Ending with Hope: A Resource For Closing Congregations

Why is it we do funerals so well but often balk at even recognizing the death of a congregation? Couldn’t we do grief ministry and funerals as well for social groups as we do for individuals?

Ending with Hope grows out of the understanding that although closing a congregation is in many ways about dying, it can also be about new life. Closing a congregation does not have to be about failure but can be about redirecting resources for new ministry.

Contributors represent eight denominations and include more than a dozen pastors, lay leaders, judicatory staff, and others who have been there—who have helped congregations through the painful closing process.

Resources include:

• models for assessing whether a congregation should close;
• reflections on members’ and pastors’ experiences during closing;
• case studies;
• guidance for deciding what to do with a building;
• suggestions for selecting and preserving documents and artifacts;
• rituals for healthy closings;
• a survey of historical trends regarding closings.