QUOTE: "There is a whole industry of church finance consultants, and when money was easy, there were a lot of people out there encouraging congregations to go to the next level, if you will. They pretty much operated under the argument, 'If you build it they will come,' which is just not true." —Russell Meyer, former pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Lakeland, Fla., and executive director of the Florida Council of Churches, commenting on the increasing number of churches in Florida that have either foreclosed on their properties or defaulted on mortgage loans. To make matters worse, many lenders are now tightening their policies in light of dwindling donations for churches and nonprofit organizations. Last month, the Catholic Archdiocese closed down 13 parishes in just the Miami area, and many of those congregations' buildings are now for sale. "It's like selling the family home you grew up in when your parents move to Florida or Alaska,'' said diocesan spokeswoman Mary Ross Agosta. "It's emotionally upsetting. These are places where people got married. They baptized their children there.'' [miamiherald.com, 11/7/09]
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