Presbyterian

Valley Forge Presbyterian Church in Pennsylvania is converting its vacant former chapel and nursery school into 20 affordable apartments, a $6.2 million project it owns and a housing association will manage.

Sanctuary Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale is part of a plan for a 12-storey, 340-unit building with up to a third affordable homes, as developers seek out church land across South Florida, CBS News Miami reported.

Greenville’s Second Presbyterian Church, grown from 400 to more than 750 members, plans a $10 million downtown expansion funded by donations, parking income and a loan, ending with a 900-seat sanctuary.

The United Church of Canada transferred Seodaemun House, a 1921 missionary residence in Seoul, and two other properties to the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea in 1974 instead of selling them.

A Releven symposium heard that 144 of Edmonton’s 476 faith buildings run at a deficit, while churches such as St Paul’s Lutheran and Westmount Presbyterian have already added homes, and researchers called faith groups Canada’s second-largest landholders.

Vancouver council considered a motion in 2024 to help churches and faith groups, which own significant tax-exempt land but often lack development expertise, turn property into affordable housing, following projects like Central Presbyterian’s 213-home tower.

A Samoan Presbyterian church in Papatoetoe, South Auckland, which bought its grounds for $980,000 in 1993, sold about 16,500 square metres for around $20 million for about 100 homes and a new church.

The Lighthouse Presbyterian Church in Welcome Bay, Tauranga, offered its 8,106 square metres of commercial-zoned land for sale by tender, with Bayleys agents citing potential for apartments, townhouses, retail and offices.