This page is a growing collection of readings, tools, and organizations that have helped shape our discernment during the Building for Hope process. We hope these resources spark imagination and invite others to reimagine what church buildings can do in service to the common good.
Recommended Articles and Tools
- Five Tips for Churches Considering Property Development – Practical guidance from Faith & Leadership for congregations beginning to explore the idea of developing church property.
- RootedGood – Good Futures Accelerator – A values-based tool and cohort experience from RootedGood that helps faith communities align mission, assets, and social impact.
- Faith & Leadership: The Church Isn’t Dying, It’s Being Remade – A reflection on how the Spirit is reshaping congregational life and ministry in today’s context.
- MyCom Podcast Ep. 101: Rethinking Church Assets with Mark Elsdon – Mark Elsdon discusses innovative approaches for churches facing property and financial challenges, emphasizing mission-focused initiatives and social enterprises.
- Gone For Good: A Conversation With Mark Elsdon – Apple Podcasts – Mark Elsdon talks about his book Gone for Good? and the use of faith-based property and investments for social enterprise and impact investing.
- Negotiating the Coming Wave of Church Property Transitions – Leading Ideas Talks – Ann Michel interviews Mark Elsdon on how congregations can pursue creative uses of church property in ways that propel their mission forward.
- Money & Mission – The Distillery Podcast – Mark Elsdon discusses how churches and ministries can discover and utilize their assets to reimagine resource usage.
- Mark Sampson Podcast on Spiritual Capital – RootedGood – Craig Mattson converses with Mark Sampson, co-founder of RootedGood, on the need to deeply consider the concept of ‘social enterprise’.
- How Does Legacy Shape Church Property Decisions? – Igniting Imagination Podcast – Shannon Hopkins and Rev. Mark Elsdon discuss the transformative power of church property as a catalyst for community renewal with Dr. Joseph W. Daniels, Jr.
- Besides Housing, What Are Other Ideas for Re-Imagining Church Property? – Igniting Imagination Podcast – Shannon Hopkins and Rev. Mark Elsdon explore the potential of reimagining church properties to serve the community in new and meaningful ways with Rev. Chrisy Ennen.
Congregations Leading in Social Enterprise
- Arlington Presbyterian Church (Arlington, VA) – Sold its historic property to create Gilliam Place, an affordable housing complex with worship and community space, grounded in their calling to seek justice.
- Church of the Pilgrims (Washington, D.C.) – Engaging neighborhood partnerships and rethinking their building use as a form of embodied mission.
Additional examples of churches launching art studios, business incubators, coworking hubs, and food entrepreneur spaces can be found in:
Featured Podcast Archive: Mark Elsdon
Mark Elsdon—co-founder of RootedGood and author of We Aren’t Broke—has shared his expertise in dozens of podcasts and interviews across the country. These conversations explore how churches can faithfully navigate questions of money, mission, and property with courage and creativity.
Browse the full podcast archive at melsdon.com/podcasts
You’ll find episodes on:
- Aligning church assets with gospel values
- Faith-rooted social enterprise and investing
- What to do when your church has too much building and not enough people
- The future of sustainable ministry
“Faith-based organizations are sitting on a mountain of untapped potential. The key is to align those resources with God’s dream for your neighborhood.”
—Mark Elsdon
Books and Writings from RootedGood
The team at RootedGood has created a variety of practical and visionary materials to help churches navigate social enterprise and purpose-aligned ministry:
- Social Enterprise & Redemption: Tools for Faithful Innovation – A practical guide to launching mission-driven ventures grounded in theological imagination. Available here
- Faithful Innovation: The Power of Imagination in a Time of Change – Reflections on how congregations can use spiritual practices and design thinking to adapt creatively. Explore more
- RootedGood Resource Library – A growing collection of templates, exercises, and case studies designed for churches discerning new uses for their assets.
Books by Mark Elsdon
Mark Elsdon is a thought leader in the field of faith-based social enterprise and impact investing. His work has helped many churches rethink how to use their assets faithfully and creatively:
- We Aren’t Broke: Uncovering Hidden Resources for Mission and Ministry – A compelling call for congregations to recognize and activate the wealth they already have.
- Gone for Good?: Negotiating the Coming Wave of Church Property Transition – Co-authored with Eliza C. Brown, this book offers churches practical strategies for navigating building transitions with faith and purpose.
We will continue adding to this page throughout the Building for Hope journey. Have a resource to suggest? Contact us at pastor@tbcrichmond.org.