Choir voices and organ music may further echo along empty sanctuaries, as spaces clear among church pews.
The future of Centretown churches grows uncertain, with dwindling congregation numbers and changing downtown demographics affecting their funding stability.
This comes after recent news of Dominion-Chalmers United Church’s financial situation. Despite its reputation as a venue for popular festivals such as Chamberfest and the Ottawa Jazz Festival, the size of its current congregation has dwindled from 2,000 in the 1960s to between 80 and 100 people.
“Churches in urban areas have been facing similar challenges in the last 20 years or so, but looking at what Dominion-Chalmers is going through, it’s a big wake-up call,” says Jim Pot, minister at Knox Presbyterian Church on the corner of Elgin and Lisgar streets. “People aren’t joining churches the way they used to and it’s become a question of how we can make changes that will attract people back in.”
Although church spaces are rented out for gatherings and musical events, the revenue from such rentals is not sustainable enough given their infrequency.
The average age of most congregations is in the mid-70s.
The lack of young newcomers replacing these aging congregations is problematic, says Jim Lynes, a parishioner at St. Matthew’s Anglican Church on First Avenue.
“Most church funding comes from offerings, and when it comes to the question of a generous giver, it tends to be more the older than the younger,” he says. “So when one of those older people die, it takes about 10 younger people to make up for that. But there aren’t enough younger people.”
Lynes says this is probably down to less young families living downtown and changing social values, as interests veer away from church services.
In cases where weekly donations and bequests – properties given by will when a person dies – are not enough to sustain a church, they can either consolidate with another church or sell properties. In 2015, the congregation of All Saints Sandy Hill moved to St. Margaret’s Anglican in Vanier, after its building was sold due to a lack of funds. The site is being developed as a mixed-use building for neighbourhood-scale businesses and meetings.
Most church buildings downtown date back to pre-Confederation times and the First World War – Dominion-Chalmers’ building is over a century old – and are in need of constant maintenance and modernization.
These costs can be sky-high, says Andrew Doyle, former chairman of the temporal affairs committee at Saint Patrick’s Basilica on Kent Street.
“The cost of hydro is going up, insurance costs are going up and when churches are designated as heritage sites, you have things to comply within terms of repairing and refurbishing,” says Doyle. “But the architecture of these structures is lovely and worth preserving, especially for the communities they serve. Downtown churches have incredible historic value.”
But the future is not as bleak, says Lynes. Loyal congregations have been able to donate enough money to cover a church’s operating costs and community programs, such as those sponsoring refugee families. Churches such as Knox Presbyterian and St. Matthews Anglican have already raised sufficient funds for their respective refugee families.
“Those not even technically part of our church are contributing finances, as well as volunteering towards this refugee effort,” says Lynes. “When there is a real need out there, it gets people excited and stepping forward.”
The appearance of more condominiums in the downtown area is also providing hope. “I think there’s going to be a shift with younger people coming in, so we’re hopeful that it might have a positive influence on the churches and have more of them walking through our doors,” says Pot.
Nevertheless, downtown churches such as Dominion-Chalmers will have to make tough long-term decisions. Dominion-Chalmers is still looking at its options.
“There will be some selling, some repurposing and some consolidation,” says Lynes. “And out of those three things, there’s a hope that there will continue to be an ability to afford and do church.”