sell their outdated buildings to raise funds for other projects?

The latter is a tempting thought but could a short-term gain lead to a long-term loss? As populations fluctuate, would a city centre building once considered defunct become necessary at some point in the future to meet the needs of a new congregation?

'These questions show just how difficult these decisions can be,' says Dave Zellner, FaithInvest Executive Chair.

'This forum – our first for 2026 – brings together practitioners to share their experience and provide guidance for leaders navigating church property transitions. In this session you'll learn how to recognise when it is time to explore alternatives – and who should be part of that conversation.'

Our speakers will reiterate that it is never too early to discuss alternative property uses, says Zellner: 'Even thriving faith communities should constantly be considering whether they are getting the highest and best use of their properties. And it is imperative that faith leaders engage very early with their neighborhood and community to include them in discussions regarding alternative uses.'

Other topics to be covered in the forum include:

• The range of options available, from selling to retaining ownership and repurposing for community use

• How to assess the true value of a strategically located property and when to engage real estate professionals

• How to ensure the new use reflects your congregation's values and serves your community

• Common pitfalls to avoid and realistic expectations for timeline and success

Our panelists include:

• Rev Mark Elsdon, a social entrepreneur, author, ordained Presbyterian minister and co-founder of RootedGood, which supports faith-based leaders navigating property development, social enterprise, and impact investing.

• Revd Graham Singh, Founder and CEO, Relèven, a global charity and fund manager aimed at transforming community-owned properties into new and impactful vocations, and an ordained minister in the Anglican Church of Canada.

• Trent Sparrow, Manager, Impact Investments, Wespath Benefits and Investments, the pension and benefits agency of the United Methodist Church, which manages nearly $26 billion in assets. He oversees its Positive Social Purpose Lending Program, which has invested over $2 billion in affordable housing since 1990.

• Our moderator is FaithInvest's Catherine Devitt.

The Forum is on Thursday 5 March 2026, at 10am New York / 3pm London.

Our lively and active Faith-Consistent Investing (FCI) Forum meets online every quarter to discuss issues facing faith-based asset owners. These are short (usually 45-minute), focused and solutions-oriented meetings that are open to subscribers to our network.  ​