Catholic church in Florida buying historical Southern Baptist church to turn it into a school.

[madfloridian]

They are buying all the buildings, the parking lots, all of it.

This has been such an odd thing to have happen. Southern Baptists churches in this area are most numerous and appear to be mostly thriving. There have been splits at some of them over the extreme religious views and the more moderate voices. I don't know the reason for the decline of this once large and active church.

Perhaps people are going to the nearby megachurches. I have heard some of them are cutting back some services as well. Perhaps some left because the church was not going in their chosen direction. Just don't know.

City Vote moves church purchase closer.

St. Joseph plans to buy Southside Baptist and move its pre-kindergarden through eighth-grade school there from its location downtown. The new location at 310 McDonald St. will open for classes in August.

"We're very excited," said the Rev. John Caulfield of St. Joseph's Catholic Church. The current location is cramped. "We're happy that the children will have some green space."

There are now about 200 children at St. Joseph's school. The school plans to increase its enrollment.

Monday at City Hall, city commissioners, by a 6-0 vote, approved an ordinance allowing a school on the McDonald Street property. Mayor Buddy Fletcher abstained because he is a broker in the deal. St. Joseph's officials said the closing on the deal is set for Dec. 1. Nobody involved would disclose the sale price.

I found a post card picture of the church in its glory days when the sanctuary was packed every Sunday, and even on Sunday evenings. Mid week services and dinner served on the grounds were popular events.



More from the article.

Southside Baptist has been hurt by dwindling membership. (Dr. Glen) Barden said the church has about 250 members and a typical Sunday service draws about 75 people. The chapel in the church seats more than 1,000. Barden and Rick Plank, the Deacons' Committee chairman, said the church has sponsored some tremendous ministries. Both also agreed that churches have life cycles.

"What has happened here didn't happen in a few years," Plank said of the membership decline. "It happened in a few decades."

There has been nothing else about it so far, no newspaper going back into the history of this once thriving church. Someone really should do that.

Was it the conservative/moderate split type of thing that is happening in other fundamentalist churches? Was it the rise of the megachurches and their more militant spiritual natures being more appealing? Was it the growth of the city outward?

It would be nice to know.

[Critters2]

1. Actually, most megachurches aren't militant. They avoid controversial topics.

Bill Hybels of Willowcreek and Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church refuse to preach on homosexuality, abortion, etc. They advise wannabe megapastors to do the same, to avoid alienating any potential members. They even caution against using a denominational identification in the church name, for the same reason. The megachurches preach substance-free happy fluffy stuff. Even Rick Warren's sermons sound more like motivational presentations than fire and brimstone sermons. He does touch on abortion and the like, but not much.

[madfloridian]

3. Actually, the ones in our area united with Catholics to get gay marriage banned.

They worked together. I don't know about those in other areas. I have been trying to figure why the membership dropped so drastically.

[madfloridian]

5. In fact, I wish the megachurches here would be more that way.

But they are using every wedge issue they can.

I suspect that is what happened to this church's membership. The people mentioned in the article from I hear are no extremists. Maybe they tried and failed to keep things sensible. And now it belongs to the Catholics.

[MamaDem]

2. Okay...this is very surreal. I was married in that church 16 1/2 years ago...

it was not Southside Baptist Church, though - it was First Baptist of Lakeland and it moved to (of all places) a former mall to become a megachurch - that's where all the members went. It changed hands several years ago - more than 10. My husband and I attended a VERY small rural church in the same county but had visited the former church and found it to be just beautiful so we were able to have our pastor and another guest perform our ceremony. Long story - but it was way more convenient and accessible for our guests.

It is a huge church so I'm not surprised it's becoming a school - very fitting.

I can't believe that it made it to the news...just surreal!! As an aside, we no longer live in Polk County any longer and attend a much more progressive United Methodist church where we are very happy.

[madfloridian]

4. We can't decide what feelings it evokes....it is so odd.

We left the Baptist church in 2003.

Catholics buying out Baptists, so strange.

[old mark]

6. The Catholic Church is one of the largest owners of real estate in the US.

Probably bargain hunting in the down real estate market, looking for a good place to invest the collecton money.

mar

[madfloridian]

9. I guess they have no shortage of money.

I am beginning to hear that funding to Baptists is greater if they cater to the more right wing financiers.

[SoCalDem]

18. BINGO!..That's why they should lose their tax-free status

There are plenty of poor Catholics who could use more help, but the church prefers to "invest" in real estate..:(

[Ikonoklast]

20. They just made them an offer they couldn't refuse.

"That's a nice dog you have there, Reverend. Ever want to see him again?"

[Hangingon]

7. A little OT

This is the 100 anniversary of LBJ's birth and I have been
looking at some LBJ humor.  He wasn't know for being funny,
but he was.  The humor almost always had a point.

I guess as a warning to staff to think before they spoke he
told the tale of a small West Texas town that was losing
population.  I could no longer support the town's two churches
- one Baptist and one Christian.  They held a town meeting to
discuss the matter and everyone came.  After prolonged 
discussion it was decided to combine the congregations in the
Christian chyrch.  As the meeting broke up, an elderly citizen
announced loudly to all present "I've been a Baptist all
my life and you'll never make a Christian out of me!"

[madfloridian]

8. Funny story.

You are right...LBJ was not really known for his humor. :hi:

[DemBones DemBones]

10. Many beautiful old Catholic churches have been sold to other denominations

or, worse, demolished to build parking lots. Churches just can't afford to maintain large buildings when the congregation has dwindled to a few regulars. In the North and MidWest, many Catholic churches served urban parishes. When the people moved to the suburbs, the churches had to close.

That Baptist church looks like it will be a good school building and it's better to use it than to tear it down, don't you think?

[madfloridian]

11. I don't really have an opinion one way or the other.

It is just that this is Southern Baptist territory heavily. I was just wondering out loud, I guess.

Why are some of them thriving and others are not? Really no answer to it.

[kwassa]

12. Churches go in and out of business all the time

Changing demographics, mobility of parishioners, changing trends in religion. Almost every big city has churches that have changed hands and often denominations. Some are no longer churches altogether, and are sold off for different functions.

There is far less denominational loyalty these days, too, with people switching out of the church they were born in to others that appeal to them more.

[madfloridian]

14. This one is at least 85 years ago....just trying to figure the reasons for its demise.

Yes, I know that happens all the time. I am trying to figure if it is the megachurches taking over and causing dwindling membership....or if it is the fact of the moderate or centrist beliefs being the factor.

[Xithras]

17. Typically just population adjustments.

The Catholic church that my mom went to as a kid no longer exists either. Why not? Because back in the 1950's the area was a heavily Irish-Catholic district with strong religious roots that could support a large and beautiful church. By the early 1990's the population had turned over, most of the Irish-Catholics had moved out into the suburbs and other areas, and the replacements were of mixed faiths. The younger descendent's of the original population that still lived in the area also tended to be less religiously observant than their parents and grandparents generation. By the time it closed in 1994, Sunday masses only drew a dozen or so elderly parishioners, and holiday masses were doing well if they topped 200 parishioners. In the mid-50's the church would draw 200+ people for an AVERAGE Sunday mass, and they had to add additional masses on holidays to accommodate the crowds.

So the church was closed, partitioned, remodeled, and is now an office building.

[SoCalDem]

19. Could be older people dying.. If it's in an "old part" of town,

membership may be falling off...literally :(

[GrpCaptMandrake]

13. It's the Rapture!!!!!!!!!!!

The Great Whore of Babylon is stalking Florida and she has mackerel on her breath!

Oh, ammalahumminashammalammadingdong! Somebody fetch the snakes!

Sorry. Couldn't resist. Recovering Southern Baptist.

[madfloridian]

21. Me. too.

Recovering Southern Baptist, that is.

:hi:

[xchrom]

15. kick for an interesting commentary on our times. nt

[madfloridian]

16. Good way to put it.

It is an interesting commentary. In a way it speaks to what is happening with the megachurches swallowing up what used to be just churches with congregations. It also speaks to the outward growth of cities, and what happens to those inside the city limits. I feel it speaks loudly to the conservative/moderate splits going on in those churches now.