$1.75 Million for a Closed Catholic Parish: Growing Evangelical Churches Are Buying the Buildings

• Victory City Church, an Assemblies of God congregation in Joliet, Illinois, bought the closed St Jude Catholic Parish for $1.75 million.
• International Christian Fellowship bought St Simeon Catholic Church in Bellwood for about $1.35 million.
• New Greater Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church bought St Louis the King Catholic Parish in Detroit for about $400,000.
• A church real estate broker said more than half of church properties are bought by another faith group.

As Catholic parishes close across the Midwest, other churches are moving into the buildings. Christianity Today reported on a series of sales in which evangelical congregations bought Catholic church properties.

In Joliet, Illinois, Victory City Church, an Assemblies of God congregation, bought St Jude Catholic Parish for $1.75 million after the parish was closed and merged into others by the local bishop. Copastor Rusty Railey said: “That facility will help us continue in our growth.” He added: “I just look at it as the kindness of the Lord to give it to us.” Bishop Ronald Hicks of Joliet said: “We have significantly less vocations to the priesthood, our active priests are aging…”

In Bellwood, International Christian Fellowship bought St Simeon Catholic Church for about $1.35 million. Rick Gonzalez of the fellowship said: “We welcomed them into the building and reassured them it’ll remain a church.” In Detroit, New Greater Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church bought St Louis the King Catholic Parish for about $400,000. Eddie J. Patterson said: “To be honest with you, I was really impressed with how the church was kept.”

The report put the sales in context. By some estimates, about 15,000 churches could close in the United States this year. Real estate broker Matt Messier’s company has sold around 3,000 churches over 50 years; more than half of church properties are bought by another faith group, and about 30 per cent of those sold undergo a complete change of use.

For Jamaican congregations looking for a home of their own, especially in the diaspora, this is a real market. Established churches with large buildings are closing, while newer, growing ones need space. A church buyer gets a building already designed for worship, often with parking and halls, which can be simpler than building from scratch. The questions are the same as with any purchase: the condition of the roof and systems, the running costs, and whether the neighbourhood and the zoning suit the congregation’s plans.

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