Better Together

Thousands of Protestant churches are perplexed by plateaued or declining attendance, while other congregations nearby thrive. Is there a way for them to combine forces, drawing on both their strengths, in ways that also increase their missional impact? Church merger consultant Jim Tomberlin, with co-writer Warren Bird, makes the case that mergers today work best not with two struggling churches but with a vital, momentum-filled lead church partnering with a joining church. In this new book, they provide a complete, practical, hands-on guide for church leaders of both struggling and vibrant churches so that they can understand the issues, develop strategies, and execute a variety of forms of merger for church expansion and renewal to reinvigorate declining churches and give them a "e;second life."e;

Thousands of Protestant churches are perplexed by plateaued or declining attendance, while other congregations nearby thrive. Is there a way for them to combine forces, drawing on both their strengths, in ways that also increase their missional impact? Church merger consultant Jim Tomberlin, with co-writer Warren Bird, makes the case that mergers today work best not with two struggling churches but with a vital, momentum-filled lead church partnering with a joining church. In this new book, they provide a complete, practical, hands-on guide for church leaders of both struggling and vibrant churches so that they can understand the issues, develop strategies, and execute a variety of forms of merger for church expansion and renewal to reinvigorate declining churches and give them a "second life."

About the Jossey-Bass Leadership Network Series xiForeword xiiiCraig GroeschelPreface xvPart One: The New Merger Landscape 11. God Is Doing Something New: Biblical Basis for Mergers 32. Four Models for Healthy Mergers 213. Missional, Multisite, Multiethnic, and Other Merger Motives35Part Two: How Healthy Church Mergers Work 614. Stages and Speed of a Merger 635. How to Measure Success 776. Why Mergers Fail 917. Financial and Legal Aspects of a Merger 1058. Personnel Changes 117Part Three: Your Next Steps 1279. Determining Whether Your Church Is a Good Merger Candidate12910. How to Start the Merger Conversation 14911. Self-Assessment for Merger Readiness 16112. Exercise: Identifying Your Merger Issues 16713. Managing Pain and Change 17714. Where Do You Go from Here? 187AppendixesA. Merger Process Checklist 195B. Example of Merger Issues to Resolve 198C. FAQs Example from Bethany-Sun Valley Churches 206D. FAQs Example from Ginghamsburg Church 216E. FAQs Example from Woodside Bible Church 220F . FAQs on Preparing for a Merger Vote 223G. Churches Named 225H. Merger Research 229Acknowledgments 231Notes 233The Authors 241Index 243