The United Church of Christ has confirmed the finalization of the sale of the Cleveland building that has been home to its national ministry offices since 1990. Proceeds from the sale will be added to the national setting’s unrestricted endowment funds to help fund the mission of the United Church of Christ.

“As we look to position our organization for future success, we seek to invest more resources in mission and personnel and fewer resources in property,” said UCC General Minister and President John Dorhauer. “700 Prospect has been a very good asset for us for over 30 years, but new technologies allow us to work differently in less space – lowering both our expenses and our carbon footprint. This has been a long journey, and we are anxious to move into a new space that will better equip us for 21st century succes."

As Dorhauer noted in a fall webinar discussing the move, the decision was made with good stewardship of mission dollars in mind. The church’s national staff and governance structure have both “grown considerably smaller through the years,” he noted. The building has been largely vacant – save for a minimal crew – since March 2020, when the church closed it due to the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak. Now many staff will continue to work entirely remotely, or in a “hybrid” pattern: partly from the office, partly from home. All of this has contributed to a reduced need for office space, Dorhauer said. 

“The real message here is focus on your mission, and make sure, as good stewards, that every resource you have is currently serving the mission. And if it’s not, find a way to repurpose it for the sake of the mission. That’s what this has been about.”

Photo: UCC General Minister and President John Dorhauer outside the former UCC National Office.