Church Legacy and Completion

You are not alone. You do not need to complete your church’s ministry and create its legacy alone. Learn more about the Living Legacy: Church Legacy and Closure resource, as well as other resources that can help guide you through the decisions and processes involved in church legacy and closure.

Living Legacy: Church Legacy & Closure Resource

“Change is present among us in the church. Change is challenging and may even be experienced as hardship as the changing landscape sets us adrift and even disrupts the narratives we hold for our lives and for the church.

Churches are closing after many years of vibrant active ministry and mission in a community. While distressing, the closure of the church is a time to remember and even celebrate the ministry of that church. Grief is real when a church is closing. There is sadness and loss, and yet there is the opportunity to celebrate and commemorate the accomplishments of the church through its years of existence. A church can be experienced as completing the mission and ministry it set out to do in the community and in the world.”

Excerpt from the opening message in the Living Legacy Resource by:
– Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ

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What is in the Living Legacy Resource?

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  • CHECKLIST for Legacy and Church Completion
  • GUIDELINES FOR CONVERSATIONS on church completion and legacy
  • DISCUSSION of the role of the pastor in church completion and legacy planning
  • ADVICE on Financial and Property decisions 
  • INFORMATION on Legal Issues and Concerns
  • STUDIESon current realities of church status in today’s culture
  • BIBLICAL REFLECTION for study and use in congregations
  • RESOURCES to help you address church completion and legacy
  • EXAMPLES of churches completing their ministries and legacies

Who is the Living Legacy Resource for?

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  • Church leaders, members, or pastors
  • Interim ministers or seminary students
  • Judicatories or national church leaders
  • Members of a judicatory or national committee

What people are saying about the Living Legacy Workbook  

“As we read in scripture and experience in creation around us; there are seasons of life and death in all things. This is true in the church as well. The Living Legacy resource is a trusted guide for the faithful journey of ending a season and closing a church. Connecting larger social changes to the realities of local congregations, this resource is packed with insight, encouragement, and practical support for churches that are closing and want to leave a beautiful, lasting legacy into the future.“

– Mark Elsdon, author of We Aren’t Broke: Uncovering Hidden Resources for Mission and Ministry, and editor of Gone for Good? Negotiating the Coming Wave of Church Property Transition

More Church Legacy and Closure Resources

Looking for more resources on Church Completion and Legacy? Check out these additional websites, books, videos, and blogs.

Featured Video Resource: Becoming Legendary – Church Legacy Building

Websites

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For more helpful websites and organizations check out the Resource Section in the Living Legacy Workbook.

Books

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  • Toward the Better Country: Church Closure and Resurrection, G. Irwin, Resource Publications, 2014.  
  • The Last Pastor: Faithfully Steering a Closing Church, G. Cafferata, Westminster John Knox, 2019.  
  • Facing Your Church’s Uncertain Future: Good Practices for Courageous Conversations & Faithful Decisions, D. Schoen, UCC CB&LF, 2018, UCCResources.com.  
  • Gone for Good? Negotiating the Coming Wave of Church Property Transition, M. Elsdon, editor, W. Eerdmans, 2024 

For more books on Church Discernment, Completion, Merger, and Legacy, check out the Resource Section of the Living Legacy Workbook.

Videos

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  • Closing Thoughts: video conversations on Church Legacy and Completion with Charles Kuchenbrod & David Schoen
    • Becoming Legendary—Church Legacy Building  
    • How Will We Know When It’s Time?  
    • Grieving is a Journey, Not a Destination  
    • Grumbling  
    • Collaborating with Other Congregations 
    • Scroll through Closing Thoughts for more video conversations  
  • Church Building & Loan Fund Videos on Vimeo 
    • The Last Pastor: Faithfully Closing a Church, Gail Cafferata  
    • So You Think Your Church is Dying; Completing Your Church’s Mission, D. Schoen  
    • Repurposing Resources for Mission, Jill White  
    • Scroll through site for Closing Thoughts videos and more  

Blogs

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  • Vital Signs and Statistics Blogs
    • Mind the Tiller: Leading a Church to Closure – Gail Cafferata, 10/20/2016  
    • Completing a Church’s Mission: The Vital Work of Closure & Legacy – David Schoen, 09/20/2021  
    • The Significance of Church Legacies – David Schoen, 10/9/2023  
    • Final Act of Faith: Closing Congregations Nurture Next Generation of Mission – David Schoen, 03/6/2017 
    • The Flexible Church Building – Gail Irwin, 07/25/2022  
    • What’s Up with Church Buildings! – David Schoen, 07/25/2022  
    • For more Church Closure and Legacy blogs in Vital Signs and Statistics, search for Cafferata, Irwin and/or Schoen.
  • Building a Legacy and Completing a Ministry, blogs by Charles Kuchenbrod
    • Completing Ministries Faithfully and Well  
    • Affirmation of faith. Does God ever yearn for a church to complete its ministry?  
    • Changing the Narrative: Moving from “Decline, Failure, Closure, and Death” to 
    • “Maturity, Legacy Building, Ministry Completion, and Resurrection.  
    • Which path are you on?
  • Good Friday Collaborative Blogs
    • Pride in Closing: LGBTQ Affirmation and Congregational Closure  
    • So You Think Your Church Might Close?  
    • 10 Practical Actions to Start Now  
    • A Sending, Not an Ending: Pentecost and Church Closure  
    • The Stained Glass Cliff  

Presentations

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Questions?

For questions and more information on Church Completion and Legacy planning, contact LegacyChurch@ucc.org.