A Practical Guide to Church Mergers

I have experienced few joys in ministry as sweet as seeing two churches come together as one. Witnessing such an event is a vivid display of the unity of Christ’s church. To see it happen is to know the reality of Ephesians 4:4-6: “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” The Lord Jesus is the head of the church, and while there are many local congregations, it’s a joy to witness two joining in the common faith and a shared mission.

In August 2023, Redemption Church (a five-year-old-church plant) and New Hope Missionary Baptist Church (a long-standing church in the community since the 1870s) joined as one church to become Redemption Church at New Hope. Looking back, I see the hand of God in bringing our two churches together. And since we’ve merged as one church, we have experienced precious unity and sweet harmony in our fellowship. Our hearts are bound together by the Spirit, and those saints who came from New Hope Missionary Baptist Church are now some of my dearest friends. The Lord has done a marvelous work in bringing our two churches together.

The landscape of the American church is shifting rapidly. While many older churches are experiencing decline, they possess a legacy of faith and a wealth of assets (particularly their facilities). And while many younger church plants sprout, they have a fresh vision and zealous saints. The needs of each church beautifully meet each other, and a church merger can continue and strengthen gospel witness in the community for the next generation. However, church mergers are fraught with dangers and snares. Since our merger, I’ve received several questions from pastors seeking guidance in similar situations. To help other pastors and churches considering a church merger, let me lay out six phases for a church merger and then provide ten principles for leading a church merger.

SIX PHASES OF A CHURCH MERGER

Church mergers can be very complicated. Every church merger is unique, and no two churches are alike. As I lay out these phases, the speed by which you can progress through them will vary from context to context.

Phase 1: Connection and Compatibility

Is a church merger even plausible? Is there enough biblical and theological alignment to realistically come together as one church? If not, then it probably isn’t worth considering the idea of merging, as it would inevitably lead to some compromise of conviction or provoke disunity.

Phase 2: Informal Conversation

Start informal conversations between the leadership of the two churches. Are both open to the idea of merging? Is there a sense of the Lord’s will to consider a merger? If a merger happened, what would it be like to do so?

Phase 3: Formal Conversation

At some point, the church needs to be notified that formal conversations are happening to consider a merger between the church’s leadership. Dedicated representatives from each church need to begin meeting to discuss the logistics of a merger plan. It is during these formal conversations that outside counsel can be consulted for help, and legal counsel should provide insight into the legal issues of a church merger.

Phase 4: Crafting a Plan

The culmination of the formal meetings leads to an agreed-upon plan and timeline for a church merger. Such plans need to include a clear vision for the merged church in writing and clear guidance on how the membership of the merged church will be determined.

Phase 5: Teaching and Vision Casting

The merger plan needs to be shared with the members of each church. A time of extensive teaching and vision casting needs to communicate the details of the merger, following a timeline of instruction culminating in the merger day.

Phase 6: Voting to Merge

The merger day is the day each church votes to merge. How the merger will happen legally and organizationally will dictate what votes need to be conducted. But after this day, the church has voted to merge!

These phases can take up to a year or more depending on your context. It is better to go too slow through these phases than rush through them. The more time invested on the front end of the merger, the more harmonious it will be after the merger. Deal with the hard questions and potential points of tension before the churches vote to merge.

With these phases in mind, here are ten principles for pastors leading through a church merger.

TEN PRINCIPLES FOR A CHURCH MERGER

1. Lead Humbly

Pride will kill merger conversations. If you seek merely to gain assets and not serve the saints, do not even bother starting merger conversations with another church. The other church is not a prize to be claimed but a bride to be loved. Hotshot younger pastors who come in with swagger will shut down any hopes of fruitful conversations. A merger isn’t a takeover. You will not glam and glitz your way to a merger. Cockiness is unattractive and unbefitting for a pastor of Christ’s church. If you hope to make any progress in your conversations, speak and lead with humility.

For an older congregation, merely having a conversation about merging is painful. The grief of years of decline sets heavy on their hearts. And what those saints need is not some brash and visionary leader but a compassionate and loving shepherd. Bear their burdens. Enter into their sorrow. Speak with kindness and love to them, and labor for their spiritual good. Let your love be genuine (Romans 12:9). Remember the words of Romans 15:1–2 and act accordingly: “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.”

The principles below won’t help you if you don’t lead humbly. Check your tone. Guard your heart. Lead humbly.

2. Go Slowly

I see two approaches to the speed of merger conversations. Some push to move quickly, rushing to get the “deal” done. They minimize differences and overlook obstacles before the merger, which inevitably creates conflict, confusion, and disunity after the merger. The better approach is to go slowly. The hard work of conversations must happen before the church merges, not after. Rushing through the process will only hurt people and destabilize the church after the merger.

While our official merger conversations took place over ten months, our relationship-building with the church's leadership existed for several months before we ever had an official discussion about merging. Moving slowly provides the opportunity to build meaningful relationships that produce trust. Many candid conversations needed for church mergers require a great deal of trust accumulated. Trust is essential for partnership, especially in a church merger. But you cannot microwave trust. You need the time to build trust to have the relationship needed to progress discussions about the merged church. Slowing down the conversation not only increases trust but also ensures that everyone gains proper clarity on who the church will be post-merger.

3. Invest Relationally

The merger will not happen if there isn’t a closeness of relationship that produces trust and confidence in the merged church’s leadership. Formal meetings will occur, and agendas must be set. But the most important work happens outside of the meeting room. Get to know the people well. Learn their names. Hear their stories. Invite them into your home. Grab breakfast. Visit their homes. Linger in conversation.

Those engaged in merger conversations will, at times, speak in the flesh. You will sin, speak foolishly, or act rashly in these merger conversations. Remember Peter’s words: “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling” (1 Peter 4:8–9). If the people know you love them earnestly, they will bear with your foibles and show grace in your failure. The relationships you so intentionally cultivate in the merger conversations will only deepen and grow sweeter should the Lord bring you together as members of one church. Merger conversations are not just legal and organizational but pastoral and relational.

4. Craft Clearly

None of your conversation partners have ever gone through a church merger. The process is meandering and confusing, and even though everyone may want to see it happen, no one knows the next step. In the miry fog, the pastor must listen well and craft a plan to move forward.

This plan must include a vision for the merged church, answering big questions like the church’s documents—the confession of faith, the church covenant, and the constitution and by-laws. These documents give clarity and definition to what the church believes (confession), how the church will live (covenant), and how the church will be governed (constitution and by-laws). In addition to laying out those documents, a merger plan must include a timeline for conversations, charting key meetings, and teaching opportunities.

All this must be in writing so that the vision and the merger timeline are clear to all. Ambiguity is your enemy. Confusion will only create chaos.

5. Speak Candidly

In crafting those plans, the leadership of both churches needs to speak candidly. Friction points cannot be ignored. It’s easy to gloss over differences. Have the courage to address differences directly. Give space for critical feedback on the draft plans. As one leading the merger conversations, it’s essential to draw out any feedback—particularly when you sense there may be a latent issue beneath the surface.

Be clear and direct about what the merged church will be like. How will members be brought into the church? Who will be the elders? Who will be the deacons? What will worship be like? Who will do the music? Which programs will continue? Which will end? Clarity and candidness are expressions of love in this merger process. Do not shirk back from pressing issues because of cowardice, fearing they may derail the merger.

Of course, there are legal aspects to the merger and various ways two nonprofits can legally merge. It’s essential to speak clearly and directly about what will happen. Will one or both organizations dissolve to form the merged church? If only one, who will be the receiving organization? How will that legally occur? Get legal help. Get it all in writing. And communicate it clearly before the vote occurs. No vote should be cast in ignorance. Every person needs ample opportunity to understand and process what will happen when the church merges.

6. Teach Thoroughly

Once the leadership agrees upon the merger plan, an extended season of intensive teaching needs to occur. The leadership of the merged church needs to walk through relevant Scriptures, providing the doctrinal and ecclesiological vision for the church. The goal is not just to instruct on practical matters (i.e., how the church will bring in members) but to provide biblical reasoning. In other words, don’t just teach the “how” but the “why.” Show the biblical rootedness of the church’s vision.

Such patient and careful teaching is at the essence of pastoral work. As Paul charged Timothy, pastors are to “preach the word…with complete patience and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2). For our merger, we spent four months every Sunday morning before worship walking through key topics: the purpose of the church, church membership, church discipline, elders, deacons, the church covenant, the confession of faith, and so much more. In addition, we had several scheduled Q&A sessions open to everyone to ask any clarifying questions. Inevitably, there was confusion along this journey, but anyone who wanted answers to questions had opportunities to get answers.

7. Preserve History

The older church has a rich legacy of history that must be honored and preserved during and after the merger. As one season ends and a new one begins, the older church will feel a sense of loss, even amidst the joy of the merger. It’s essential to show honor, gratitude, and a desire to preserve and continue the gospel legacy of the church through the merger.

In our case, the historical convictions of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church were precisely what we were seeking to implement as Redemption Church. We were seeking to practice historic Baptist convictions in the 21st century. As we looked through the church's historical archives, it brought us all great joy to see an emphasis on the church covenant and to read minutes from old members’ meetings showing the practice of meaningful membership and church discipline. The church's history provided common ground to build for the future.

8. Partner Together

In the season of prayer and planning for a merger, finding times of gospel partnership between the two churches is valuable. By the generosity of New Hope, they had shared a portion of their facility for Redemption Church. Two churches were meeting on one property, giving us ample time for interaction and conversation. It also provided opportunities for cooperation. We planned outreach events together and served at each other’s events. As we served together, we could sense the Lord knitting our hearts together and stirring in us excitement about how we could work together on mission.

9. Worship Joyfully

Throughout the merger process, each church worshiped independently. But we did find times of joint worship. One Sunday each month, we would worship together, getting a foretaste of what a merged church would be like. I would have other brothers fill the pulpit at Redemption so I could go and preach to the saints at New Hope. As the weeks and months went by, we all sensed an increased longing to worship together. We felt what Paul felt for the Philippians: “For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:8). It began to feel so strange on the Sundays we worshipped separately. Our times of worshiping the Lord together increased our affection for one another. As the merger date drew, the affection grew intense, longing to worship together as one church every Sunday.

10. Pray Fervently

No matter how well you plan or how humbly you lead, the Lord alone can unite two churches. Therefore, prayer is the most critical work in the merger process. Anytime we were together, we prayed for the Lord’s will to be done. In our public gatherings for worship, each church prayed for the merger process. We prayed for unity, asking the Lord to keep us humble as we discerned his will for our churches. We prayed, recognizing that the Lord Jesus is the head of the church and that we would gladly follow his direction for us. We prayed for protection against the enemy, who always seeks to divide and confuse. The Lord heard our prayers, and day by day, we sensed his work among us.

GOOD AND PLEASANT UNITY

In all the praying, conversing, and planning throughout the merger process, the merger day came. On August 13, 2023, New Hope Missionary Baptist Church and Redemption Church became Redemption Church at New Hope. That day was a day of rejoicing, and we have not stopped rejoicing since. A frequent passage we read during that time and on that merger day was Psalm 133.

“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.” (Psalm 133:1–3)

Indeed, how good and pleasant it is to see two churches united together! Christ made us one. We rejoice mightily because, in the merger, we are a living testimony of the power and the unity Christ brings by his gospel. And the merger has expanded our ministry and brought great spiritual and numerical growth to the church. May our merger testify to the glory of Christ, and if you are privileged enough to see two churches come together, rejoice mightily at the work of Jesus, who is the head of the church, “which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:23).