CampusSHARE – Share a Building

Is God going extinct in the United States? Consider the evidence:

  1. According to the Westar Institute, nine churches close their doors every day in the U.S.
  2. According to a recent Gallop Poll, adult church membership has plunged by 20% over the past two decades, hitting a low of 50% in 2018. Church membership was 70% in 1999.
  3. According to a new Pew Research Center survey conducted in 2018, 65% of adults say they are Christian. That’s down from 77% in 2009. Those with no religious affiliation, (agnostic or atheist) is now at 26%, up from 17% ten years ago.

5 Ways ChurchSHARE Bible Institute Can Help

We can teach you how to keep your ministry in operation by sharing your facility with a second church. If you do not have a “real church” facility we can find you one to share. We will:

  1. Help you find and qualify a sharing partner.
  2. Post your request on our website.
  3. Teach you how to distribute facility expenses between partners in keeping with IRS guidelines and biblical principles.
  4. Provide you with needed agreements, covenants and documents.
  5. Teach your leadership team the successful ChurchSHARE business model.
divine ownership

If you are worshiping in a secular facility and desire a “real church building,” or if you are an owner church that would like to share your facility with a guest church, send us your contact information with the following:

  1. The size of your congregation today.
  2. The size of the facility you would like to share. Include specific features of the building.
  3. The area you wish the building to be located.
  4. Your email address, telephone number, and contact person.
  5. The best time for us to contact you.

DIY Assistance

Grow Through Sharing

You may be able to find a sharing partner without our help. Many churches do. For them we offer our “how to” book that puts the tools in their hands.

In “Grow Through Sharing” (30 pages) we lay out our tried and tested method for finding a sharing partner. If you have a good volunteer team, you can apply our method yourself. Then, if you need further assistance we can help.

This “how to” book includes our “Covenant to Share.” It is the document used between the “Host Church” and “Guest Church.” It spells out the agreement, the “Thou shall nots” and the “Thou shalls.”

Sharing Can Be Troublesome

You should know that sharing a church building for profit is a “no, no” with the IRS and can jeopardize your not-for-profit status. Best not to go down that road. Also, sharing a facility can create resentment between congregants, especially those who have financially supported the ministry in the past and feel disenfranchised by “outsiders.” To simply explain that the Greek root for “love” also translates as, “share,” does not assuage a member’s discontent.

The Institute offers orientation classes to educate clergy, laity, and board members on how to successfully transition to a multi-congregational campus.