Critical mass

Traditionally, churches are a focal point for many communities. But do they still have the power to draw people in? Sophie Bond and Hayley Hannan meet some Aucklanders with plans for our churches.
It's Sunday and the pews are lined with bottoms, the choir is singing at the front and, out in the hall, children are drawing pictures of Noah's Ark.
Churches vary in size and style but, generally, they are busy places one day a week and quiet for the rest.
Is there a better way to use these facilities? Could Auckland churches support themselves by renting out their spaces? And would non-church-goers be comfortable using them?
The Pacific People's Advisory Panel has suggested to the Auckland Council that churches, particularly those in the Pacific community, should be encouraged to become community hubs.
In its submission to the Auckland Unleashed document, a 30-year plan for the city, the panel suggests council and community support could transform church buildings into centres where the general public can use a variety of resources.
The panel's chairman, University of Auckland Chaplain Uesifili UNasa, says many Pacific communities struggle financially and church buildings are often the only community space available to them.
"Pacific communities are not very mobile for all sorts of reasons. They tend to concentrate in their community hubs.
"Some churches have been quite creative with their facilities and have used them for pre-schools or homework services, but I think the majority are not used as well as they could be.
"Congregations spend thousands to maintain the buildings, and yet the use of them doesn't quite equate with the effort it takes to upkeep them.
"And I think local council should make a better effort to make sure these facilities are used for the betterment of the community."
The Auckland Unleashed submission speaks directly about Pacific churches and communities, but Mr UNasa says the idea could be picked up all over Auckland, where hundreds of churches and church-related buildings stand empty during the week.
He sees a possibility for churches to become community centres offering meeting spaces, education, health and social services.
"They can become community hubs that don't just stop on Sunday or aren't confined to religious purposes."
He recognises church buildings are often cold and run-down, lack proper infrastructure and may not attract much interest. Funding is needed to make the best of these places, funding that could come from providing a rentable space.
Midweek, The Aucklander takes a drive to visit churches around the central suburb of Ponsonby.
The Methodist Church is a large, gothic-looking building sitting on prime Ponsonby Rd real estate. It appears run down; rust stains trickle down the side of the building, paint is chipped and moss blooms across sections of woodwork. The church rents out its carpark, and sits empty for most of the week apart from Sunday services and choir practices, Mr UNasa explains.
"It costs thousands of dollars each year to maintain these places and then it sits empty, probably 80 per cent of the time."
Churches can feel they need to protect their sacred spaces from the general public in order to keep their integrity. "Either they allow their building to rot because they can no longer afford to keep maintaining it or they allow some outside contribution at the cost of compromising their total freedom with the building," says Mr UNasa.
One example is the Mt Eden Methodist Church, he says. It has been rebuilt taking into account the needs of the surrounding residents, who insisted the building be more community-oriented with various events and activities for the area.
His face cracks into a large smile when asked about the potential conflict around using a religious space as an everyday venue. It's not a simple process, he says, and one many don't want to consider.
"While it's good to say churches should be the hub of the community, it takes a large mind-shift. It's about understanding each other."
Next on the journey is St Stephens Presbyterian Church on Jervois Rd, where Mr UNasa's brother, Obed UNasa, is the sole pastor.
The singing of the New Zealand Praise Jesus Church services floats out on to the road and inside heaters are working overtime in the well-kept, historic building.
Obed UNasa says maintaining a relationship with the local community is the main reason the church makes its facilities available. "It's a really good opportunity and it helps with the income to maintain our [heritage-listed] category B building."
The hall is used every day of the week: by a local ballet school; a Weight Watchers programme; an a capella group and a preschool music class. The church itself is a popular venue for weddings and funerals.
Obed UNasa likes the idea of churches becoming comprehensive hubs. "This is what the church is for, to meet the many different needs of the community. Unfortunately, society has changed dramatically, but if we were to create something like that for this day and age, that would be ideal."
Uesifili UNasa says churches can take some steps now, such as basic maintenance and creating warm and inviting spaces, to encourage community use. "Or homework centres, those are the sorts of things you can do straight away."
In the long term, he envisages developing a framework to bring the education, health, community and social services together. This could involve national and local government, agencies, businesses and community groups.
"We need to be more innovative about how we use our Pacific resources.
"The churches are already the community's spiritual hub. But they could serve the community in so many other ways."
Good works flow out, as well as in, when churches open their doors to wider community interests.
Peter Lineham is an associate professor of history at Massey University, and New Zealand religious history is one of his main fields of research.
Ethnic churches in Auckland are already strong on involving their communities in on-site activities, he says.
"As well as Pacific communities, Korean churches are another example. They tend to be quite strong community hubs, providing English education, information for new migrants and the contacts those new migrants need will come through churches."
He believes churches with convenient, rentable spaces already have an "extraordinary" level of extra activity going on.
"Overall I think what's happening is that in Auckland there's this shortage of facilities, it's a really important factor, where they do exist they are often extremely expensive."
Therefore, he says, small community groups with limited funds look for friendly, supportive venues like churches. "And I think churches are a little bit conscious of that, by allowing others to use their facilities they are seen to be doing good for the community.
"If churches can have a good range of people flowing through the doors it kind of makes them seem less strange. It strengthens their community identity.
"I think church halls have a fairly neutral air in most Aucklanders' minds."
He says most churches would be comfortable renting their halls but they may be reluctant to open up their place of worship and the policy will vary between churches.
One prominent Auckland church with little hesitation is St Matthew-in-the-City, a self-proclaimed "progressive Anglican church with a heart for the city and an eye to the world". Among the staff is an events manager.
Associate Priest Clay Nelson says the St Matthew-in-the City church has no hall, just the church building which is used by the congregation for around 15 hours a week and regularly rented to the community.
"It can be anything from music concerts, to corporate events, to having Christmas parties to fashion shows. It's also used by non-government organisations for fundraising events which we usually co-sponsor. Certainly part of it is that it helps with maintenance," says Mr Nelson.
"Maintaining a building like St Matthew's is expensive, but it's more about making the church a part of the community and it really goes back to the medieval days where the church is the centre of the community.
"Many people who don't worship with us have a way of thinking of St Matthew's as their church. And we like that idea.
"St Matthew's does not really draw a line between sacred and secular. Any respectful use of the building is acceptable to us.
"We occasionally have people who are invited to some corporate event where someone is very uncomfortable dancing or having champagne in the church and chooses to not participate, but I'm only talking one or two people."
Making the space more convenient for community use took some effort: pews were unbolted from the floor and the church had to create a process for dealing with clients and hosting events.
"We're in the centre of town, we are accessible easily from all directions so to some degree, we are taking advantage of the location.
"If churches want to be taken seriously by the rest of society, then they have to be part of the community."
Pass the plate
On any given day, Westgate Baptist Church is busy. Its buildings are well-used by a local playgroup, English language classes, an after-school care programme and for one-off events.
Senior pastor Murray Cottle says the West Harbour church is now working on a "gift" to West Auckland. Later this year, work will begin on a 500-seat auditorium, cafe and offices adjacent to the existing facilities.
Mr Cottle says the church saw a need in West Auckland for a large venue. "We've talked to various groups and had a really positive response.
"We didn't want it to be purely for Sunday, we want it to be a gift to the community.
"We've designed it to make it attractive and so that it is not just a church building.
"It's got to be used for a  range of purposes, so, for example, we did away with a sloping floor because it limits use."
The church owns the necessary land and has already raised much of the money for the project.
"We've also applied to the ASB Trust for a grant because we think it's a community building and they've accepted our application."
Work will  begin later this year.