At RootedGood, we believe that church land holds extraordinary potential for community transformation. Across the U.S., tens of thousands of congregations are wrestling with aging buildings and shifting realities—yet those very properties could become anchors for affordable housing, childcare, health care, and community spaces rooted in mission.

That’s why we launched Fieldworks—to listen deeply, gather wisdom, and begin designing the financial tools and partnerships needed to unlock this opportunity at scale. At RootedGood we are not here to admire the problem—we seek to prototype the future.

Over the past year, with support and funding from the Duke Endowment, UCC Church Building & Loan Fund, and Texas Methodist Foundation, we spoke with more than 95 leaders through 33 interviews and 4 focus groups—from impact investors and developers to denominational leaders, foundations, and local practitioners. Together, they helped us identify the most common barriers—limited congregational capacity, complex ownership systems, lack of predevelopment capital, and the absence of proven models—and also offered bold solutions: catalytic funds, recoverable grants, credit enhancements, and blended-return vehicles.

The result is the Fieldworks Initial Research Report —a resource we hope sparks imagination, collaboration, and action. Read the report here.

In October 2025, RootedGood is convening a design sprint made up of leaders from around the country that will together build upon this research and design solutions for the future.

This is about more than saving buildings. It’s about creating spaces of justice, healing, and flourishing for generations to come. We invite you to read, share, and join us as we move from research to prototyping the future.

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