Joplin church rebuilt after being destroyed by tornado has closed

JOPLIN, Mo. -- Dwindling membership has led to the closure of a Joplin church that was rebuilt after being destroyed by a 2011 tornado.

Pastor Sharon Freeman of the St. James United Methodist Church said that when the church reopened in April 2013, members had believed the area around the church also would be rebuilt. She told The Joplin Globe that hasn't happened, with neighborhoods near the church still undeveloped and a nearby business corridor largely empty.

"I don't believe we had the visibility that we once did," Freeman said. "We built (the church) ready to minister right off the bat, and it never developed like we thought it would. I think the dynamic of that area has changed drastically."

Freeman called the congregation's vote to close the church a "very difficult decision." The church had around 30 members and its last service was held earlier this month.

Freeman has since been named as a pastor to a Nevada church.

"I think everybody felt it was the right thing to do -- the hard thing, but the right thing," she said. "... Our congregation was foresightful enough to see that we were not able to reach the community with the few people we had, and we didn't feel like we were being faithful to the mission of the church in just sitting there."

The church building, property and remaining assets will be transferred to the United Methodist conference, according to Mark Statler, superintendent of the southwest district for the United Methodist Church.

"We're going to be looking to the future; we're searching for a new church planter or pastor or some way for a new ministry to be launched out of this location," he said. "We are, as a district and conference, trying to make some plans for what a new ministry could look like."

Information from: The Joplin (Mo.) Globe, http://www.joplinglobe.com