By Dirk Elliott
Author of Vital Mergers: A New Church Start Approach That Brings Church Families Together.

Do you feel restless about your church’s current ministry? Is God calling you and/or your congregation to live out faithfulness in new ways? Have you started to wonder whether joining with another church (or churches) could significantly increase your missional impact on the community? If so, you may want to learn more about Vital Mergers. Just as blended families face big decisions and challenges, so do churches seeking to merge.

Do you feel restless about your church’s current ministry? Is God calling you and/or your congregation to live out faithfulness in new ways? Have you started to wonder whether joining with another church (or churches) could significantly increase your missional impact on the community? If so, you may want to learn more about Vital Mergers. Just as blended families face big decisions and challenges, so do churches seeking to merge.

The word “merger,” creates anxiety because it implies uncertain change. Some people view the idea of a merger as a hostile takeover with winners and losers. Still others immediately see issues involving loss of identity. Whether the term is applied to a business or faith community, there’s fear that uncomfortable change is coming. After a merger, things may be different. A business may offer different services or start a product line. Churches may meet in a new location. Any kind of merger requires foundational change that on the surface may feel impersonal at first.

Merger math
Church mergers take various forms. Traditionally, the most common form has been two or more churches deciding to consolidate their resources by moving into the best facility they already own and retaining only one pastor. These mergers rarely bear the fruitful ministry anticipated by the merging churches.

While there may be occasional exceptions, typically the resulting congregation from this form of merger will eventually lose participation and decrease in attendance to the size of the larger church before the merger. So instead of 1+3=4, you get 1+3+much drama=3. Often, the lack of fruitfulness and growth in traditional mergers stems from its primary motivation: the need to survive rather than the need to further its mission.

Instead of consolidating resources, the Vital Merger strategy creates a new church—a healthy, growing, new-church-start with a fresh focus on the mission field and new ways of doing ministry. Using a Biblical metaphor, the traditional merger is attempting to pour new wine into old wineskins. The Vital Merger, on the other hand, creates new wine that is poured into a new wineskin. A Vital Merger congregation is a new work.

Here's the Outline of Steps for a Vital Merger Process

1. Establish a prayer team with representatives from each church, supporting the merger process in prayer and seeking God’s direction as everyone moves forward.
2. Contact your District Superintendent stating the desire for a merger to take place.
3. The District Superintendent establishes a date for an initial meeting with key leadership from all churches. The annual conference staff person responsible for church planting should be invited to this initial meeting.
4. Each church’s Council or Board votes to be involved in the merger talks.
5. Establish a Merger Team to discuss merger issues, with equal representation from each church. Divide the Merger Team into two sub-teams: an Administrative Team to focus on the logistics and legalities of the merger, and a Vision Team to focus on the mission, vision and programs of the future church.
6. Complete a demographic study for the existing church communities and for potential relocation sites.
7. Maintain regular communication from the Merger Team with all the churches involved in the merger talks. Communication is best through an agreed upon form from the Merger Team and a joint communiqué presented to each church by the representatives from their respective churches.
8. Create numerous opportunities for both congregations to get to know each other. Organize joint worship experiences, celebration events, and opportunities unrelated to the discussion of the proposed merger.
9. Alternate worshipping sites to become familiar with each other and gain an appreciation for the ministries and setting of each church.
10. Conduct periodic “straw polls” to assure that each church is still on-board with the merger.
    1. Develop a “Merger Document” that outlines the details of the new church. The Merger Document should include:
       a. Brief History and Future Intent
       b. New Mission Statement
       c. Definition of the Mission Field
       d. New name
       e. Timeline and Process
       f. Leadership Structure
       g. Personnel/Staffing
       h. Property, Buildings, Location, and Artifacts
       i. Rationale for worshipping in a neutral location
       j. Financial Assets
       k. Resolution of acceptance and Intent
       i. Outlining who may vote
       ii. Outlining the percentage of vote required for passage
       iii. Defining number of churches needed for merger to be approved
       l. Certified Resolution

11. Set the bar for approval at two-thirds (66%) of those voting to insure that a larger percentage of the congregation is in support of the merger.

12. Send a copy of each draft to the Judicatory Official and staff person responsible for church planting.

13. Hold “Town-Hall” style meetings to inform the congregations of the progress of the merger document and answer questions concerning the future of the church.

14. Forward the completed Merger Document to Judicatory Officials, including (if applicable) the Bishop, the District Superintendent, and Conference staff person responsible for church planting.

15. Present the completed copy of the Merger Document to members of each church for study and discussion.

16. Contact the District Superintendent to authorize a Church Conference or Congregational Meeting for the “Merger Vote.”

17. Define who can vote. In a United Methodist Church/Charge Conference the following people have a vote:
a. Professing members (those who have taken membership as professions of faith or by transfer)
b. Retired Ministers and Diaconal Ministers who hold their charge conference membership at the church
c. Affiliate Members

Once the merger has been accepted:

• Begin the process of incorporating, gaining new postal permits, selling buildings, and purchasing a new facility or site for construction of a new building.
• Conduct a final service of celebration of the ministry of each church.
• Receive a new church-planting pastor. (In the United Methodist Church the pastor is appointed.)
• Worship at a neutral location.
• Hold a celebration that includes people from each of the merged churches for the first service together. This is a great time to begin a new worship service, introducing a new style of worship.
• Develop a marketing plan targeting the new mission field, highlighting the existence of the new church worshipping in a new location.

Following these steps will assist the merging churches with creating a healthy new church that will effectively reach their community with the Good News of Jesus Christ. The churches will be able to negotiate the difficulties of the merging process in ways that will minimize the stress and grief, while positioning the church for future growth.

Editor's Note: Silver Spring United Methodist Church used Vital Merger and Better Together: Making Church Mergers Work as resources for their work at transitioning from a cooperative parish to a healthy merger in 2013-14. - Jo Chesson