Cost of Rent for Church buildings

[Pastor Matt]

If you're comfortable telling us, I'm curious as to what the rental cost is for your church if you rent a building. You do not have to give church name or location, I'm curious as to how much churches spend on rental buildings, especially church plants.

I started our church 5 years ago in Connecticut, and we pay $1500/ month for 2,000 square ft. and we got a great price for our area.

I understand that each location will have different rental costs.

[Ukulelemike]

We rent the local community center, very small, maybe 35 people capacity. We only rent it for the day on Sunday, and 2 hours on Thursdays, and we pay $10 each Sunday, $5 each Thursday. Typically, $70, max, per month. I also have use of office space included, so I don't have to haul everything in and out, just set up and break down. Still rather have our own place. Lots of open buildings here, but they all seem to have weird issues with them, so there they sit to fall apart.

[Pastor Matt]

Thank you for sharing that information with us. I'm glad that we never had to break down and haul everything each week. I know many who had to, I'm thankful that we haven't had to do that yet. 

[SureWord]

12 hours ago, PastorMatt said:

Thank you for sharing that information with us. I'm glad that we never had to break down and haul everything each week. I know many who had to, I'm thankful that we haven't had to do that yet. 

I know of a preacher who "rented" a church building for free as long as he maintained it. The building was one of those historical landmark chapels that was used only twice a year (Easter and Christmas) and held an occasional wedding. He had to keep the name of the church too which was a generic name. Haymaker Chapel. It was quite a cozy little church building. Once they grew too enough members they were able to afford their own building.

You might be able to find something like that.

[Invicta]

       Our church owns it's own building and manse so does not pay any rent. In fact I don't think I have ever been a member of a church which did not own its building.

We have a new pastor starting in August who has six children so will need a larger house. He will continue to live in his current house and the church will pay his rent, until he can find a suitable property nearer the church, then we will have to consider how to proceed.  The options seem to be to either pay his rent, or to buy a property jointly with him.

[Salyan]

4 hours ago, Invicta said:

       Our church owns it's own building and manse so does not pay any rent. In fact I don't think I have ever been a member of a church which did not own its building.

We have a new pastor starting in August who has six children so will need a larger house. He will continue to live in his current house and the church will pay his rent, until he can find a suitable property nearer the church, then we will have to consider how to proceed.  The options seem to be to either pay his rent, or to buy a property jointly with him.

I think it’s a new world thing, especially for independents. Small start up churches can’t afford to build right off the bat, and there aren’t a lot of old church buildings for sale, so they will rent space until they’re established enough to build or something comes up for sale. 
 

Sometimes it’s interesting what they end up in. I know a little Baptist church plant in Saskatchewan that had the opportunity to buy an old Ukrainian Orthodox building. Only Baptist church I’ve ever seen with onion domes!

[Pastor Matt]

5 hours ago, Salyan said:

I think it’s a new world thing, especially for independents. Small start up churches can’t afford to build right off the bat, and there aren’t a lot of old church buildings for sale, so they will rent space until they’re established enough to build or something comes up for sale. 
 

Sometimes it’s interesting what they end up in. I know a little Baptist church plant in Saskatchewan that had the opportunity to buy an old Ukrainian Orthodox building. Only Baptist church I’ve ever seen with onion domes!

Very true, we are a church plant and we'd love to have our own building, but a bank will not allow a loan since we're new, and we don't have $300,000+ to pay cash. There currently is a empty catholic building in town that we'd love to purchase if it's God's will.

[Bouncing Bill]

8 hours ago, PastorMatt said:

Very true, we are a church plant and we'd love to have our own building, but a bank will not allow a loan since we're new, and we don't have $300,000+ to pay cash. There currently is a empty catholic building in town that we'd love to purchase if it's God's will.

The Baptist church I am a member of began by renting time from a Catholic church. We had Sunday School downstairs while they had a Mass upstairs. Then we had worship upstairs while they had CCD downstairs. I expect we were the only Baptist church in the world who worshipped with the Stations of the Cross on the walls of the sanctuary. After they built a new, large Catholic church nearby, the sold us the building at a give-away-price. We had a good working relationship with them.

One priest said where ever he went in the future he was going to try to get a Baptist group started in his new church. His comment was, "We cannot reach everyone. Your cannot reach everyone. Together we can reach more people."

See if you can work out an inexpensive rental with the Catholics. 

[Salyan]

Too bad it doesn’t really work that way - To reach people, I mean. Because the Catholic Church is reaching people for hell.

I mean, I’m glad you had a place to rent, but if I had a Mass going on overhead I think I would be spending every minute praying against the evil of it.

[Jim_Alaska]

On 6/19/2021 at 6:37 PM, PastorMatt said:

Very true, we are a church plant and we'd love to have our own building, but a bank will not allow a loan since we're new, and we don't have $300,000+ to pay cash. There currently is a empty catholic building in town that we'd love to purchase if it's God's will.

BrotherMatt, you ight try for an owner finance. Sometimes that will work because church buildings are not in big demand and the owners may find it hard to sell. Of course you would have to determine f you could afford the payments, but many times it is possible and you can even negotiate low interest. We just bought our building this way and the transaction went well, we actually saved on the monthly payment compared to the rent we were paying.

The building is a fairly large, nicely laid out structure. It belonged to the American Baptist Association. They had closed it because no one was coming and they had to supply a preacher from eighty miles away. So they jumped at the chance to rent it to us and were thrilled when we wanted to buy it and get it off of their hands. Here is a picture of it.

 

[Yesrn]

Good afternoon!!  
     I was wondering if any one here knew of any house churches in the CT area, even MA near the CT boarder?  

[Pastor Matt]

What part of CT/MA are you looking at? East, Central or West?

[Yesrn]

Honestly, I’d travel just about anywhere. 

1 minute ago, Yesrn said:

Honestly, I’d travel just about anywhere. 

 

On 3/21/2022 at 1:30 PM, PastorMatt said:

What part of CT/MA are you looking at? East, Central or West?

 

On 3/21/2022 at 1:30 PM, PastorMatt said:

What part of CT/MA are you looking at? East, Central or West?

Honestly, I’d travel just about anywhere in CT. and MA.  (Under two hours from southern CT.)

[Pastor Matt]

I don't know any at the moment as the ones around us has dissolved