CHARLOTTE, N.C. (RNS) — Four years ago, the Rev. Matt Conner presented his congregation with a stark reality: Newell Presbyterian Church had about 18 months of financial solvency ahead. The time had come to seriously consider its future.
Chartered in 1890 in what was then a sleepy part of northeast Charlotte dotted with dairy farms and tobacco fields, the church grew, and then started a slow decline. These days about 50 people attend Sunday morning services and the church has an annual budget of $190,000.
But Newell Presbyterian has one asset increasingly in demand in the now bustling neighborhood of subdivisions and apartment complexes: land. The church sits on 9.5 acres, accumulated plot by plot by devoted church members who had long since passed on.
After forming a “dream team” to consider its options, the church recently voted to sell a 4.5-acre parcel to a nonprofit developer for the construction of 50 affordable townhomes right next to its sanctuary. Homeowners would have to earn 80% of the area median income (about $85,000 for a family of four) to qualify. The sale is expected to be inked in October.
Newell Presbyterian is one of hundreds of declining congregations with underutilized space, excess land, deteriorating buildings an …