(First published HERE)

Since 2015, 25 churches per year have closed their doors in Louisiana. While this is a necessary last step for some congregations, there are effective strategies that have both prolonged congregational life and restored the fruitfulness of Christ’s body at a church location. One such strategy is Church Mergers.

Since 2010, Louisiana Baptist strategists have assisted with at least 22 church mergers across our state. Churches of all sizes have found renewed life through making two congregations one. These have included:

• two smaller churches joining together to expand their capacity for outreach,
• growing church plants in need of space merging with older congregations in need of people,
• multi-site campus development, with a church agreeing to become a campus of a church in another part of the city or region,
• and churches merging with a church of another ethnic group in order to be more effective at reaching their transitioning community.

Determining if a merger is right for your congregation should be a matter of much prayer and careful discussion. In the book, Better Together: Making Mergers Work by Jim Tomberlin and Warren Bird, they suggest these key questions:

1. Would our congregation be better by merging rather 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 joining together?

Our strategists are available to help you walk through these and other key questions in making the right and best next steps in the life of your church. Contact us today to discuss Church Mergers, Church Revitalization, or Replanting as options for your congregation.

• Lane Corley, Church Planting Strategist
• Sean Keith, Church Health Strategist
• 318-448-3402

Other helpful resources:

• Considering a Church Merger Conversation Guide for Congregations [PDF]
• Better Together: Making Mergers Work by Jim Tomberlin and Warren Bird [Book]
• Mergers: Combining Churches to Multiply Disciples by Matt Rogers [Book]
• 9 Keys to Successful Church Revitalization that Include Church Mergers [Article]