The Pastoral Side of Closing a Church
When I first began researching the subject of church closures, I was struck by how little was written about the pastoral and spiritual aspects of it. Numerous articles offer strategies for revitalizing struggling congregations. What I could not find much of was guidance for how pastors and lay leaders actually shepherd people through the grief of an ending.
That is why my conversation with Joshua Gordon on The Last Service Podcast was so meaningful. Josh has lived through closure both as an intern in a church that shut down and later when he had to make the painful decision to close his own ministry. His reflections reminded me that closing a church is not primarily about the technical details. Those matter, but they are not what people remember. What really matters is how leaders care for souls during a season of loss.
Josh shared how his in-laws, who had been pillars of a small congregation, felt an enormous sense of relief when the church finally closed. They were exhausted from carrying too much of the load. When they entered a new church, the simple gift of being allowed to rest and heal before being asked to serve again made all the difference. That is pastoral care. That is spiritual wisdom.
Three themes stood out to me in our conversation:
Closure is pastoral, not just technical. We cannot reduce the end of a church to signing papers or shutting down programs. We must acknowledge the grief and guide people to view this as a spiritual decision.
Honest assessment is crucial. Churches need courage to face hard truths about energy, leadership capacity, and congregational will. Without that honesty, revitalization is unlikely to succeed.
Rest is part of faithfulness. After closure, leaders and members alike need space to breathe, recover, and heal before rushing back into service.
Listening to Josh, I was reminded that endings can still be fruitful. Healing takes time, but God is at work even in seasons of loss. Redemption may not come on the timeline we want, but Jesus has promised to build His church. Sometimes that means letting go of one local expression so that something new can grow in its place.
If you are facing hard questions about the future of your church, I encourage you not to ignore the pastoral side of the journey. People will forgive you for not being a real estate expert. What they need most is a shepherd who will walk with them in grief, remind them of Christ’s presence, and give them the gift of rest.
