This is an essay on the issues that surround the concept of church mergers.

For instance, it has been suggested to me over the years whether one should consider the feasibility that the Convention churches here in Peterborough might merge into one Baptist church for the City. Let me stress that, as far as I know, no steps have ever been seriously taken to that end, nor am I necessarily advocating such a move.  My experience as a CBOQ Area Minister in dealing with a number of church mergers has taught me that such mergers or amalgamations are very difficult endeavours. They are not for the faint-hearted!

On paper it seems so rational, practical, pragmatic, logical and just plain common sense. Churches pool their resources, their volunteers, their assets, their talents and gifts and thereby strengthen their Christian work and presence. Mergers offer the hope of increased attendance for Sunday morning worship.  Instead of a few little churches limping along, struggling to pay the bills, the expectation is that one, presumably larger church, is better equipped to stave off further decline and become more effective.

But in reality, merging two or more churches is anything but rational or self-evident as it is in theory. Church mergers stir deeply entrenched emotions around many issues. If these emotions and feelings are not taken into account there is far less likelihood of success down the road.

Although it is only brick, stone and mortar, the people of a particular church have a fierce spirit of loyalty to their church building. Much of the story of their individual faith is associated with that particular church building.  Some have grown up in their church. They have married there or been baptized, dedicated their children, buried loved ones, have put up memorial windows or given other gifts, sang in the choir, painted the walls,  etc. People tells their stories about what it has meant to be a part of that community of faith.  They have a well-earned pride in who they are. They have invested themselves in the life of that church.  To tear the church away from them is very threatening to their well-being. Consequently, they are not willing to walk away from all that. Indeed, it would be a profound sense of loss, perhaps failure, and defeat to give up on this powerful icon of their unique Christian journey.

Every church also has its unique identity. It has defined its place, its theology, its ministries, and its mode of operations over several decades. Every church has its own peculiar personality. It has developed its own comfortable and familiar way of doings as a church. It has its own way of worshipping, praying, hymnology, being community, and exercising its identity and purpose.  Therefore, the  identities and personalities of two or more churches may not be automatically compatible, simply because they share a denominational label. Churches may have very different ideas about what it means to be a church or what mission is or what worship entails.

Finally, every church is rooted in its own unique context or neighbourhood, even if it has had little or no direct relationship or contact with that community. Just as churches have different and unique personalities, so do neighbourhoods. But more than likely, the church has found its niche in its own neighbourhood, developed contacts, provided aid, offered services of various kinds (e.g. Vacation Bible School), and made its presence known, mostly in positive ways and means.  The community may truly miss the church if it were to longer there. Therefore , the specific context has been integral in forming a church’s  identity, vision, purpose, and ministry and will not likely be repeated easily from another place.

With these things in mind, however, here are a few suggestions that might lead to a more successful church merger.

1.       A church merger must find its grit at the grass roots level. It has to be owned by a significant majority of the people of both (all) churches. It has to be more than the pastors’ dream. It can be initiated, at best, by denominational leadership, but it cannot be forced upon them by denominational leaders who have no stake in the consequences, no personal experience of the context, or little empathy for the feelings of the people involved.  The cold, hard facts may seem to dictate a merger would be beneficial, but my experience tells me that a shotgun merger will fail every time.

2.       Therefore, painstaking efforts must be taken to build trust, relationships, and have open, frank and transparent communication between the people of the churches involved.  The leadership from the churches that are for the merger must be patient and create many opportunities for the people from both or all churches to assimilate, digest, grieve, hope, and express their emotions as the process unfolds. At first, don’t get caught up in timetables, minutiae, agendas, etc. Some people will never get on board, and one must respect their doubts, without letting it derail the whole process.

3.       When it comes to church mergers, one plus one does not necessarily equal two. For example, if Church X has 80 people on a Sunday morning and Church Y also has 80, a merger will not necessarily equal 160 people all of a sudden. It might result in a 100 to a 120 people. But people will leave if and when the merger takes place – out of anger, grief, hurt, etc.

4.       Because there is so much emotional baggage surrounding the respective buildings, I believe that there is more opportunity for success if both/all buildings are sold and a new property is bought or rented so that a fresh, clean start is the same for all. Otherwise, the merger feels more like a takeover in the eyes of the congregation of the church which has left its building. Moreover, the incoming church may feel more like visitors than part of the new community.  The people of the other church also may act like nothing has changed and try to run the church the same way it has in the past, hoping for assimilation rather than a true marriage. This should be the rebirth of a whole, brand-new church, under a new name. Any barriers that lead to us vs. them need to be challenged. (I recognize that this may not always be practical and one building will be ultimately be used, but efforts must be made so that the incoming people from the other congregation(s).have serious input as to how they make the new church theirs, too.

5.       There will be all sorts of compromises by both (all) churches. These compromises must be perceived as equal, well-balanced, equitable and fair as possible.  

6.       It would be ideal if the churches were “between pastors” as it would give the new church an opportunity to work together to call a new pastor. Such a pastor needs to have the right skills to bring the two or three congregations together and not be daunted by the many obstacles, attitudes, feelings that he or she will encounter. He or she will need to understand and practice that he or she is the pastor of this new church as it evolves into one body, and not the pastor of two churches in one building. This pastor will need to foster community, unity, fellowship among the people, before much is done in the way of new programs or significant initiatives, unless those initiatives foster working together.

7.       Merging two or more congregations takes time and effort. But it cannot be the sole purpose or vision of the new church.   A merger is a means to an end, not the end itself. Along with building a new spirit of unity, the new, emerging church must soon begin to search for some greater purpose for its life as an active expression of Christ-like love and action. It cannot be business as usual. Together pastor and people need to seek its mission, purpose, goals and objectives in and around the new church.

Amalgamation between churches is a very viable means to re-energize, revitalize and even allow the Holy Spirit to resurrect Christian witness, fellowship, mission and outreach. It can be empowering.  It can bring about renewal. It can be invigorating. Unity among brothers and sisters in Christ has always been a hallmark of Jesus’ Church. But churches must go about the process with careful thought and consideration, with much continuous prayer, before these mergers become fruitful.

Dale R. Soble