I shared about merger possibilities with Chamberlayne Baptist Sunday morning. I write this to state the obvious complexity of mergers. Here are some takeaways from the current conversation:
The death of a dream is a difficult reality. I looked around the room at many who’d made this church home for decades; they’d stayed while others left. Now a shadow of what once was, the prospect of joining another congregation seems like throwing in the towel. To walk away from what used to be is a difficult exercise. Sensitivity is necessary to those in process of letting go.
Dissimilarities are inevitable. There are practice differences between the two organizations. Chamberlayne has women deacons and we don’t. They also identify with a denominational tribe outside our current relationships. Typically the identity and practices of the lead (stronger) church continues as the standard.
Mergers happen in kingdom conversations. Mergers are larger than personalities and accompanying preferences. For Kingdom work to happen, we abandon personal plans and agendas to adopt and embrace God’s purpose. It’s my personal belief organizations become easily entrenched in the non-essentials missing God’s good will. Kingdom conversations further the gospel (missional activity) in communities. Congregations lose their way by enabling members’ selfish preferences. When the church becomes more about me, it ceases to be the church. Let’s keep conversations Kingdom focused.
Merger conversations are lengthy ones. Mergers or acquisitions don’t happen overnight. There’s much to be discussed and resolved. For everyone to gather on the same page, it takes multiple conversations on many levels. Meaningful conversations take time.
Merger conversations are radical. Both the concept of merger and potential future are radical. The church definitely won’t look the same; it will be different. Churches decline and die for a reason. Repurposing and re-visioning is radical to the church but must be relevant to its community. I’m referencing not only stylistic changes, but functional model shifts such as becoming missional. We need to remember we’re sent and must intentionally choose to live our sentness.
In a neighborhood (two mile radius of Chamberlayne Baptist Church) of 17,000 residents in 7,700 homes, there are four neighborhood churches in addition to a regional charismatic congregation. At the four neighborhood churches last Sunday, there we less than 160 cars in all lots combined. There’s Kingdom opportunity on Wilkinson Road.
