For the past decade we have been witnessing a swelling wave of mission-driven church mergers that is transforming the church landscape across North America. Mergers are occurring among churches of all sizes and types, and in increasing numbers. They are happening in urban centers, suburban neighborhoods, and rural communities. Each church merger reflects a growing trend where two local churches at different life stages leverage their common DNA and complementary differences to generate synergy for healthier ministry, greater outreach and stronger community impact.
In our recently released expanded and updated edition of Better Together: Making Church Mergers Work Warren Bird and I document several reasons for this increase in mergers.
- Multisite churches have continued to benefit from mergers with over 40% of multisite campuses being obtained through a merger.
- 20% of church planters meeting in rental venues have acquired permanent facilities by merging with an existing church.
- Denominational and network leaders are also seeing church mergers as a vehicle for church revitalization, pastorless churches and pastoral succession.
The rapid rise of the “nones” (“no religious preference”) remind us of dramatic shifts in cultural attitudes away from church attendance, which helps explain a distinct decline in church attendance in the past decade. Undergirding the rise in mergers is the painful reality that 80% of the 320,000 Protestant churches in North America are stuck or struggling to survive—and that was before COVID-19. The likely demise of many of these churches with “underlying health conditions” is accelerating as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
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It is likely that in the next eighteen months every church in America will be presented with the possibility of playing some role in a merger.
A church mergers has clearly become a viable option for strong as well as stuck and struggling churches.
So how do you determine if a church merger is right for your church?
And even if it makes sense to consider merging with another church, how do we know if we are compatible?
As the prophet asked, “Can two walk together unless they are agreed?” (Amos 3:3, NKJV). That is the main issue behind every merger conversation. Can we walk together? Can we agree? Are we compatible?
No two mergers are alike. Every church merger comes about through a unique set of circumstances. Yet every merger conversation revolves around 3 primary questions in our search to determine, “Can we walk together?”
1. Is The Church Merger Possible?
Every merger involves a lead church and a joining church. The merging of churches is a delicate dance where one leads and the other follows. The lead church represents the dominant or primary culture that will continue through the merger. The joining church is the congregation that will be lifted or otherwise shaped to become more like the lead church.
The church merger dance typically begins with the two senior pastors or acting leaders of their respective congregations. The majority of church mergers are initiated by the joining church or sometimes by a denominational official or consultant. Should two congregations consider merging? Here are four exploratory questions to help determine if a merger is a possibility:
- Would our congregation be better by merging rather than remaining separate?
- Could we accomplish more together than we could separately?
- Would our community be better served if we joined together?
- Could the kingdom of God be further enlarged by joining together?
If the senior leadership of both congregations concludes that the potential benefits of merging outweigh the drawbacks of remaining separate, then the merger dance can begin.
2. Is This Church Merger Feasible?
The goal behind this question is for the two governing bodies to determine congregational compatibility. We have identified 25 distinct issues that every church merger has to work through to determine if the two congregations are really better together. Though every church merger is different and has a unique “church print,” all will have to work through these twenty-five issues to assess their compatibility. Although only a few issues are potential deal-breakers, all of them have to be addressed.
The best merger possibilities occur when there is at least an 80% DNA match between the two congregations in doctrine, philosophy of ministry, and ministry style. Like any good marriage, the more in common, the better the chances of success. But sometimes, as in a good marriage, the right combination of opposites has a strong attraction to each other, such as a suburban church seeking more meaningful engagement with an economically challenged area and a downtown church surrounded by need but lacking in resources to make it happen.
This is the most strategic move in the merger dance because all the issues and processes have to be worked out and agreed upon by the leadership before a merger can be recommended.
DOWNLOAD THE MERGER READINESS SELF-ASSESSMENT HERE
The Lead Church needs to take the initiative in addressing the 25 issues with the Joining Church. Typically, we recommend appointing a Feasibility Team of five to seven individuals usually from the two boards and chaired by the Lead Church. The Feasibility Team should be composed of church members who are favorably disposed to the idea of a merger. They will address all the issues, design a timeline for the pre and post-merger journey and make a recommendation to the governing boards. The Feasibility Team also makes a good Transition Team later to monitor the post-merger progress. This process will also give both churches the information needed to create a set of public FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) if a merger is recommended.
