Renting Out Your Church Property
While churches are primarily places of worship, they also represent valuable assets that can serve the broader community in diverse ways. Renting out church property can be a strategic decision, offering financial sustainability and fostering meaningful connections with the surrounding community. Whether looking to lease out a vacant space or leasing portions of space during certain hours, there may be different options for your group.
Daycares: As many know, daycares have continued growing in demand as spaces are limited for growing populations. Most church properties have zoning allowing for daycares which eases the approval process with municipalities and health authorities. Governing authorities often also lower expectations when dealing with church properties due to the age and limitations of the buildings. Daycares are often ideal tenants due to hours being limited to business hours and with higher rents being achieveable.
Other Church Groups: Of course, renting your space to other churches is one of the most thought of options to generate extra income. Other churches are often flexible on renting on Saturday or Sunday afternoons or evenings when the owner is not occupying the space.
Events: Weddings, parties, and miscellaneous activities are all examples of one-off opportunities for rentals. These can pose a win-win as guests can get a cheaper rate than renting a commercial venue while also inviting them into your church property for a fee.
Kitchen Usage: Does your church have a commercial kitchen? This space is also becoming in high demand due to costly rents and costs for equipment. Small businesses have been seen to rent commercial kitchens from churches as a sort of “commissary kitchen”. Be sure to contact the local municipality and health authorities to see what changes in licensing would be needed to support this.
As churches navigate the process of renting out property, they should approach it with intentionality, collaboration, and a commitment to serving both their congregation and the broader community. Sometimes churches start to feel like property managers once they have a couple tenants occupying or sharing their space with them. However, the benefits often outweighs the burden of these increased responsibilities.
Contact me to see what leasing options may be possible for your church property.