Our diocese is blessed with over 400 properties consisting of churches, halls, rectories, cemeteries and acres of land. These properties tell the story of nearly 200 parishes and missions, spanning almost two centuries. Yet they are also resources for a changing world, where housing insecurity, poverty and the climate crisis confront us daily.

The call from Synod has been clear: we must reimagine our properties for the sake of the gospel and the communities we serve. This work is at the very heart of our diocesan vision, Cast the Net. As Jesus called his disciples to throw their nets on the other side of the boat, we too are being asked to do things differently – to trust that abundance lies where we may not expect it.

Among the 20 calls of Cast the Net is Call 18: adopt an integrated, theologically informed approach to property management. This special edition of Beyond the Bricks explores how that call is taking shape through our Strategic Property Plan, parish investments, and bold new initiatives in housing and community partnership.

What follows is a three-part journey:

• Part 1 lays the foundation, sharing how the Strategic Property Plan was born and why its “first iteration” matters.
• Part 2 explores the blueprint — the tools and instruments that are equipping parishes to steward their buildings and lands.
• Part 3 looks outward to the horizon, where housing projects and community partnerships are transforming surplus property into mission.

Together, these parts tell the story of property strategy as mission and faith in action.

Part 1 – Foundations for the Future

If you could walk the map of our diocese, you would see over 400 properties stretching from bustling city blocks to quiet rural crossroads. Each one is a living chapter in the story of nearly 200 parishes, missions and unique communities.

In recent years, Synod has repeatedly returned to a question that is both practical and deeply spiritual: how can we steward this vast network of land and buildings for the good of our communities today, while preparing for the needs of tomorrow?

For many, the answer has been clear: surplus church lands can be part of the solution to the housing crisis or can become secure spaces for food ministries, shelters and programs that meet the most pressing needs in our neighbourhoods. But vision alone is not enough. As we quickly learned, it’s like sailing the ship while building it.

That’s why, in September 2024, Synod Council adopted the first iteration of the Strategic Property Plan. Born out of many months of consultation and prayerful discernment, the plan sets out both foundational and strategic priorities. At its core are two guiding commitments: anchoring property and land decisions to our faith while aligning them with strong principles of environmental stewardship and creation care. Strategically (and practically), it focuses on property re-development, optimization and equipping parishes with the tools and resources they need.

This deliberate shift is directly tied to Cast the Net, the diocese’s strategic vision. Among its 20 calls, Call 18 challenges us to adopt an integrated, theologically informed approach to property management. That is what this plan aims to represent – property stewardship as a living expression of discipleship, rooted in our faith and directed toward justice, sustainability and mission.

Calling this a first iteration was intentional. Our goal was not to set every detail in stone, but to get the ship seaworthy enough to set sail. Along the way, we expect to evaluate, make course corrections and sometimes pivot entirely. This iterative approach also means we have made intentional space for shortcoming, without jeopardizing the overall integrity of the plan or the deliverables it holds.

This spirit reflects the gospel call to cast our nets differently. Like the disciples, we are learning to do things in new ways – not clinging to the familiar but daring to try the other side of the boat. It also echoes Call 16 of Cast the Net, which reminds us to see the diocese as a dynamic net of shared relationships. The Strategic Property Plan aims to cast differently and focuses our attention on navigating property towards mission.

Part 2 – Building a Blueprint

Big ideas are only as strong as the structures that hold them up. For the Strategic Property Plan, that means creating the right tools and foundations to support bold action.

The Building Stewardship Policy, which is now in active development, is one of those tools. It is our way of ensuring that property decisions reflect our deepest commitments – theologically, environmentally and missionally.

Where “policy” often screams bureaucracy, here it signals discipleship. Guided by Cast the Net and Call 18, this work grounds every decision, so that our faith is embedded in the very bricks and land we steward.

We’ve also continued to deepen our integration with the Congregational Development team so that parishes have hands-on support in aligning property use with local ministry plans. It’s a way of ensuring that we steward property towards strengthened ministry and community impact.

Recognizing that the cost of preparing land and buildings for development has risen sharply, Synod Council approved the Pre-Development Fund in June 2024, seeding it with $5 million and anticipating another $1.5 million through the disposition of non-strategic properties. This fund is already making it possible for parishes to move forward with projects that might otherwise stall at the earliest stages.

Since Synod 2023, parishes have invested $19.2 million in capital projects under Canon 6, with more than $3 million in MAF Real Estate grants and loans supporting nearly 20 parish-led initiatives. These range from accessibility improvements to ministry expansions, redevelopments and new community partnerships.

These facts and figures represent the scaffolding of our future. Each new tool, resource and investment is a beam in the larger structure we are building together.

Part 3 – Mission in the Making

At the heart of the property strategy is a vision that our properties can be a place where people find belonging. This is perhaps most visible in our housing work, where bricks and beams become homes, and church land becomes the soil for new community.

One of our most ambitious initiatives is the consolidation of Anglican housing projects into a single entity. This vision is not new – the diocese has been working toward it for more than 25 years. What once seemed aspirational is actively being executed, with the structures, partnerships and momentum now in place to carry it forward. If successful, this initiative would unite over 1,000 units under one roof, establishing one of Toronto’s largest non-profit housing entities. This would give Anglicans a stronger and more credible platform to access funding, negotiate partnerships and steward surplus church lands for affordable housing. With strong support from the City of Toronto Housing Secretariat, we anticipate launching a pilot in 2026.

This initiative is itself a course correction – a pivot made possible by embracing an iterative plan. While our initial focus was on parish and diocesan-led development, experience has shown that partnering through land leases is a faster, more scalable way to deliver housing. It is not abandoning our chart; it is adjusting our sails to make the most of the winds before us.

Already, we are seeing transformation. The former St. John the Divine property in Toronto has been converted into a 50-bed shelter. Renewed land leases at All Saints, Sherbourne and St. David, Donlands have preserved 110 units of affordable and supportive housing. The diocese’s MAF Real Estate funding has sparked plans for expanded affordable and assistive housing in two other parishes.

This work embodies Call 16 of Cast the Net: Cultivate an understanding of the diocese as a dynamic net of shared relationships. Housing consolidation focuses on weaving together parishes, diocesan leadership, government partners and community organizations into one strong, interconnected net. In the same way, Call 18 continues to guide us to manage property through a theologically informed lens, reminding us that these decisions are grounded in our faith and not simply in economics.

Through Cast the Net, we are reminded that property is never only about buildings. Housing becomes discipleship in action, justice laid in stone and the gospel embodied in neighbourhoods where people find home.

When we talk about housing, we’re talking about the gospel in action, and about a Church that is not afraid to imagine new ways to use its gifts for the sake of the world. This is mission in the making, unfolding one property and one partnership at a time.

Epilogue – Casting the Net Together

The story of property in our diocese is still unfolding. We are learning, adjusting and sometimes failing – but always with our eyes fixed on the horizon, and our nets cast in faith.

Our Strategic Property Plan is not an end, but a means of living into the vision God has placed before us. It reflects the wisdom of Cast the Net: that to follow Jesus faithfully, we must sometimes let go of old ways and dare to do something new.

As we work on the many initiatives covered here, we are reminded of the abundant promise of the gospel: that when we trust God enough to cast the net on the other side of the boat, we will find more than we could ever carry on our own.

This is our work: to steward buildings and lands as instruments of mission. To see them as vessels of hope for the future. To know that in bricks and mortar, in shelters and homes, in parishes and partnerships, the love of Christ is being made tangible in the world.

And so, we return to the vision that grounds us: Followers of Jesus, inspired by the Holy Spirit, serve the world God loves.

May we continue to cast the net boldly and faithfully, together.

The post Our properties are resources for a changing world appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

In the summer of 2023, the diocese’s Property Resources and Archives teams began visiting and exploring these spaces.

What began as a simple project – one scheduled site visit to the former All Saints, Cannington – has since evolved into a sacred mission: a commitment to the memory of our closed parishes and to our role as stewards of those properties entrusted to our care.

Armed with flashlights, bankers boxes, gloves and an ever-evolving tool bag, we unboard windows and let sunlight fall once again through stained glass. We collect liturgical furnishings left behind, search for holy hardware and document everything from war memorials to the commemorations scattered throughout. And yes, we often test the bells – ostensibly for structural integrity, but mainly because the ringing of a bell in an otherwise empty nave feels like calling something sacred back to life.

That tradition began at St. John, Harwood, during a visit in preparation for her eventual sale. As our visit concluded, we rang the bell. No one thought much of it until calls started pouring into the Property Resources office. Neighbours had heard the bell toll and, concerned (or curious), went to check on the church. Finding no one there, it became a haunting but hilarious moment that we still laugh about. More than that, it was a reminder that these churches may be closed, but they are not forgotten. The community still listens for her call.

Many of our most memorable encounters have come not from inside the buildings, but just outside them – from the neighbours who pull over when they see folks poking around. Protective and deeply connected to the buildings, these neighbours tell us stories, share memories and bring the history to life. They are stewards, too – knowledge keepers and quiet guardians of these sacred sites.

Another unforgettable moment happened at Trinity Church, Colborne. At the time, the windows and doors were boarded, leaving us to explore by flashlight. The stained glass, though present, remained hidden in the shadows. We arranged for the window boards to be removed and when we returned, sunlight poured through, illuminating the stories etched in glass. In that moment, the church was alive again, telling its story in full colour.

Trinity Church, Campbell’s Cross is a story of “what might yet be.” The charming redbrick church had been closed since 2017 and sat vacant. When we visited in late 2023, we recognized its strategic location and potential for revitalization. That visit sparked a new future and, today, Trinity is home to a Montessori school, bustling with children’s laughter. It’s a beautiful example of what can happen when we honour our past and dream about our future.

For Pam Boisvert, who joined the Property Resources team in 2024 after two decades with the diocese, the work is deeply personal: “After more than 20 years of seeing these churches as items on agendas and documents, it’s a profound experience to now walk their grounds in person – to stand among the headstones and step inside shuttered buildings that were once filled with life, laughter and worship. These places mattered, and they still do. With proper maintenance and a vision, many of these buildings can continue to serve in new ways.”

Claire Wilton, the diocese’s archivist, agrees and sees her role as preserving the memory of a closed church and maintaining records that detail the life of the parish. “Making a record of these memorials, including taking photographs, allows for future generations to know more about the people who worshipped and served in a community. Every photo, every record matters.”

Claire is especially passionate about war memorials, which she calls “essential and sacred.” The discovery of a deteriorating Roll of Honour at one of the churches reminded us why this mission was so important. By documenting these memorials, the Archives contribute to national records like the Canadian War Memorials Database, ensuring that no name or story is lost to time.

These site visits are not about nostalgia, but about stewardship of both land and memory. They affirm the value of ministry wherever it took root. Whether in a bustling downtown parish or a quiet crossroads chapel, they invite us to listen again to the witness of these spaces.

What binds it all together is the spirit of the team. From Claire being hoisted through a sacristy window (locks long seized, and keys long missing), to our many debriefing lunches where stories spill out over a shared meal, this is joyful work. More concisely, it’s a vocation of stewardship, and one we take seriously.

We invite the whole diocese to journey with us – to see these visits as chapters waiting to be reread and reimagined. Even when the pews are empty and the lights are off, even when the windows are boarded up and the bell no longer tolls, the Church, its people and our collective story never close.

“Let there be light.”

The post Let there be light appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.

Across the Diocese of Toronto, something is quietly shifting. Property is no longer seen as a burden or a backdrop, but as an active partner in the work God is calling us to do. It’s not just about how we care for our spaces — it’s about how we reimagine them as faithful, future-facing expressions of our shared mission.

Beyond the Bricks is part of our new communications strategy built to reflect that shift. This column is here to share what’s unfolding, highlight what’s working, and open new channels between you, our Property Resources team, and the communities we serve. Because this isn’t about “reporting” or “complying” – it’s about walking alongside.

Property as a tool for transformation

When mission and property are aligned, our spaces become more than buildings – they become tools for transformation.

Over the past year, we’ve worked closely with the Congregational Development team to help parishes engage in strategic planning that connects ministry with property in practical, meaningful ways. Through this partnership, parishes have begun asking thoughtful, future-focused questions: What is God calling us to do in this place? Who are we called to serve? What kind of space does that require – and how can we use what we have in ways that support ministry, invite shared use and create opportunities to re-invest in the work we’re called to do?

Done well, this work turns property into a pathway – not just something to manage, but something that helps communities grow and serve with intention.

More than a column: a new way to connect

After Synod 2023, it became clear that we had an opportunity to strengthen how we communicate –  to share more of what’s happening, make resources easier to access, and better support those we serve. In response, we’re making intentional changes – not just to improve communication, but to build stronger relationships and create more meaningful points of connection between parishes and the diocesan Property Resources team.

This renewed approach is grounded in the Priorities and Plans affirmed at Synod 2023, which continue to guide how we show up: deepening our role as trusted partners to parish leaders, making our systems more accessible and responsive, and viewing property not as an obstacle, but as a tool for mission and ministry.

This work also aligns directly with Cast the Net, the diocese’s strategic vision. We’re responding to the needs of today’s Church by resourcing lay leaders (call #11), supporting congregational health through sustainability and space use (call #15), strengthening relationships across the diocese (call #16), reimagining leadership and decision-making (call #17), and embracing a missional approach to property (call #18).

Together, these commitments reflect a deeper shift – one that’s reshaping how we walk with parishes, how we steward our shared resources, and how we live out our mission as a Church, together.

Part of a bigger picture

This column is just one piece of a wider effort to connect more intentionally with parishes across the diocese. Here are a few other initiatives we’re excited to share:

• The Property Post: Launching before summer 2025 and led by Pam Boisvert, this new subscriber-based e-newsletter will feature good news stories, timely updates and practical tools to support your work.
• Website revamp: Under the leadership of Daiane Monteiro, we’re overhauling the property pages on the diocesan website to make them clearer, more user-friendly and easier to navigate.
• Workshops & info sessions: The Property Resources team will continue to host quarterly gatherings for parish leaders, focusing on practical topics like optimizing space, capital planning, and property stewardship.
• Regular Bulletin Board updates: Keep an eye on the diocesan bi-weekly Bulletin Board for ongoing updates, reminders and invitations from our team.

At the heart of these initiatives is a simple goal: to be more present, more accessible and more responsive to the realities you’re facing in your ministry.

Let’s keep the conversation going

This column isn’t just about what we’re doing – it’s about why it matters. It’s about parishes reimagining what’s possible, communities finding new life in familiar places, and ministry rooted in sacred, shared space.

Whether you’re a churchwarden navigating a capital project, a priest discerning new ministry possibilities within the limits of your space, or a lay leader exploring an emerging property strategy, this work is ultimately about creating space: for ministry to grow, for communities to connect, and for the Church to live more fully into its calling. And wherever that journey takes you, we’re here to walk with you.

Welcome to Beyond the Bricks. We’re so glad you’re here.

The post Welcome to Beyond the Bricks appeared first on The Toronto Anglican.