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December 30, 2010
Merging is an option many declining churches consider, especially when two or more churches of the same denominational family exist in the same urban landscape. In fact, it seems to be a growing trend. Some, like United Methodists, use mergers as a denominational strategy. Yet, rarely do mergers produce the expected results. Stories do exist of powerful instances where a merger was a saving grace, but these seem to be the exceptions, not the rule. More often than not, mergers end in disaster. The rationale for attempting a merger goes like this: If two declining, struggling churches can merge into one larger church, we will be able to do more ministry, have more money, add on to a decaying building, and build a larger membership base. In theory, it sounds like a good idea— in reality, it very rarely pays off. Mergers are tough. The belief that two struggling congregations will produce one strong, vibrant church borders on mythical. So, merging should be a last resort, if even that. In most cases 2 + 2 will still equal 2. If a congregation of twenty- five merges with another of thirty, it will not produce a strong body of fifty-five. After time, history has proven that the new congregation will settle between twenty-five and thirty. The success rate makes this a
high-risk option and one that only a specialist could accomplish. So, why do these mergers so often fail?
Three reasons why mergers fail
1. Unhealthiness.
While Bethlehem Baptist Church sought to change in a positive way, the underlying issues of unhealthiness were never addressed. In fact, neither congregation stopped to consider why they were in their present situation. The potential positive change was stymied by unchanged methods, mind-sets, and traditions. No matter how much positive change a congregation makes, if it does not address the underlying issues, progress will be halted every time. As mentioned earlier, once a church reaches the point of death in its life cycle, revitalization is possible, but not very likely. Even if one church has addressed these issues, more often than not a struggling congregation attempts to merge with another church in the same state of decline that has not addressed the underlying, unhealthy issues that brought decline.
2. Vision
The power of a unifying vision cannot be overstated or underestimated. Every church has a vision of a preferred future. But often two merging congregations do not articulate or communicate their unshared and unspoken visions. Mergers muddy the waters as it concerns vision and direction. A merger will often create a new church with multiple, conflicting visions. These conflicting visions will create tension and cause an unhealthy atmosphere in the church. Factions from each existing congregation will defend their model for ministry and set the stage for destructive conflict. For instance, one church may have been founded on the concept of social reform while the other was formed on the concept of building strong family-type relationships. While both visions are good, one focuses outward while the other is more inward focused. These conflicting visions may not be evident at first, but as the church begins to move forward in ministry, they become vehicles for contention. Even if the new congregation promotes a new vision, the old ones may linger in the hearts and minds of members. Why? Because the vision of each prospective church was probably what attracted the original members. Those who remained in each church did so because they believed in the vision and direction of the church. A merger will often give a congregation a short-lived illusion of shared vision, but in reality differing opinions still exist about the ultimate direction of the church. Never assume that people are on board just becasue they give a verbal "YES".
3. Control
Let’s be honest: two or three families in the congregation run most small churches in America. These families have either grown up in the church or were the original families who started the church. They have invested thousands of dollars, hundreds of hours of sweat-equity, and multiple years of their lives in the church. These controlling families, regardless of how right or wrong it may be, make most of the final decisions.
The problem arises when two or more congregations attempt to merge with these types of existing power structures in place. Inevitably the power brokers from each congregation will begin to vie for power in the new church. So, you can almost count on fireworks being a part of the newly merged congregation if these strong individuals are not willing to let go of their power. Tension of this nature will not help grow a church. Newcomers will sense the tension and never come back.
To pull off a successful merger takes a special person with strong leadership skills and an ability to bring a sense of control to a potential hotbed. Rarely do mergers ever produce the desired result. Statistically speaking, they are not a good bet.
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