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Living in a community that is growing rapidly I have seen how difficult it is to sell a church. Typically what happens is the parish grows beyond the capacity of the original church and there is not enough land for the church to build onto it. The parish then builds their dream church at another location and tries to sell the old church to pay for part of the expansion.

But finding a buyer for a church can be very difficult. The combination of zoning restrictions, neighborhood approvals, and functional space requirements often precludes use by other organizations or businesses in the space. So the only possible buyer is a smaller church looking to expand. And then some of the parishioners may be very picky on who goes into the space. I remember going to the Limelight in New York City years ago, a night club in a converted church, and I am sure that the Diocese did not plan on that use for an old church.

If you are offered the opportunity to sell a church, move slowly and carefully into the relationship. Find out what the stumbling blocks on potential buyers are, if the parish is willing to sell so the property can be demolished and rebuilt, and what restrictions they will put on potential buyers. It will be a hard sell to begin with and if the churches leadership is not being accommodating and logical, it can be a very difficult sale for you.

Leigh Nurre faces one of the toughest transactions in real estate: selling a property designed for one purpose and of interest to only a sliver of the market.

Nurre is among hundreds of U.S. real estate agents and brokers marketing older churches as traditional mainline congregations decline, people move to the suburbs and churches increasingly become all-week lifestyle centers that need more room. Nurre and others make telephone calls to new, renting congregations that may or may not have money to buy. They advertise on commercial real estate sites under “special purpose” designations. And they get exploratory calls from developers and others floating ideas for other uses, from funeral homes to private schools.

Nothing about the process is easy. Most older churches are designed solely for services and can require rezoning for alternate uses. Residential areas accustomed to a low-impact religious neighbor can be fussy about busier uses. Seller congregations can even balk at buyer proposals they find offensive. Churches also are expensive and fledgling congregations often lack the necessary large down payments on sites often listed for more than $1 million. via sacbee.com.

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