Beset by shrinking attendance and limited funds, Lord of Life Lutheran Church was slowly dying. Nothing seemed likely to change that.
But an even bigger question hung over this tiny Northwest Austin congregation, a close-knit community where young families had grown their faith, worshippers had become friends, and people offered prayers and casseroles when someone fell ill.
“We started to talk about, ‘What will our neighbors miss if we’re gone? How are we known to the people around us?’” the Rev. J. Mills told me, noting Sunday services were drawing only 15 to 35 worshippers by the end of 2021. “And that question mark started to loom so big that there was a realization that we didn’t think that our neighbors would miss anything if we were gone.”
So Lord of Life did something bold. The congregation closed the church a year ago this month. They sold their valuable land in the…
