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Steeples Projects Underscore Social Value of Preservation

Boston’s historic houses of worship are growing and serve an increasingly vital role in their communities.

As Historic Boston Incorporated works to restore and preserve the buildings that embody these sacred places, the organization must better define and communicate the contributions they make to their communities and how preservation projects can help, according to a recent assessment of the Steeples Project.

The assessment, conducted by Madeleine Taylor of Arbor Consulting Partners, showed that the 15-year-old program has played an important role in preserving religious structures but that there are hurdles such as raising funds and lack of awareness of the potential for preservation projects to revitalize a community.

“These places are beacons of hope for the city’s neighborhoods,” said Jillian Adams, Steeples Project program manager. “They are important not just for their historical value but also for what they provide to the community in terms of social services.”

HBI conducted the in-depth assessment of the program to evaluate its strengths and weaknesses and direct its future.

Contrary to common perceptions, Boston congregations are growing, attracting younger members and becoming more diverse, the assessment showed.

The survey also confirmed that the services provided by these congregations have a significant monetary value. For instance, data collection and analysis shows that the Peoples Baptist Church, a Steeples Project grantee in Lower Roxbury, provides public value worth an estimated $1 million a year. This includes such things as recreational programs for children and teens, holiday meals and meeting space for neighborhood groups.

This information can be used to help generate support and financial backing for much needed renovation projects.

“Many funders are interested in explicit data that defines the connection between the Steeples Project work and the increase in the public value of historic houses of worship,” the report concluded.

The Steeples Project was founded in 1993 amid concerns that historic religious buildings were at risk. Congregations were shrinking and increasingly unable to keep up with the maintenance of their aging buildings. Historic Boston has awarded $1.4 million to 51 congregations since it started. That money has been used to leverage an additional $13.5 million.

Steeples Project participants reported being overwhelmed by the repair needs of their buildings. The program replaced fear with hope as it offered site-level technical advice and support, they said. Participants said they valued not only the grants given by the program but also encouragement to do additional fund raising.

The program’s strength is that it allows for incremental steps that are manageable for congregations.

Moving forward, the report recommends increased fundraising for the program with new tools such as planned giving, corporate sponsorships and strategic outreach. The Steeples Project should also bolster its training programs including creating a well-developed training curriculum and providing online tools and publications for congregations that may not benefit directly from grants, hands-on assistance or technical help.

“At a certain point, there was a strong feeling of things returning to better days. Painting the Parish House..., these things generate a huge feeling of return to wellness,” said Rev. Michael J. Godderz, rector of All Saints in Dorchester, in an interview for the assessment.