Every time I see this thread title I want to post, "The sky is falling! The sky is falling!"
Have any of you ever actually been involved in a church merge?
I have...our pastor retired three years ago due to health problems, and our church had two options: close or merge with another church - AB's choice. We pretty much didn't have much say in the matter, but thankfully we have an AB that is sensitive to the Spirit.
Our church wound up merging with a church whose pastor is black. Some folks stayed, some folks left. We gained around the same number of folks with the new church as the ones that had left. We are now a multicultural church with at least three different cultures represented.
We have all made an effort to learn and respect each other's culture. There are differences, but that's OK. We have learned from each other. We honor the past and look forward to the future.
It has totally been a God thing. When our new pastor announced the text for the mission of the church, it is almost the same as it formerly was - just in a different gospel. This pastor and his wife are servants. They love God and they love people. They are REAL. They are both very gifted and their gifts could have them in lots of other places. But they are submitted to the will of God and are committed to our little church.
Church merges can work, when both sides are committed to work together and follow God's plan. It doesn't have to be a take over mentality. It was hard at first to let go of things of the past. There have been a lot of changes over time, but both sides are committed to making it work, and we are one body now.
Just my two cents worth...
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"More of Him...less of me."
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Hon. Dr. in Acts-celeratology
Posts: 5910
4/12/20 12:08 am
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