Paul D. Numrich is Professor in the Snowden Chair for the Study of Religion and Interreligious Relations at Methodist Theological School in Ohio. His most recent book is The Religious Dimensions of Shared Spaces: When and How Religion Matters in Space-Sharing Arrangements.

When Congregations Share Space, It’s Not All about the Money

Buildings & Spaces, Featured-Fieldnote, Interviews, Money & Resources, Process Frame, Resources Frame, Theology Frame

Ask someone why a congregation would share its facilities with an outside group or organization, and you may get the answer, “It’s all about the money.” Congregations need operating funds, and rental income is an obvious source of income, correct? National data challenge that assumption. Sociologist Nancy Ammerman’s study of more than 500 Christian and…

When Congregations Share Their Properties:
5 Principles for Good Decisions

Buildings & Spaces, Networks & Relationships, Process Frame, Resources Frame, United States & Canada

My recent studies of congregations have shown me that a shared parking lot often isn’t just about parking. More than that, any kind of property-sharing arrangement, whether with outside groups or diverse internal groups, requires careful assessment of why and how, as well as careful tending of the relationship. Guiding these decisions are principles that…

When a Shared Parking Lot Isn’t Just About Parking

Buildings & Spaces, Interviews, Networks & Relationships, Process Frame, Resources Frame, Urban Congregations

|| Written by Paul D. Numrich, Methodist Theological School in Ohio and Trinity Lutheran Seminary || What happens when a Catholic church provides overflow parking to a Hindu temple? Is it primarily an exchange of resources? Or is something more going on? In our book on immigrant congregations, Sacred Assemblies and Civic Engagement, Fred Kniss and I…