The Ultimate Guide to Church Mergers

In our experience serving more than 700 churches, we’ve seen our fair share of church mergers.

In the past decade or so, church mergers have gone through some significant refining. Mergers used to be more survival driven; trying to preserve an old way of doing ministry that simply wasn’t working as well as it used to. Today’s mergers are more mission driven. They’re about embracing a shared vision for the future, better serving the local community, and expanding the Kingdom of God. Plus, 1 in 3 multisite campuses come from the result of a merger.

But not every merger is like this. Some churches are still attempting to use mergers as a last-resort to keep the old ways alive, causing confusion, division, and resentment.

Bottom line: sometimes mergers really work, and sometimes they really don’t.

Whether you’re a church considering expansion through a merger or a joining church seeking renewed health, this guide is designed to give you a comprehensive roadmap for understanding, assessing, and leading through a merger.

What is a Church Merger?

A church merger is when two or more congregations become one. Unlike business mergers, church mergers usually involve a lead church and a joining church. Most of the time, successful mergers happen when both congregations understand who leads and who follows, rather than trying to be “equals.” Chances are, there is a significant inequality in health and size between the two churches.

Lead churches typically want to merge because they have a heart for church revitalization, and they want to reach more people with the gospel. From our experience, lead churches don’t want to merge just for the sake of numbers. They actually want the joining church to thrive and live out the Great Commission (crazy, right?).

4 Questions for the Lead Church & Follower Church to Ask:

1. Would our congregations be better by merging than remaining separate?
2. Could we accomplish more together than we could separately?
3. Would our community be better served if we joined together?
4. Could the kingdom of God be further enlarged by our joining together?

More Resources:
How Healthy Churches Take the Lead in a Merger – Episode 154
How Joining Churches Take the Follower Role in a Successful Merger – Episode 155
Better Together: Making Church Mergers Work (Part One)
Better Together: Making Church Mergers Work (Part Two)

Is This The Right Fit? Assessing Compatibility 

No two mergers are alike. Every church merger comes about through a unique set of circumstances. But there is one main issue behind every merger conversation:“Can two walk together unless they are agreed?” (Amos 3:3, NKJV). There are four things leaders should ask to determine the answer to this question:

1. Is the merger possible?
2. Is the merger feasible?
3. Is the merger desirable?
4. Is the merger a God-thing? (This one is key).

What To Consider Before Committing

Merging is similar to marriage. Before you commit, there are things you need to know about each other. Here are 10 things to consider:

1. Doctrine: Is there alignment between the two churches on doctrinal and social issues?
2. Culture: While it’s possible to build on strengths and adopt best practices from both churches, one culture will (and should) overtake the other if it’s truly going to become one church.
3. Staffing: If both churches have a senior pastor, what will happen to the senior pastor of the joining church? What will the new staff structure of the post-merger church look like?
4. Finances: How does each church approach budgeting? What is the asset, cash and debt position of each church?
5. Governance: How similar are the two churches’ forms of church governance? What will happen to the boards and lay committees at each church?
6. Ministries: Are the ministries of each church similar? Which will be replicated at both locations and which ones won’t? What ministry strengths and best practices at each individual church need to be adopted and expanded on after the merger?
7. Teaching: Who will be the primary communicator of this new church after the two churches merge to become one? Will the teaching be the same or different on each campus or location of this new church after the merger?
8. Communication: What will be the communication plan throughout the process? What audiences need what communication and from whom?
9. Voting: How will this decision to merge actually be made and ultimately who makes the decision? What do the by-laws of each individual church require?
10. Launch: Once the merger is voted on, how will you launch this newly merged church? How will you let the community know?

More Resources:
Merger Readiness Self-Assessment (Printable!)
Assessing Merger Compatibility
10 Crucial Questions to Ask if You’re Considering a Church Merger – Episode 183

Staffing: Navigating Changes and Maintaining Health

“What will happen to me and others on church staff if we merge with your church?”

Staff members are often the ones most fearful of a merger, and for good reason. Their job security is at risk and their future is the most uncertain. Typically, the options for the joining church staff are to continue in their current role, accept another role, or be released with a severance package. Here’s some general advice for staff transitions:

1. Avoid sweeping promises such as “We’ll keep all staff.”
2. Retain any staff that are genuinely needed and can be afforded.
3. Extend an invitation to all staff to apply for any open staff positions.
4. Offer generous severance packages relative to how long they’ve served.

The Senior Pastor

What kind of leader does a church merger need? What specific qualities enable a senior pastor to successfully navigate a church merger? Successful church mergers do not happen without effective leadership.

All great leaders do three things:

• They define reality: “Where are we now?” 
• They cast a vision for the future: “This is where we want to go!” 
• And they chart the course: “This is the way to the future; follow me.”

There are certain common qualities in the type of leader required to skillfully lead churches down the merger pathway:

1. Transformational Leaders Show Humility
2. Transformational Leaders Care About Other Churches
3. Transformational Leaders Understand the Grieving Process

There are four common pathways we see with Senior Pastor transitions:

1. No Pastor at the Joining Church
2. The Joining Pastor Departs after Merger Is Approved
3. The Joining Pastor Becomes Staff at the Lead Church (This is the most common)
4. Pastors Become Co-Pastors (This works in rare cases)

More Resources:
Are You a Merger-Friendly Senior Pastor?
Navigating Church Staff Changes in a Merger
Pastor Succession, Multisite & Mergers

Planning for a Healthy Merger

A successful merger requires a clear plan. When you have a clear road map, the plan can be executed with ease.

Here are some “road signs” to look for when merging with another church:

1. What’s our mission?
2. What’s our reality? (Be honest!)
3. What’s the win?
   It’s better to start the merger journey with the destination in mind (the wins, gains and benefits in view) than to address the challenges and sacrifices of getting there.
4. Whose church is it?
   We tend to forget that this is “His” church, not our church. 

Making a Plan for Multisite Mergers

1 in 3 multisite campuses come from the result of a merger. However, closed campuses were 40% more likely to have launched as a result of a merger with another church. You need a clear multisite strategy before you can make good decisions about merger opportunities. We recommend that you kick off your multisite strategy by launching a brand new campus first, then adding your second or third campus through a merger.

Here are 9 principles for going multisite through a merger:

1. You replicate what you are.
2. Launch where you are already reaching people.
3. Plan to launch at twice the size of your core team.
4. The location is more important than the facility.
5. Leadership is more important than the location.
6. Video really works.
7. Central & Campus clarity is key.
8. Start higher control, loosen later.
9. Begin financial planning before launch.

Common Mistakes

How do you ensure that your merger has a successful outcome? There are 6 mistakes that we often see merging churches make:

1. Not defining the relationship
2. Lacking mission clarity
3. Focusing on the past
4. Poorly navigating control issues
5. Mishandling communication
6. Underestimating the grieving process

A successful merger results in healthy congregations, increased attendance, volunteers, financial sustainability, multiplied impact and ultimately a multiplied number of churches—even more than when the merger first occurred. Get clear on avoiding these mistakes, and you’ll see the same thing.

More Resources:
The Church Merger Roadmap: Road Signs for the Merger Journey
9 Principles for Going Multisite Through a Merger – Episode 342
Church Mergers – Episode 89
Church Mergers in the Digital Age—Easier, Faster & Further

What’s Next?

Navigating a church merger is complex. Whether you’re exploring a merger for revitalization or expansion, the steps you take at the birth of your merger will determine the life expectancy of your church.

If you want more practical tools to help you lead with confidence, subscribe to the Unstuck Resource Hub. You’ll get access to practical tools, training and resources to help you take your next step toward sustained church health.