Willow Glen Resident

News

First Covenant Church on Coe plans to sell off its property

By Laura Rheinheimer

The First Covenant Church plans to close its doors at 790 Coe Ave. and put the site up for sale.

Possible buyers would include developers and other Christian organizations, according to Kevin Budd, the church's pastor.

The 2,400-square-foot building and 1-acre site isn't on the market yet, but the move was approved by the congregation and board of directors in order to address its declining membership.

Board members expect to start marketing the property with the help of denomination headquarters in Chicago, which will provide the financial and realty services for the sale, Budd said.

The property is expected to sell for between $3.5 million and $5.5 million, Budd said, and profits will be used to fund local and global ministries, develop new churches and create a fund to start a new church.

"We're going to give reasonable preference to Christian ministry or another church," Budd said, but he fears that the location and parking capacity are not conducive to a church. The site will also be marketed to developers.

The church has been in decline for 40 years, Budd said. In the 1960s, the congregation had 450 members; today there are 30.

"We initially started talking in 2004 about the need to address the long-term decline," Budd said.

Once membership drops below 75, it's difficult to keep a church afloat, he added.

Instead of changing to a pastor who might try new ways to revamp the church, the congregation decided selling the property and setting aside funds to start a new church was the best direction to go.

"We decided, 'How can we use all we have in the best way?' " Budd said.

Budd said 45 percent of the sale price will be put aside for establishing a new church site, another 45 percent will go to church headquarters to fund new churches, and the rest will pay for global and local ministries. In the meantime, the congregation will keep an eye out for a new location.

"It's more effective to try to fund new efforts than to transform old churches," Budd said.

The church is renting the Willow Glen Middle School Little Theater. The congregation began monthly meetings in the Little Theater in June.

The school, which has rented the spot to churches in the past, will be home to the weekly worship services once the old Coe Avenue site is vacated, which Budd expects won't be until the end of the year.