Church Buildings for Collaborative Partnerships
Annual Report to 2026 Diocesan Conventions of the
Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana and the
Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis
CBCP Partners
Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis, The Rt. Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, Bishop
Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana, The Rt. Rev. Dr. Douglas Sparks, Bishop
This year we celebrate six years of learning, sharing and congregational strengthening through the Church Buildings for Collaborative Partnerships (CBCP). Our vision for CBCP’s impact is that Episcopal congregations in Indiana will thrive as centers of ministry, community and faith, strengthened by dynamic stewardship of their properties in partnership with others. We value our buildings and grounds as gifts from God that hold great potential for congregations of all sizes to live into this vision.
Lilly Endowment Inc. supported this vision through two grants. The first was awarded in 2020 and funded CBCP’s work with nearly every Episcopal congregation in Indiana in 2021-2023. In CBCP Phase 1, church teams participated in training about the missional value of their properties and how to forge collaborative partnerships using church property. One of the most impactful learning experiences involved inviting neighbors and community leaders to the church for a tour and conversation about the gifts of the congregation and the needs of neighbors.
CBCP Phase 2, 2024-2026, provided a scaling opportunity to “go deeper,” in work with a smaller number of individual congregations, and to “go longer” by establishing sustainable learning resources available to all Indiana Episcopal churches and beyond.
· Going Deeper: Building Capacity Squared (BC2)
CBCP entered its second phase by extending an invitation to Indiana Episcopal faith communities to receive customized support from Partners for Sacred Places (“Partners”). 17 faith communities accepted the “Building Capacity Squared” (BC2) invitation. Partners consultants worked with these churches individually, designing and implementing initiatives to energize and strengthen their capacity for ministry impact utilizing a gift God has already provided: their property.
Building Capacity Squared participants and projects
1. – 6. Calumet Episcopal Ministry Partnership (all 6 CEMP churches): Strategic Visioning
7. St. John the Evangelist, Elkhart: Vision & Values Workshop and Community Conversation
8. Gethsemane, Marion: Strategic Visioning
9. St. James, Goshen: Story Circle
10. St. Timothy’s, Indianapolis: Community Based Asset Mapping.
11. Good Samaritan, Brownsburg: Community Based Asset Mapping
12. St. Paul’s, Evansville: Strategic Visioning
13. Holy Family, Fishers: Community Based Asset Mapping
14. The Table, Indianapolis: Community Based Asset Mapping.
15. St. Paul’s, Jeffersonville: Community Conversation
16. St. Stephen’s, New Harmony: Identifying property and policy changes to increase revenue through more outside use of the property
17. St. Mark’s, Plainfield: Strategic Visioning
· Going Deeper: Capital Grants
CBCP Phase 2 awarded nearly $500,000 of matching capital grants to support capital investments needed to improve or modify space to better align a church’s property (buildings and/or grounds) with its mission. 23 congregations -14 in the Indianapolis Diocese and 9 in the Northern Indiana Diocese - were awarded grants which must be matched dollar-for-dollar. The diverse types of projects included improvements for safety and security, energy efficiency, building preservation, and accessibility.
· Going Longer: CBCP website
CBCP ends soon, but we hope our website remains a resource for inspiring your congregation’s property stewardship. The website provides resources that churches can use anytime to inspire and strengthen their ability to create and sustain community partnerships for ministry and space sharing. Topics are organized into “Tool Kits” populated with how-to information on everything from mission alignment to preparing for space sharing, to guidance on pricing, policies, and fundraising. The website’s blog features success stories from Indiana Episcopal churches.
Please check it out! And share with anyone, any church, any denomination!