Church as Community Hub

A practical and hopeful guide to encourage churches to rediscover their purpose as neighborhood anchors through community partnerships. Thousands of congregations across the country occupy underused property while their communities are struggling with urgent needs, including affordable housing, food insecurity, and childcare costs. Loren Richmond, Jr. proposes a solution: transforming church buildings into centers of community and partnership. Rather than being open only on Sundays, churches can and should open their doors seven days a week in order to welcome their neighbors and provide support for communal needs. By reframing church buildings as tools for connection beyond church attendance, leaders can take practical steps toward creating a shared and sustainable space. The goal is not merely to “do good,” but to empower and equip congregations to serve and reach their communities with the gospel of Jesus Christ—to transform lives through the power of grace, not through programs alone. 

Loren Richmond Jr. is a pastor, chaplain, and nonprofit leader. He is the director of development and programming for Green Room Leaders, as well as a cofounder and cohost of the Future Christian Podcast. His Substack is The Church Nerd. Richmond has worked in five Christian traditions, and he holds an MDiv from Phillips Seminary and an MBA in Nonprofit Management from Hope International University. He lives in Thornton, Colorado.