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Thinking about a church merger? In an age of church decline, where many churches are facing declining membership, financial challenges and a major staff shortage issue, church mergers can be an important strategy for ensuring the continued vitality and effectiveness of the church. By working together and leveraging their combined resources, churches can create stronger, more sustainable organizations that are better able to serve their communities. If you are thinking about a merger, we can help you every step of the way.

CASE STUDY

“One of the great ironies of the early 21st century in Western Church is that churches with money and buildings often have no people, and churches with people often have no money and no buildings.”

– Carey Nieuwhof

When the Community Church of Little Neck was founded in 1927, Little Neck was a small suburban town. As the community grew over the years, so did the church for several decades. A steady decline in church attendance began in the 1970s, resulting in just a handful of members remaining and no pastoral staff by 2020. With a changing community and an aging population wondering what to do with their large facility, the congregation started to ask what it would take to revive the church.

In the spring of 2020, after praying about several different options, the Community Church of Little Neck invited Edge City Church to a one-year partnership in an effort to revive the church. This one-year partnership allowed the two congregations to combine resources and work together to reach more people for Christ. After a year of building relationships, the two churches came together and merged into one. This one year long process didn’t happen without lots of prayer, many late-night planning meetings, and months and months of intentional relationship building by the leaders from the two churches.

Today many churches see a merger with another church as a worst-case scenario. But mergers with the right vision and plan can be a great option for churches on the brink of closure and for new church plants. We can help guide churches in this process.

The Different Types of Church Mergers

Church mergers are becoming increasingly common as congregations face declining attendance and financial challenges. There are a number of different types of church mergers, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

  • This is the most common type of church merger. In a continuation merger, two or more churches merge to carry on much as they have in the past but with more people and money. This type of merger can be a good option for churches that are similar in size and theology. However, it can also be challenging to merge two cultures and to ensure that everyone feels like they have a place in the new church.

  • A restart merger is a type of church merger in which the churches involved see the merger as an opportunity for a fresh start. They let go of old habits and create a new vision based on revitalization. This type of merger can be a good option for churches that are struggling and need a new start. However, it can also be challenging to create a new vision and to implement it successfully.

  • In an absorption merger, a smaller declining church joins with a nearby healthy congregation. Some of the traditions of the smaller church may carry on while the larger church continues to do what's working. This type of merger can be a good option for a smaller church that is struggling to survive. However, it's important to make sure that the smaller church's members feel like they are being welcomed and valued by the larger church.

  • A multi-site or multi-campus merger is a type of church merger in which a church in a strategic location but finds itself struggling and stuck becomes a campus of a thriving church. The stronger church provides the vision, leadership, people, and funds to help the campus location fulfill its potential.

  • An anchor church is not really a merger but similar in some respects to a multi-site merger. In this case, the stronger (anchor) church provides funds, volunteers, and leadership assistance under a covenant rather than a legal joining. This type of arrangement can be a good option for a church that is struggling but wants to remain independent.

  • The parish model is a way for two or more churches to work together without merging. In a parish model, the churches remain separate entities, but they form a joint structure to share resources and support specific ministries. This can include sharing staff, facilities, or finances. The governance of a parish model can be informal or formal. In an informal model, the churches may simply agree to work together on a project-by-project basis. In a formal model, the churches may create a separate non-profit corporation to oversee the joint structure. When pastors or other staff are shared, the board of the joint structure typically hires and supervises them. Each church then contributes a proportionate share of the cost. This ensures that all of the churches benefit from the shared resources, without any one church bearing the full cost.