Transformation Processes

Transformation processes are the all the methods and approaches to help religious communities deal with the changes in society. Secularisation is one of the main forces that requires religious communities to transform and adapt. Jelsma [95] presented seven transformation categories. Table 21 provides the categories and a brief description.

Table 21 Transformation Strategies. [95] No. Category Description

I New identity Renewal of the traditional identity of the religious community. A modern approach towards the identity and traditions to reach a new (target) audience. II Multifunctional use Multifunctional use of the church building without remodelling. The building is

next to the religious function used for a variety of cultural and social activities. This is multifunctional use in time.

III Remodel Remodelling of the church building for religious use. Remodelling can modernise a layout that does not correspond with current requirements. There is often a combination with multifunctional use.

IV Partially repurposed Remodelling of the church building maintaining a smaller religious space. The new smaller place of worship allows for multifunctional use of the rest of the building for a wider variety of functions. This is an example of multifunctional or shared use in space

V Reuse The religious community leaves the building, but the function remains. Another religious community uses the church building as their place of worship. VI Repurpose The religious community leaves the building and the function changes. The new

user transforms the church building for their purpose. VII New Building A religious community can decide to construct a new building.

Missing from these categories are several options for alternative housing. Construction, a new building, is not the only option. As well as, the possibility of demolishing the church building. Figure 13 presents a schematic overview of this adapted version. Religious communities have three main choices: Retain the church building, find alternative housing, and sell the current building. Figure 13 shows a connection between Alternative Housing and Sell Building as these options affect each other. A successful sale of the church building will have a positive effect on the budget for alternative housing. In the same way that difficulties in selling will often cause difficulties for alternative housing plans.

In Table 21 and Figure 13 there is no mention of the problems that require solutions. A solution based approach corresponds to the approach seen in publications to aid religious communities. Adapting the solution to match the problem. Reflection on the success of the solution takes place afterwards. If a solution turns out to be unsuccessful,continuation steps are unclear. A publication with a different approach is from Stadig [112]. This manual for church leaders presents a systematic model starting with a problem analysis. The determined problem guides the reader towards appropriate solutions, as well as additional options if effects are insufficient. The downside of this manual it does not include all the transformation processes. There is a focus on multifunctional use or several types of alternative housing. The lack of the other options could deprive religious communities of reaching their optimal solution. Also, the manual, as well as the transformation processes, misses sustainability as a solution. The next section reflects on sustainability as a transformation process.

Religious Community

Retain Building

Repurpose [VI] Re-use [V]

Demolish

New Identity [I]

Remodel [III]

Partially repurposed [IV] Multifunctional Use [II]

Sell Building Alternative Housing

New Building [VII]

Re-use of a Building

With another religious community

Figure 13 Adapted version of the transformation categories

5.2

Sustainability as a Transformation Process

Discussions on transformation processes do not include sustainability There are religious communities that use sustainability as an adaption method. Often these communities have people with relevant (technical) knowledge

or find support with initiatives such as ‘Groene Kerken’. Difficulties in planning sustainability projects seem not to be in the technical aspect but in other areas.

The OHK in Apeldoorn forms an excellent example, there was a planned project, but no funds for implementation. Measures that make a church building more sustainable, often result in a cost reduction, but also requires an investment. The investment and the payback period will limit the first monetary benefits from the measure. Applying actions that do not require an investment would allow direct benefits. On the long term, this is not sufficient, as reduction remain marginal. Successfully execute sustainability project requires funding, making alternative funds a more long-term solution. Crowdfunding could collect as much of the investment as possible, which is a serious possibility. It does require time and effort to design it properly, especially the structure of funding. Finally, there is the possibility of exploring available funds or special loans, for example from the local or national government. Also, some businesses are willing to fund sustainability projects. Several possibilities can help mitigate the pressure of the investment costs. It is important to ensure that the financial situation of the church improves, avoiding risks as much as possible.

Another difficulty is the time available. The time between detection of the problem and starting to work towards the solution is critical. Early on problem detection allows more time to solve the problem. However, early on detection is often not the case. A limited period might not leave a window for the implementation of sustainability measures. Several issues, such as the previously discusses investment sum, but also the time needed to implement plans and see results. For churches with immediate problems sustainability is a risky strategy, as uncertainties about the costs and the benefits remain even with planning. A risk mitigating strategy could be combining approaches exploring both sustainability improvements and occupancy efficiency. The religious community must look critically at their situation and weigh the different options against each other while keeping in mind the period for reaping the effects of measures.

Determining the potential of sustainability as an independent transformation process remains difficult. There are cases where that proof successful, but also cases in which it is not. Key factors seem to be the size of the problem,

potential improvements. The framework reduces the time previously needed to plan the project. The reduced time, however, does not provide additional insight into the reason for failure or success of sustainability as a transformation process. Exploring the factors for failure and success would make is possible to judge the potential of sustainability. The next section presents a proposed scheme of transformation processes, and process or actions related to the adaptation of religious communities. The proposed model requires additional research for validation and verification. As well as, indicators on when a certain process is appropriate and when not.

5.3

Proposed Model for Transformation

The first two sections presented the current transformations processes and the potential role of sustainability. In this section presents this role in a proposed model for transformation. Even though this is not common practice the model starts with defining the problem, just as Stadig [112]. Also similar is the systematic approach, differences are the included categories. The model includes all categories from Figure 13 as well as sustainability. Table 22 presents the individual components by their identification number in the figure, their link to Figure 13 and a concise description. The goals of the proposed model is to return to the problem and present different solutions in one scheme. Figure 14 presents the proposed model.

Table 22 Components of the proposed model of transformation processes

Component Description