2005
Stephen T. Hale
STASIS, CHANGE, and MERGER: The movement of the Church from grave to hope to resurrection; an exploration of the success of congregational mergers as a form of “new” church start
Mergers are occurring with increasing frequency among American Protestant churches.
The published body of knowledge regarding congregational mergers along with case studies suggests that the merger of two or more congregations into one merged congregation can provide a way of resurrecting declining congregations. Three merged congregations were visited, studied and evaluated to determine the degree of success of the past merger. The author pastored the merger one of the three merged congregations included in this study. The reasons for success and failure are explored and evaluated to create an understanding of what might work in congregations that are considering the possibility of merger and resurrection. It is apparent that mergers are not a method of church growth, but instead are a potential hope for resurrection.