You may have heard about the controversy regarding the sale of the former St. Mark's building in Warren. The decision to close the church was made a few years ago and the property was offered for sale in 2010. After the sale of the parish house, the church itself sat on the market gathering no offers. When an offer was received, with assurances that the building was going to maintained, the diocese began the process of completing the sales agreement. In the time between the signing of the sales agreement and the closing, the buyers announced the possibility of demolishing the structure, which raised a great deal of alarm in the community. The diocese, realtor, Preservation Society, former parishioners and neighbors worked together to find a creative solution that makes sure that does not happen. At this date, it looks like a satisfactory outcome is assured for everyone involved as the sales contract has been assigned to another buyer who is dedicated to preserving the structure.

But the whole process raises a number of issues that you probably want to keep in mind as you carry out your ministry of stewardship. 

• As you talk to prospective buyers be sure that you are comfortable with what they are planning to do with the property they are purchasing. 
• Remember that you can place conditions on the sale of property regarding its use and disposition, though that may lower the price that you expect to receive from the buyer.
• Consult with the diocese before you start the process; remember that you need the Bishop and Standing Committee approval to buy, sell or get a mortgage on ANY property your church owns.
• Keep the community involved and informed as much as possible throughout the process. 
• If controversy arises, frame a positive story and use just one or two spokespersons to keep the message consistent. The diocesan Communications Director can help you do this.

You might want to encourage people to think of alternatives to selling a property. Sts. Matthew and St. Mark was able to find a church tenant for St. Mark's property in Riverside that has kept the building functioning as a worship center and provided necessary income to the community. Perhaps there's a non-profit group that would be interested in using the rectory or the parish hall as their offices and meeting space. Perhaps there's another denomination that would like to partner with you to try an "out of the box" ministry in the community or try a church plant. Talk with other Episcopal congregations in your area to see if there is a ministry you might do together that would use the building.

Being good stewards of our building assets is more than just taking care of them for today's use. We need to think about how to preserve them for future generations or, if necessary, how to entrust them to others. And we need to think about of more creative building uses, partnerships and ways to maximize the benefit these assets bring to the church and larger community.