Church of the Resurrection, Alexandria – A Bold Leap Toward Affordable Housing and a New Worship Space
- VEREP
- Jul 14
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 4
Faced with financial instability and an aging facility, Church of the Resurrection in Alexandria paused its rector search to engage in deep discernment. What emerged was a bold, Spirit-led decision to lease church land for affordable housing—and in doing so, build a new sanctuary, strengthen their mission, and live more fully into their name.
Case Study Submitted by Kat Turner, Church of the Resurrection, Alexandria, VA
A Crossroads Moment: Discernment Before Action
In 2013, Resurrection paused its search to replace its retiring rector to engage in a year-long discernment process about what its future might be.
Congregational Vision and Community Need
Understanding that the financial model for the church, which required drawing from reserves each year to meet the operating budget, could not be sustained.
Generating 20 potential scenarios about what the future could look like, including shutting the doors, moving to part-time clergy, merging with another congregation, and undertaking a new and challenging ministry.
Narrowing the scenarios to 4 or 5, with working groups to investigate each possibility.
Involving the whole congregation through one-on-one meetings to gauge the true level of support and if there were deal-breakers.
Congregational discussions of the pros and cons of each in a succession of forums before voting (93%) for the most radical – use some of the property to build affordable housing, recognizing that over the past decade, Alexandria had lost 90% of its affordable units.
A call to new clergy who, through her own prayer and discernment, was willing to lead and support the congregation through all aspects of this project.
A Mission-Aligned Development Model
Resurrection next interviewed affordable housing firms that would align with its vision:
At least 100 units, geared toward working families, with a majority of units having 2 or 3 bedrooms.
A strong residential services program that would support the new tenants and mesh with Resurrection’s own ministry programs.
A proposal that would be competitive for city approval and state financial resources, such as Low-Income Housing Tax Credits.
A financial model that would not require tapping the church’s reserves or making a special building assessment on its members.
An administrative model that relieved the church of operational responsibility for the apartments.
Support, Setbacks, and Sacred Resolve
Resurrection received strong support from city officials, eventual approval from the Diocese, and some opposition from one of the communities adjacent to the property. The rector played a key role with the Bishops and Standing Committee, which had not dealt with this kind of project before, but did discern the work of the Spirit and accepted the tremendous risk in saying “yes.”
The deal was structured so that Resurrection’s 2-acre property was subdivided, with the developer AHC Inc. (now Affordable Housing Communities) executing a 65-year ground lease for the apartment portion of the site. A key element of the deal was that the entire rent for the ground lease would be paid up front to Resurrection, providing the funds to build a new 5,000 square foot church, as required by the Bishop, to replace the larger, older church that had significant deferred maintenance.
Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) and Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill invited Resurrection to worship at Immanuel Chapel, and VTS also provided space at no charge for administrative offices and formation and fellowship activities. The nearby Church of St. Clement also hosted some events for the 29 months that Resurrection was without a campus. This time “in the wilderness” also coincided with the COVID pandemic, which forced Resurrection to move some activities online.
Living into Their Name: Resurrection in Action
During the redevelopment process, several characteristics allowed Resurrection to persevere:
The congregation felt a strong sense that the Holy Spirit had called it to this ministry and that God would provide everything needed to do what they were called to do, even when setbacks were experienced. Many members discuss how their faith was strengthened during this project.
The congregation displayed resilience as details of the project changed to meet diocesan and city requirements and financial realities, but the core commitment was reaffirmed by congregational vote each time there was a significant change in the project’s parameters.
The rector upheld the congregation’s vision through sermons that interpreted the scripture lessons through the lens of where Resurrection was in its “salvation story.”
The congregation supported a number of one-off ministries like collecting tuna, soup, or laundry detergent for a food pantry that allowed it to continue its strong urge to help people even without a church building, so that they felt they were still engaged in mission work.
The congregation stayed unified in its vision, prayed often individually and joined in a special corporate prayer at every Sunday service, and appeared in force at city planning and financing meetings to bear witness.
One lay leader has said, “At the start, we were looking for a way to save the church financially, but we ended up saving ourselves by living into our name, Resurrection.”
The Outcome: Housing, Hope, and a New Sanctuary
In March 2021, the first tenants moved into the 113 units of The Spire.
On Holy Saturday 2021, the Rt. Rev. Susan Goff consecrated the new Resurrection church building, which has since won several architectural awards. The congregation is thriving.
LINKS
Wondering what’s possible for your parish? Let’s explore what faithful redevelopment could look like for your community. Start a conversation with VEREP.
