Stewarding Our Buildings

Church buildings are containers for ministry as we strive to live out God’s mission in the communities we serve. Their stewardship is entrusted to the care of both parish and diocesan leaders. As a way of ensuring the good stewardship of our resources, all building projects require approval by the parish corporation as well as the bishop’s written permission in order to erect, alter, renovate, or repair church buildings.

Parish building projects are governed by Canon 4.6 and its associated regulations (see resources for details).

For most projects, those less than $25,000 and not requiring a building permit, a simple email or letter to the Secretary of Synod shall suffice in obtaining the bishop’s permission. For more involved projects, specific regulations have been developed to support parish leaders with best practices as they navigate compulsory municipal, provincial and diocesan requirements related to building projects in a way that embodies excellent stewardship of our resources and allows God’s mission to flourish in the communities we serve.

The Bishop's Advisory Committee on Church Buildings (BACCB) is mandated to support parish leaders with the upkeep and alteration of existing buildings, and the Bishop’s Advisory Committee on Property Renewal (BACPR) is mandated to provide parish leaders with skilled guidance when any new construction or major renovation is contemplated. The Financial Advisory Committee (FAC) also comes alongside parishes to support efforts to finance building projects.

From time to time, situations arise where unexpected and time-sensitive repairs to church buildings are necessary (e.g. following a storm, flood, pipe burst or fire). Specific procedures for these situations are included in the regulations.

When dreaming about building projects, parishes are encouraged to contact the Secretary of Synod at their earliest opportunity so that additional support and resources can be mustered to help transform such dreams into a reality.