How do you find a building for a new urban church – in a big crowded city with lots of zoning rules and few places to move? What do you properly do with a building that’s way too big for your now small-sized city congregation? How do you save a church building from re-zoning, re-developing or the wrecking ball? Why such a concern about church buildings anyway?

While the debate over whether the church is the people, or the building, will rage on interminably, it is clear that we need places to worship in our crowded cities. And some will maintain that we need great and beautiful places to carry our spirits to God’s heights, and speak of the heavenlies to a self-consumed urban world. What’s plain is the constant need for physical places to meeting, teaching and worship.

God’s grace and peace today,
Roger Johnson, Editor – CityVoices

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For Sale -- $360,000, 1658 W. Superior, Chicago, Illinois 60622

Contact: Amy Thompson, RE/MAX Northcoast (773) 671-7804

2 bedrooms / 2 baths, 1600 + square feet, 13’ ceilings, exposed brick, enormous master suite, tremendous light (18 windows throughout), designer kitchen w / stainless appliances, maple cabinets, maple floors in living areas, private deck, covered parking space, approximately ½ mile from Division Street El stop

The Chicago Tribune ad sounds like a pretty fair deal for a great piece of urban real estate in the city’s up-and-coming Ukrainian Village neighborhood. Who wouldn’t be attracted by aesthetically pleasing 13’ ceilings and lots of light from 18 windows? It’s the kind of place young urban “go-getters” pray for!

In fact, 1658 W. Superior Street is a building where generations of Chicago’s German immigrant population did pray in. Aged limestone above the corner entrance at Superior and Paulina still bears the indelible inscription of “Erste Deutsche Baptist Kirche,” or First German Baptist Church of Chicago. Built sometime in the middle of the nineteenth century, the sturdy structure still stands, now stronger than ever thanks to megabucks poured in by 21st century housing developers. But it will never again be home to a viable worshipping congregation in Chicago. It’s simply too valuable to the Cook County Assessor’s Office as a “tax-paying customer.”

Each of us can cite example after example of solid urban church buildings, shuttered for one reason or another, then either demolished for new commercial construction, or renovated as restaurants, studios, office parks, or in most cases, elegant and historic housing units. Eighteen “out of business” Roman Catholic churches in Montreal alone have gone commercial within the past three years. While the new uses may be creative, the truth is that city churches are losing much of their best urban real estate, never to be reclaimed.

What’s to be done about it? In many cases nothing can be done about it. Economic realities or even “eminent domain” rulings by city governments are taking precedence. But in other cases, city churches must become more pro-active, not only in maintaining good buildings at good locations, but also as they seek to find new city real estate for expanding ministry needs.

A variety of articles follow. Some focus on specific cases (as the Superior Street condo above), but others are conceptual, and even theological in nature. The urban church must be sure of its mission in the city as never before. As we clarify our nature and mission, we can then know where our sanctuaries, classrooms, offices and gymnasiums belong in the larger scheme of city life.

Roger Johnson, CityVoices, 1242 W. Addison Street, Chicago, Illinois 60613, ph: (773) 477-8163, roger@cityvoices.com

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The Church and the City

By M. Francis Mannion, (excerpted from First Things, February 2000)

Since the official validation of Christianity in the fourth century, ecclesiastical leaders have built places of worship in central and highly visible locations. They were not motivated just by grandeur and power. In addition, they sensed that, to be authentic, Christian presence in the world must be public. For over 1,500 years, church buildings have been central and unifying elements in the configurations of cities, towns, and villages. Though in a world of skyscrapers and office towers churches are no longer so prominent, the public role of church buildings to sacramentalize the heavenly city and redeem the earthly one remains critically important and demands new and compelling expression. …

The city is the repository of common memories (which is why people love old cities). The city symbolizes deeds and achievements not yet possible (which is why we love bustling cities and dislike dull ones). At its most humane, the city is not a faceless or shapeless amalgam, but a patterned and harmonious ordering of household, neighborhood, public institution, and civic center. In the good city, industry and commerce, education and intellectual pursuit, religion and spiritual expression, art and festival coexist dynamically and interconnectedly. A city that ignores nature becomes a machine; a city that crowns nature is glorious. …

In the Western world for nearly two millennia, great urban churches have played a crucial role in unifying the heavenly and earthly cities. If in the Church the heavenly city descends to earth, then in the Church also the earthly city is raised up, its sight lifted to heaven. The liturgy of the Church is the embodiment on earth of the life and language of the heavenly city. …

(Theologian John) Baldovin describes how in medieval Jerusalem, Rome, Constantinople, and many other cities where Christianity formed the symbolic basis for social life, worship was not confined to the neighborhood church. "It was public; it acclaimed the society’s connectedness with the sacred; it made the streets and plazas sacred places in addition to the churches and shrines." Even more significantly, Baldovin says, "the early churches were not only part of the city, they represented it. They were a miniature representation of public life." The early Christian church building, the basilica, "did not separate Christians from the city, like a kind of sacred oasis, but rather brought the city and its concerns into the church." St. Augustine could say: "The house of God is itself a city."

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Zoning Issues for City Churches

(Adapted From Liberty Online, September-October 1999)

Storefront churches, which often locate in commercial areas, often run into zoning roadblocks. In 1990 the city of Minneapolis passed a law designed to curb the number of storefront churches opening in the downtown area. City officials said they want the space to be used by taxpaying businesses.

Chicago has a similar law banning churches from manufacturing areas. A few years ago 50 storefront churches in Chicago joined forces to challenge the law, citing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a federal law passed by Congress in 1993. But the law was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1997, choking off that avenue of legal attack.

So why are city churches suddenly having so much trouble over zoning? Part of the answer may be the changing nature of how Americans live. Older cities often have residential and commercial areas that abut, and it's not uncommon to see a church in the mix, just as one might see a barbershop or a dental office.

But the suburbs, where increasing numbers of Americans live, are quite different. Many suburban residents are used to a clear demarcation line between commercial and residential areas, the latter marked by quiet cul-de-sacs, well-kept lawns, and driveways housing shiny sport utility vehicles. People in these neighborhoods don't want to see that line crossed, perhaps fearing it would open a floodgate for other types of development and make their tranquil neighborhoods more like the noisy cities they deliberately chose not to live in.

Then there’s the "not in my backyard" syndrome. Church attendance in America remains high, and Americans remain one of the most religious peoples on the globe. So the problem is not that Americans have suddenly turned against religion. Americans want churches to attend; they just don't necessarily want them too close to their homes.

"The change has been gradual," says John Mauck, a Chicago attorney who helps churches deal with zoning issues. "There are several reasons. Church attendance patterns have changed from the '50s and '60s. People used to attend church in the neighborhood. Now people don't feel a need to live that close together. They'll drive past 30 or 40 churches to get to the one they feel they should be attending."

At the same time, Mauck notes, zoning laws are becoming increasingly complex, and people are demanding that nothing come into their neighborhoods that might depress property values. As a result, churches are often finding they have nowhere to go. "To really simplify it," Mauck says, "there are three zoning areas: residential, commercial, and manufacturing. Manufacturing says: 'Churches don't belong here because we don't want them complaining about our noise and smoke.' Commercial areas say: 'We don't want them interrupting our business community and competing with us for the best visibility. They belong in the residential zones.' Residential people are saying: 'We want peace and quiet; we don't want traffic and neighborhood residential discontinuity.' Those are the factors."

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The Urban Church: Symbol and Reality

(John Shelby Spong was Episcopal Bishop of Newark, New Jersey. Among his bestselling books are “Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism,” and “Why Christianity Must Change or Die: A Bishop Speaks to Believers in Exile.” He retired in early 2,000 to become a lecturer at Harvard University. Below are excerpts from his article that appeared in the Christian Century September 12, 1984.)

There is a powerful political dimension to the present reality of our cities. The demise of so many of them has not been the result of an accident or of some inexorable force of history, but has come about because of consciously made political decisions. …

Super highways built with public money allowed suburban commuters to put larger and larger distances between themselves and the stresses of city life. As a result, the core cities were slowly reduced to near-bankruptcy, becoming communities of the poor, of the elderly and of ethnic minorities at the bottom of the socioeconomic system. They became dwelling places for those requiring the greatest number of social services, just as the necessary tax base to pay for those services eroded. …

During times of economic expansion and industrial growth, old city plants were often not modernized. Rather, new factories were built, usually on the outskirts of small towns in heretofore rural America. Industry became decentralized. During economic downturns, businesses tried to curb expansion and cut expenses by shutting down the older, more heavily taxed and less efficient central city plants. This raised urban unemployment to higher and higher levels, creating an atmosphere of hopelessness and despair. ….

Our cities have been in a relentless depression. As technological advances have continued and our national economy has evolved, and as we have shifted into a computerized informational society, the old industrial cities have once again paid the primary price. The clean industries of the informational society have added to the wealth of the South and the West, drawing in the educated and the affluent, while leaving behind the less adaptable industrial workers.

Church structures are still visible, congregations still meet for worship, and life is still lived in our cities. That life may be broken, distorted, angry or even hopeless, but it goes on. No matter how hidden or how dim, the Kingdom of God is still present. Some people tend to denigrate urban church activity, calling it a Band-Aid ministry. I do not share their point of view. I recognize that many of the things we do deal with are symptoms rather than causes of the urban plight, but I also believe that when people are hurt and bleeding, Band-Aids are better than nothing; that some hope is better than no hope; that a dim sign of God’s presence in the city is better than no sign. I rejoice that the urban church is a place where people still gather to share victories and defeats, little successes and quiet achievements. Patching one another’s wounds is no small accomplishment.

Urban life is not beautiful. Garbage collection is generally poor. Trash litters the streets. Many homes are in poor repair, and some are abandoned bits of dilapidation. Many city people are so depressed that they deliberately fill their lives with ugliness, as an unconscious commentary on the way they feel valued by others. Consequently, it is especially important that city churches be places of beauty. Their liturgies ought to be sensitive and magnificent.

Money spent to beautify urban houses of worship is not wasted, for beauty is a gift that the poor covet. Their churches need to bear witness to the power of beauty, and to the sense of caring communicated by clean, sparkling sanctuaries, naves and exteriors. A broken-down church filled with the musty odor of dry rot, made inconvenient by a leaking roof, and defaced by torn, moldy or faded altar hangings cannot bear adequate witness to the God of the resurrection. Great churches of the past, with expensive maintenance needs, are the legacy we have bequeathed to urban dwellers. When we fill these churches with poorly prepared liturgies and shallow, inane preaching, we add to the urban poor’s sense of being surrounded by a noncaring, nonvaluing world. Urban church structures need to shine as centers of beauty, as symbols of hope, as signs of the Kingdom. They need to be living parables of God’s caring.

The Christian church must stay in the city not because it can solve all the problems that city life raises; though it dare not ignore those problems. We must stay in the city not because we can bring about all of the political, economic and social changes needed, though we must never cease to labor toward those goals. But our primary vocation in the city is simply to be the church, a community of self-conscious Christians. The church is a presence, an outpost of the Kingdom of God, a light in the darkness, which the darkness can never extinguish or overwhelm. Our vocation is to be ourselves. Someday the Christians of the suburbs, the towns and the hamlets will recognize that this witness is deeply important to them. Then perhaps the whole church will place its resources where the need is, not because we are generous but because our integrity as the people of God requires it.

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Squeezed Out: Zoning battles make churches feel unwelcome

by Eric Reed, adapted from Leadership Journal, Summer 2003

The low point in the battle may have been when longtime resident Mary Crowder stood before the city council and told the Cottonwood Christian Center to "get the hell out of Cypress." At the same meeting, her husband of 49 years spoke on the church's behalf: "When you buy something, you ought to be able to build on it."

Or the low point may have been when the plan was first hatched. The city of Cypress, California, would condemn a prime piece of commercial property, 18 acres the church had purchased to build a new facility, and sell the land instead to retail warehouse club Costco.

With that simple move, the city would keep the acreage on the tax rolls and it would produce millions in revenue. The church, which pays no property taxes and generates no sales taxes, could move somewhere else. It wasn't that simple. The war in Cypress, which ended in February 2003, after a bitter court fight and finally an impressive land-swap, was played out on local television like the strike on Iraq—wall-to-wall coverage of bloody conflict and divided public opinion. Only this war was a lot longer—three years.

In many cities, churches are feeling squeezed out. Petra Presbyterian Church met in space rented from a Lutheran church for six years. Now they own a former office/warehouse on four acres in Northbrook, Illinois, but Northbrook's rules forbid churches in all but one of its 23 zones. The city says the building was not designed for crowds. So Petra's 175 parishioners are meeting in the parking lot.

Molalla Christian Center was told by the Clackamas, Oregon, county planning director that their new 10-acre site was zoned for agricultural use, because of its prime "Aloha 1A" soil. Permits denied, although exceptions would be made for community centers, wedding facilities, golf courses, and wineries. After six months of legal maneuvering, the county relented.

Evanston Vineyard Christian Fellowship has met in rented facilities since Steve Nicholson and Bill Hanawalt founded it in 1976. In 1997, the congregation of 700 decided it was time to leave the local high school auditorium and find a home of their own. They located an empty office building and made plans to convert it into worship, administration, and meeting space. The building is in the business district of Evanston, an upscale North Shore suburb of Chicago. Evanston is home to Northwestern University and a large number of other non-profit entities, which, at least in part, is the rub.

Two days before the church closed on the deal, the city denied their request for a zoning variance. Hanawalt believed they could persuade Evanston otherwise and proceeded with the purchase. Evanston refused. Eventually, the church filed suit. Nicholson says, "It used to be that most churches were neighborhood churches that people walked to, so the zoning codes put all these little churches in residential areas. That's not the way church happens anymore. The church is reinventing itself. It does things all week long and needs parking. If the church has to move out of residential areas, only commercial or industrial areas are left. That means the church starts fighting with the city over their prime tax-producing locations."

Evanston Vineyard has taken heat for buying the property after the city said no to their zoning change. "We've tried not to make it antagonistic more than necessary," Nicholson responds. "We've tried to keep a peaceful demeanor." And the pastor doesn't fault city leaders for their stance. "We have to keep perspective. It's a symptom of a society-wide thing. A lot of churches are coming into conflict with government right now because the way we do church has changed—and now we're presenting the bill to the city. It's not that they're suddenly anti-God; it's that we don't fit the mold anymore."

"We're in the process of building up case law, and legal precedents are important," former city planner and church expert Lyle Schaller told Leadership. "What's happening across the country is piece by piece, state by state, churches are saying we need to get a definitive judicial ruling that can be the precedent so nobody else has to go down the road we've had to go down."

It's Schaller's observation that a small, but growing number of church leaders are advocating going to court. "If you have a case that is legally defensible, go ahead and purchase the property, apply for the permits and zoning, and if you don't get it, sue. If you don't have a good recent case in that state, you need to establish one," he said. “But, you can go to court and you'll probably win, and it will cost you three years and $3 million. That's why churches back down."

The more conventional route is the one attributed to Jesus, the blessed peacemakers. Before building or filing for permits, invite the neighbors and politicians in for coffee. "You reduce the potential opposition simply by being neighborly and by sharing full information, by having your own 'public hearings,'" Schaller said. "Then do the same kind of public relations with the local officials, showing by your polite politicking that you'll make reasonable adjustments. "You'll want to demonstrate that you'll be a good citizen. In this way, the cheapest way to fight is don't fight."

In Evanston, meanwhile, the Vineyard continues to meet at a local high school, until a court-appointed arbitrator determines the amount of damages the church will receive and final permits are issued for their renovation. Pastor Nicholson said they're waiting for the last judgment before they move in. "It takes a long time to get justice in America."

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Converted: Houses of Worship Become Homes of Distinction

(Adapted from The Boston Globe, by Doreen Iudica Vigue, May 11, 2003)

St. Peter and Paul's Church in South Boston will be busy next Sunday. But instead of drawing the faithful to Mass, the 155-year-old granite structure will be showcasing 36 luxury condos that have been carved out of the space. The prices are no drop in the collection basket, ranging from $275,000 for a tiny studio to $1.3 million for the penthouse, which comes with bell tower access - bell included.

Real Estate broker Patrick Lynch says, ''A place like this would not appeal to everyone as a place to live, given its sacred past. But I think it's a great thing to have new life here. This church could have been a methadone clinic or office space, but the neighbors fought for it to become a place to live, a new kind of community. We all think it's the best use for a place once so important to so many people.''

Built by Irish immigrants in 1848, St. Peter and Paul’s Church, now renamed 45 West Broadway, is just the latest example of a church redevelopment. For several years, churches have steadily come onto the real estate market as a dwindling number of parishioners and diminishing dollars force religious leaders to sell parochial schools, rectories, convents, and even churches themselves. Over the last 12 years, the Archdiocese of Boston has closed 35 church buildings, many of which have been turned into housing. Ten of them have closed in the last two years.

After deciding to sell a property, the archdiocese unsanctifies the church, removing all of the most sacred religious symbols, such as crucifixes, baptismal fonts, chalices, pews, and paintings of saints. The bishop issues a memo saying the church can now be ''turned over to profane uses.''
''The first thing people look for are location and amenities; the fact that it's a church building is a bonus, not a drawback for most people,'' said Lucas Garofalo, a broker at Re/Max Old South in the South End, who is listing a 737-square-foot condo at 2 Clarendon St., the former First Baptist Church. ''People want a landmark, they don't want cookie-cutter,'' he said. ''And because churches have such a strong connection to the history of a community, buyers love that.

Garofalo said that when First Baptist caught fire in the late 1970s, it stood vacant for years before
Renaissance Properties purchased it and took on the arduous task of renovating the structure from the inside out. The building was seven stories high, and steel trusses had to be lifted in by crane to support the new floors and walls. The church now houses 60 high-end condominiums, has an elevator, a concierge, and a communal roof deck offering lovely views of the skyline.

Renaissance worked hard to maintain what was left of the integrity of the church, and removed any overtly religious symbols so that prospective buyers would not be offended. The salvaged stained-glass windows have floral, not saintly designs, but the cross that has sat atop the church since it was built in 1869 remains.

As for the bell tower, it is part of the most expensive penthouse unit, which has exposed beams, a wine cellar, and a balcony. The tower itself could be renovated into yet another level of living space. What about the bell itself, which tolled for so many High Masses and holy send-offs for the dead? If the buyer wants the bell, it will stay. They can have themselves the biggest alarm clock in Boston.

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Finding a Place to Meet – No Easy Task!

(Adapted from The Portage Park Times, February 19, 2004)

On February 11th, civic leaders of Chicago’s northwest side Portage Park community met to circulate a petition. In nearly unanimous fashion, business owners, local politicians, and community residents demonstrated their opposition to the City of Chicago’s “special use permit” that would allow the Universal Church (a non-denominational Hispanic congregation) to operate out of the Portage Theater, a defunct Milwaukee Avenue movie house.

“They’re changing the function of the building from a public venue to a place of worship,” complained a former officer of the Portage Park Neighborhood Association. “We have a $20 million business development going in (on the street) and it took seven years to accomplish that.” With a large corner building being redeveloped for both condominiums and commercial use, residents are nervous that the church would conflict with the project.

So far, Universal Church (in its lease with the theater owner) has removed one of two movie screens and begun renovation to accommodate its Sunday morning and evening worship, also with Wednesday meetings. The local alderman has expressed his concern about remodeling without the “proper permits.” He knows the community does not support the church moving in, and expresses the same opinion himself.

What’s at work here? Fears of crowds and loss of parking space – certainly. Loss of a neighborhood landmark – of course. Economic and tax concerns – absolutely. Perhaps the troubling shift from a white Catholic neighborhood to a Hispanic Pentecostal style of worship as well. Other urban communities have used cinemas and movie theaters effectively for Sunday worship. But in some communities, the idea won’t fly without a good bit of conflict to iron out. Portage Park is just one of those urban communities where all sides of the spiritual equation must be addressed before new churches can simply move into facilities offered them.

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Thanks for Reading CityVoices!

Next month’s CityVoices newsletter focuses on Illinois’ old river city – Joliet. We’ll profile its history, image, and of course, its churches. We’ll ask how have things changed in recent years, and try to assess the impact of casinos on the town’s overall livelihood.

Remember to contact CityVoices for the very best in resources for city ministry. “Transforming Power,” by Robert Linthicum ($14), “The Expanded Mission of City Center Churches,” by Ray Bakke ($10) and “The Underclass,” by Ken Auletta ($14) can all be purchased by calling CityVoices at (773) 477-8163. Also, look through the Bookstore section of the CityVoices website (www.cityvoices.com) for a complete listing of all available resources.

Thank You!
Roger Johnson – Editor, CityVoices (Chicago)
1242 W. Addison Street, IL 60613-3825