The South Cronulla Uniting Church site, including heritage-listed church, is up for sale and is expected to fetch about $4 million.
Agents CBRE and McGrath are handling the sale and have called for expressions of interest, advertising the site as having multiple potential uses.
The church, at 12-14 Wilshire Avenue, was closed in April this year.
It was part of the New Beginnings Uniting Church of Cronulla parish.
Others are the Uniting Church on Gosport Street, Cronulla, and the Uniting Church at Bundeena.
The 1796 square metre block is zoned R2 low density, with an existing house, place of worship and hall, and is being offered for sale individually or in one line.
Advertised potential uses include “childcare, medical, boarding house and residential”.
CBRE agent Peter Vines said there had been “a huge amount of interest” in the property, including from church groups.
“It is a really nice part of Cronulla, and it’s a beautiful block of land, which is unique,” he said.
“Some church groups are looking at continuing to run it as a church.
“There are also developers who are interested in keeping the heritage church and potentially redeveloping the house.
“Childcare groups are also having a good look because of the land size.”
Mr Vines said it was possible the five bedroom house could be sold separately to the church and attached hall, or the entire site sold as one.
“It really depends on the offers,” he said.
Mr Vines said agents believed the selling price for the entire site would be “around $4 million, but time will tell”.
The high level of interest had been expected.
“There is nothing else like it out there, whether it’s in Cronulla or Sydney generally,” he said.
“People like opportunities like this because it’s a beautiful site, there are little bits and pieces you can do to it and it is relatively inexpensive in the the scheme of things.”
New Beginnings Uniting Church Cronulla minister Simon Lee the church is looking at a number of possibilities to utilise the funds from the sale.
“We would like to expand the Cronulla Community Cafe Gosport Street which serves free community meals on Wednesdays,” he said.
“We would like to provide pastoral care and support the aged in their homes.
“And we would like to develop and enhance our youth and family ministry.”
The land on which the South Cronulla Uniting Church stands was bought in 1902 and the foundation stone laid on April 24, 1924.
The South Cronulla church has been identified by Sutherland Shire Council as a heritage item of local significance and is listed as a local heritage item in the Sutherland Shire Local Environmental Plan 2015.
Members of the South Cronulla congregation sent letters and petition asking that the church remain open.
When the The Uniting Church in Australia Synod of NSW and the ACT decided to close the doors the congregation hoped that another church would have been able to buy the building and continue services on the site.
The congregation was invited to join with the other New Beginning Uniting Churches in the area.
Expressions of interest close on Thursday, October 20.