Article by G. Kirk Petersen, the living church
When a church closes, often the diocesewill sell the property. It can be a heartbreaking transition, but the opportunity to use the proceeds for the rest of the diocese is a bit of a silver lining.
But the Bishop of Pennsylvania doesn’t see it that way.
In more than six years of leading one of the largest dioceses in the Episcopal Church, the Rt. Rev. Daniel G.P. Gutiérrez has not sold a single church. “There were 133 when I got here; now there’s 136,” he told TLC.
“I don’t think a church ever needs to be sold,” he declared. “I think you recast your nets to the other side and see how you can repurpose it.”
Gutiérrez said, “It’s easy to sell a church, put the money in the endowment, and then what happens? You lose a place to proclaim Jesus Christ. And to me, I just cannot stand that.”
That’s a sharp contrast with his predecessor, Bishop Charles E. Bennison Jr., who closed 19 churches and sold 13 during his tenure, from 1997 to 2012.
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