The range across conferences

Closed-church property

When a church dies, who keeps the building — and what happens to the money?

Under the trust clause, a closed church's property goes to the conference, not its members. The real choice is what the conference does next: hold it, sell and reinvest it in new churches, or fold it into the operating budget. This is the clearest place 'what's possible' shows up.

Río Texas

home

$13.2M held → districtsConfirmed

closed-church property on the balance sheet (32.9% of assets); proceeds policy directs sales to mission

Policy (¶2549.3) sends net sale proceeds — after up to 20% to a capped ($400K) Property Administration Fund — to the District Strategy Team where the church sat, plus the Office of Congregational Vitality & Development; urban properties follow an Urban Ministry Strategic Plan, and former Rio Grande Conference properties are restricted to Latino/Hispanic ministry. Reinvestment is decentralized to districts, not one conference fund.

⚠ Policy says 'promptly market,' yet $13.2M still sits as unsold held property — the open question is execution, not policy.

policy 2016, rev. 2020 · Río Texas Policy Manual (2022), Proceeds from Sale of Discontinued & Abandoned Properties

North Georgia

Barnes FundConfirmed

net proceeds from closed-church sales → new church development

Since Sept 1 2020, ALL net proceeds from closed-church sales are deposited into the Barnes Fund and used for future church development. Backed by a ~$28M church-development endowment.

policy since 2020 · NGUMC 2022 audited statement, Note 8

Texas Annual

294 of 598 left → New Faith fundsConfirmed

churches disaffiliated (≈46% of base); property proceeds tracked in designated funds

Lost ~46% of its base to disaffiliation. Property-sale proceeds flow into designated 'New Faith Communities' and per-property funds (Lakemont, Bethany, Gears Rd) plus Trustees Properties reserves — distributed across districts and new faith communities rather than one central fund.

2022 / reserves 2024 · Texas AC 2024 audit — Designated Reserves (Addendum B)

Indiana

$1.56M reinvestedConfirmed

closed/disaffiliated-property proceeds returned to new church ministries (2024)

Proceeds from closed and disaffiliated property are reinvested in new church ministries (¶2549). $2.72M in 2022.

2024 · INUMC 2025 AC summary

Missouri

75 leftReported

churches disaffiliated; $18.4M aggregate pension liability

Proceeds governed by ¶2549 generally; no Missouri-specific dedicated reinvestment fund confirmed.

2023 · MOUMC disaffiliation vote

Great Plains

→ operating budgetConfirmed

disaffiliation exit payments flowed to the general budget; 156 left + 10 closed

Exit payments became general operating income; $1.1M of reserves granted to congregations wounded by disaffiliation. Not a dedicated new-church fund.

2023 · Great Plains 2024 Journal

Florida

~175 left → New Church FundReported

churches disaffiliated (2023); proceeds steered toward new churches

Lost ~175 churches to disaffiliation. Channels resources into a budgeted New Church Fund and Fresh Expressions / New Church Development rather than holding — though no single closed-property proceeds policy is stated.

2023 / budget 2026 · Florida AC 2025 Journal — CF&A budget (New Church Fund)