Some of Lynchburg’s oldest churches struggle to survive

By LIZ BARRY
Lynchburg News & Advance
Published: March 14, 2008

LYNCHBURG—Modern office buildings obscure church spires that dominated the downtown skyline, yet Lynchburg remains true to its nickname, “The City of Churches.“

A stroll down Court Street attests to the architectural and historical legacy of Lynchburg’s early congregations. Head into the newer city sections and suburbs, and you can’t get far without passing a church.

But some of Lynchburg’s oldest churches are struggling to survive as membership dwindles and the cost of maintaining their historic structures rises.

With more than 30 churches predating 1900, it is impossible to generalize about their situations. Some are struggling to make ends meet; others are growing. But for the former, the challenges can be daunting.

“These churches are all built of materials that are apparently durable, like slate and stone, but still need a high level of maintenance,“ said Tom Ledford, retired director of the Lynchburg Museum system.

Even a simple paint job can be very costly, Ledford said.

. . .

Church attendance at Court Street United Methodist Church, founded in 1850, has been declining for years, said the Rev. Richard Woodall, senior pastor. The church has close to 400 members, with about 100 attending Sunday services.

“We’re an elderly congregation and, consequently, we lose a lot of folks to death, just to be quite frank,“ he said.

Compounding the problem, the younger generation is attending churches closer to where they live in the suburbs.

To pay for the high cost of maintaining the Court Street United Methodist building designed by Edward Frye and opened in 1902, and heating during the winter, the church rents space for nonreligious endeavors, including an adult-care center, a pre-school program and the Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra.

At Court Street Baptist Church, the oldest black church in the city, membership dropped when the previous pastor left the church several years ago, said the Rev. Rodney Forrest, pastor. Church attendance used to average between 200 and 250 people. Now it’s between 85 and 105.

Forrest said attracting more young people has been the biggest challenge to building the congregation.

“You find the younger generation not being as actively involved in the church as they used to be,“ he said.

Fanny Butler, a longtime member at Court Street Baptist, said the decrease in membership makes it difficult to tackle large renovation projects, such as an elevator to accommodate elderly members and a new Christian education building. The building, circa 1880 and designed by Robert Burkholder, has a 167-foot steeple, which was the tallest structure in the city. “We’ve been able to keep up the maintenance of the church, and we’ve been able to basically pay our bills,“ she said.

“We don’t have enough people who are able to pay their tithes as would be necessary to keep the church going at its maximum level,“ she added.

First Baptist Church, founded in 1815, also faces declines in new membership and dwindling numbers as the congregation ages, said the Rev. Robert Brubaker. The sanctuary of the current church building, which opened in 1886 and was designed by John Rochester Thomas, once held 500 members at its Sunday peak and now averages about 50.

Part of the problem is the immediate neighborhoods that once supplied most of the congregation at First Baptist are no longer residential, Brubaker said.

“It was founded by people who lived in walking distance from the church,“ Brubaker said.

Now, First Baptist has to compete with the plethora of Baptist churches in greater Lynchburg.

And with low numbers, even the most basic church upkeep can be difficult.

At Jackson Street Methodist Church, founded in 1866 and where Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglass are said to have spoken, a new, young pastor is trying to recruit younger families. The Rev. Quentin Lawson, pastor for eight months, said average Sunday attendance has increased from 40 to 65.

Grace Dean, lay leader and lifetime member at Jackson Street Methodist, said the age of the congregation is still a concern. In January alone, three church members died, she said.

Dean’s four children left Lynchburg for better employment opportunities and have not moved back. She said other church members have similar situations.

“We have our children move away for economic reasons so, therefore, there is no influx of youth in church,“ Dean said.

. . .

The decline of downtown started as early as the Depression, Ledford said, when several suburbs were built. But it was after World War II that commerce and residential life migrated outward.

“It really picked up speed after WWII in the 1950s when they opened what’s now known as the Plaza and of course later on the mall, River Ridge Mall,“ he said. That essentially striped out all of the retail that had brought people downtown.“

More residential development followed new shopping centers. New churches followed suit.

Ledford said it’s important to keep the historic downtown churches from falling into disrepair, as they are part of the city’s fabric.

“I would like to see them survive and prosper,“ Ledford said. “They are very much identified with what Lynchburg is. It’s always been touted as a ‘City of Churches.‘“

. . .

One attempt to unite the downtown churches is an ecumenical Sunday school for adults, started and led by Clyde Shepard, a vestry member at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, with its current structure built in 1895.

The Sunday school, which began in the fall, draws members from seven churches. Each church hosts the class on a rotating basis. Attendance ranges from 12 to upwards of 30.

One goal is to promote familiarity and trust among members of the various churches. Down the road, Shepard hopes the ecumenical Sunday school will lead to increased collaboration among the churches on youth programs and other ministry.

“It’s a good start simply to meet each other and read the Bible together,“ he said, “to realize we have a shared religious vision that, God willing, may turn into something more.“