41 Apartments Above the Education Wing: Canadian Lutheran Churches Turn Their Buildings Into Affordable Homes

• St Peter’s Lutheran Church in Kitchener is building 41 apartments above its former education wing
• The project received more than $14 million from regional, provincial and federal governments
• Faith Lutheran in Hamilton sold its building to the housing charity Indwell for about half its market value
• St Mark’s Lutheran in Kitchener has been converted into 43 affordable apartments

Lutheran congregations in Ontario are working with Indwell, a Christian housing charity, to turn underused church buildings into affordable homes, Canadian Affairs reported in April 2025.

At St Peter’s Church in Kitchener, 41 apartments are being built above the former education wing. Construction began in autumn 2023 and was due to finish in summer 2025, with more than $14 million from the Region of Waterloo and the provincial and federal governments. The idea grew from a discovery in 2018 of a family living in an air vent behind the church. “It galvanized us as a community and as people of faith,” said Pastor Mark Ehlebracht.

In Hamilton, Faith Lutheran Church sold its 9,000-square-foot building and land to Indwell in 2024 for about $1.2 million, roughly half its market value, and the congregation merged with three other Lutheran churches to form Trinity Lutheran. In Kitchener, Indwell has already turned St Mark’s Lutheran Church into 43 affordable apartments.

Indwell was founded in 1974 and serves 1,300 people in seven Ontario communities through 30 housing projects with support programmes. “Affordable and supportive housing is our niche,” said chief operating officer Chris Finkbiner. The report also noted that about 9,000 of Canada’s 27,000 churches may close by 2030 because of falling membership and maintenance costs.

For Jamaican churches, and Caribbean congregations in Canada, the Lutheran approach offers a model: partner with a specialist housing charity, use government funding, and accept a discounted price in exchange for homes that serve the mission. Churches with unused halls or wings can add value without giving up worship entirely, while a sale below market to a trusted partner can still leave the congregation better off than an empty, costly building.

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