“A Property Management Organization”: A 10-Block Megachurch Campus Is Put Up for Sale as Attendance Falls

• First Baptist Church of Jacksonville’s campus covers 10 city blocks and 1.5 million square feet
• Average attendance fell from about 10,000 to 3,200
• Facilities took 53 per cent of the budget, with $37 million of repairs needed
• The church plans to consolidate to one block and satellite sites

A large Southern Baptist church in Florida is selling most of its downtown campus, The Christian Post reported in September 2019.

First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Florida, owns a campus covering 10 city blocks and about 1.5 million square feet. The church plans to consolidate onto one city block and use smaller satellite properties around the city. Average attendance had fallen from about 10,000 to 3,200 over a decade, and the downtown location was far from the areas where Jacksonville was growing.

The financial picture was stark. The church was spending about $5 million a year on maintenance, when it should have been spending about $7 million, and needed $37 million for facility repairs. Maintenance and deferred repairs were projected to reach $72 million by 2025. Facilities were consuming 53 per cent of the budget.

Senior Pastor Heath Lambert did not soften the message. “Our church is facing some truly significant challenges,” he said. “First Baptist Church is in cardiac arrest.” Referring to the size of the campus, he said: “The facts are nobody can afford that much space.” With so much of the budget going on buildings, he said, the church had become “a property management organization.”

The case is an extreme version of a common problem. Buildings put up for a congregation at its peak become a burden when numbers fall, and deferred maintenance compounds year after year until the choice is between selling and sinking.

Jamaican churches, especially large urban congregations with halls, schools and extra buildings, should track what share of their budget goes on property. When upkeep starts crowding out ministry, it may be time to sell, lease or share part of the estate. Acting early, while buildings still have value and choices remain, is far better than waiting for a crisis.

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