Faith-based retirement communities are not so religious anymore

Declining church attendance and religiosity is catching up with faith-based retirement communities around the country, The New York Times recently reported. Many continuing-care communities that were founded on religious principles have been pulling back on how much they emphasize religion as part of their ethos.

“Residents have come to expect different kinds of benefits, and the religious aspect, which was once a meaningful calling card, is now often seen as just another effective marketing tool, like on-site beauty salons or golf pro shops,” Tammy LaGorce wrote for the Times.

For instance, the Shell Point Retirement Community in Fort Myers, Florida, was founded by the Christian and Missionary Alliance, but leaves any religious preference open to the residents. Instead, the residents are encouraged to find “their mid- or late-life groove in any number of ways.”

Most faith-based retirement communities are nonprofits and are sponsored by Christian or Jewish organizations. An estimated 56 out of the 200 largest continuing-case communities in the U.S. are faith-based, the article said.

Some have begun to change the way they market themselves. For instance, what was described as a Lutheran-based community in Madison, Wisconsin, in the 2000s, now calls itself “Lutheran-inspired,” LaGorce wrote.

At another group of communities that are part of HumanGood, a nonprofit that runs 19 faith-based communities, the approach to spiritual service has evolved, director of spirituality Sharell Shippen told the Times. Although the community was founded by Baptists and Presbyterians in the 1950s, today’s residents now can opt out of spiritual programs.

And the spiritual programs that are offered are designed to appeal to a wide range of faiths. At one community where most residents are Jewish, a Catholic priest comes to celebrate Mass on Sunday. At another, a Wiccan service has been held.

Other niche retirement communities have sprouted, according to Kiplinger. Some appeal to Jimmy Buffett fans; others to yoga enthusiasts. But these specialized senior communities aren’t usually for the budget-minded. Upscale continuing-care communities — which allow residents to move from independent living to assisted care to full care — can charge as much as $450,000 up front, in addition to monthly fees of thousands of dollars, according to The New York Times.

Faith-based communities are not always cheaper, even when run by nonprofits, and some have struggled to stay financially viable. For instance, Christian Care Centers Inc., a faith-based nonprofit in Texas, filed for bankruptcy protection in the Northern District of Texas in 2022, according to the Christian Chronicle.

LaGorce interviewed Bob Dawson, who with his wife, Gretchen, moved to an interfaith community called Plymouth Harbor in Florida, which was founded by a Congregational minister in the 1960s. Dawson said he is not religious and cared most about the community’s friendliness, financial stability and amenities. He told the Times, “Do we feel constricted or constrained or directed by a religious agenda here? No, not at all.”