Ac cording to Wardell, churches often struggle with staying in an urban setting or moving out to where there's more space, largely be cause of parking concerns. Church leaders must then look for creative alternatives to parking. Some city churches share parking lots with businesses that aren't open on Sundays. I just visited a church in Sault Ste. Moody Church in downtown Chicago uses several public parking lots within walking distance of the church to handle its parking needs, says Rich Karnath, facilities director of the church.
Many church members walk, take cabs, or use public transit.
For others, Moody Church rents parking space from a local school and a couple of local businesses. It also purchases parking validation stickers in bulk from a nearby privately owned garage so that when church members park there, they don't have to pay. First Baptist Church in Jackson, Mississippi, is currently building a two-level parking garage across the road from its main sanctuary and alongside its planned Family Life Center. With 9,000 members, the church requires a lot of parking space. In the meantime, members are parking in outlying lots, including the parking lots of local government buildings that are closed on Sunday.