A North Knoxville congregation that has worshipped at the corner of North Broadway and Glenwood Avenue since 1914 is now searching for an organization to lease its building, hoping to avoid closing altogether. Fourth United Presbyterian Church, whose roots date to 1886, expects its remaining funds to run out at some point in 2027, and church leaders say finding a tenant is key to keeping the congregation in its historic home.
Church leaders are seeking an entity to lease its space at 1323 N. Broadway, according to Knox News. The proposal calls for leasing the entire building at a nominal cost, with the tenant taking on full responsibility for its care, maintenance, insurance and utilities. In exchange, the congregation would continue to be able to use the space for Sunday services and other occasional events, per the same report.
As first reported by WATE 6 On Your Side, the church is specifically hoping to find a nonprofit organization willing to take on the lease, and the congregation is not seeking to sell the building at this time. The church's session has said a possible building closure would be painful for the congregation and for the community partners that rely on the space, according to WATE.
A Shrinking Congregation in a Fourth & Gill Landmark
The numbers behind the search are stark. Fourth United Presbyterian now counts about 15 to 20 regular members, down from 45 in 2017, the station's report notes. Church leaders attribute much of that decline to the COVID-19 pandemic combined with extensive renovations carried out between 2020 and 2023, both of which contributed to the congregation's shrinking size.
The building itself has long served a role beyond Sunday mornings. The church has made its space available for the FolkatFourth concert series, gospel jazz performances, art exhibits and the Kickstand Bicycle Collective, according to the same account. Church leaders have said they would prefer not to lease to another faith organization that meets on Sundays, since that could complicate shared use of the sanctuary, though they remain willing to consider it if necessary.
A Congregation With Deep Roots
Fourth United Presbyterian's history stretches back more than a century before the current building went up. The congregation was first organized in 1886, and in 2009 it combined with another local congregation, First United Presbyterian, to form the church as it exists today. Church leadership has said it will consider all options to avoid closing and dissolving the congregation entirely.
Part of a Larger Denominational Trend
Fourth United Presbyterian's struggles echo broader pressures facing mainline Protestant congregations nationwide. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) reported 8,304 congregations in 2025, a drop of 128 from the prior year, a 1.5% decline driven almost entirely by a rise in dissolutions, which climbed to 127 nationwide. Denomination-wide membership also fell by 26,845 people, or about 2.6%, in 2025, according to Presbyterian Outlook, which also reported that 70% of PC(USA) congregations now have fewer than 100 members.
Nationwide church attendance in general has dropped, though the numbers have recently leveled out, Knox News reported, citing the Pew Research Center. For a congregation with as rich a history as Fourth United Presbyterian's, that national pattern now intersects directly with a local deadline: finding a tenant before the money runs out.
