By G. Jeffrey MacDonald. Article’s fragment reposted from Thle Living Church website.
On any given day, St. Martin’s Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, teems with people, including many who are not part of the congregation. Parents drop off children at the preschool run by a separate nonprofit that rents one floor. Musicians stop by to borrow instruments from the Charlotte Folk Society, which runs a lending library in a former office space. Artists sell on church grounds several times a year. And more collaborations are in the works.
“Our problem is we’re running out of space,” says the Rev. Josh Bowron, St. Martin’s rector.
Partnering with community groups adds to St. Martin’s coffers — the preschool alone brings a net gain of $40,000 a year — but that’s not the motivation. St. Martin’s has not run a deficit in years, has a $900,000 budget, is a very healthy church, and does not need extra money, Bowron said. At least not at this point.
“What I’m trying to do is build a culture for 20 years from now,” Bowron said. “As the church continues to decline, you want to have these beautiful buildings have a ministry, and it’s going to take some time to build a culture.”
READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE HERE.
Trinity Cathedral in Portland, Oregon, draws 3 to 4 percent of its revenue from non-traditional sources, including this "porchlight concert" (Source: The Living Church website)